Small vs Bigger Yorkies? I would assume that smaller is more fragile but would still like to hear from experienced Yorkie owners of various sizes. So as far as jumping off the bed and other normal doggy stuff is there much difference between a 4 lb yorkie and a 6/7 lb? |
Mitzi is diddy and smaller then a football / soccer ball, and weighs around 3.8kg (8.3) and she bounces off everrrrything. Whereas my 12 week old pup, Max is only 2kg (4.4lbs) and manages to jump up and down, run it around the house and has no end of energy. Managed the stairs at 10 weeks old!!!! We've always said the smaller ones are the more delicate, but both of my 2 have proven us wrong on that as they aren't afraid of nothing. |
My boys are close to 9 pounds (11.5 inches tall at the shoulders) and I can tell you that it is just as easy to step on them. They also have legs as small as pencils, so the risk of injury is great. (that is why I keep them covered with hair, lol, I don't want to think about it) No matter what size, Yorkies tend to be fragile dogs. Jumping should be discouraged at any size because of the risk of LP, which can be congenital or caused by injury. Ideally, stairs or ramps should be used. In terms of general illness, I think the smaller the dog, the faster they can go down. In the end, good breeding is key, regardless of size. |
I agree with "Maximo" size is not as important as health. That said, I have 3 yorkies ranging in size from 2 lbs. to 6 lbs. They all require care in the safety area. I always worry about them jumping off of the furniture and breaking a leg, getting a head injury from a fall or even being stepped on is a danger for all yorkies! I constantly have to watch my step as I have at least 1 underfoot at all times! Children are not allowed to pickup my 2 pounder! |
I myself like the bigger yorkies. |
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Billi is about 2.3 lbs so far and will put on another pound when she's fully grown. Little girl is fearless except with stairs. It's cute cuz she'll tackle our other dog who's twice her size and chase her at top speed, but as soon as there's steps she hits her brakes and whines for us to help her down. We did have a scare early on when she jumped off the bed, but thankfully she doesn't do it anymore. :eek: We'll have a ramp built for her soon. I love small and wanted small, but she's on a "almost too small" side. I'm constantly looking out for her, making sure she can't get stuck in the backyard. She won't ever be able to get in/out of bed without our help, but other than that, she's a tough lil thing! |
size matters? Our Graysee, who we were anticipating to grow up to be a standard 4-6 pound dog, weighs in at 12.3 pounds, currently, and is only a slight bit on the "chunky" side; she is just a big girl. As such, a jump off one of the standard beds is not frightening, although we discourage it. A jump off the BIG bed, however, which is over three feet in height, would not be a good idea, and we watch her like hawks whenever she gets too near the edge of that bed. Fortunately, all the bedrooms have plush carpet with extra-thick padding. Jumping off the couch, the ottoman, the easy chair, etc. is no big deal for her, however, even though we have hardwood floors throughout the rest of the house. She will typically jump off of the exterior wood deck onto the paved walk, if she's after a squirrel, but that's only about eighteen inches. Of course, if I even BEGIN to step on her paw, even in my bare feet, she lets out the most pitiful yelp that just sends chills up my spine! :( |
I have heard of smaller yorkies jumping off of furniture and braking a leg but I don't know how small that was. Remember the only way to guarantee how big your yorkie will be is to get an adult. |
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My yorkies are 5 and 7 pounds, and they have a trunk to jump up onto and then they jump on the bed. I really try to discourage any jumping because I know it's not good on their knees. Neither of them have issues, but we use ramps and other ways to help them get up. |
Peanut is 4 pounds and I cringe when he jumps off the bed/ couch. We bought him a custom made ramp for the bedroom and he has been using that well.. we need to order one for the couch. My friends Chihuahua, he was about the same size of Peanut. He jumped off the couch, broke his neck and passed away on the scene. I think any small breed under 6 is fragile. |
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This is a good question. But what I feel is more important than overall height/size/weight, is the density of the bone, and the integrity of the joints. Now some of all this is related to each other of course. It probably is true, if you have a taller Yorkie, that they will naturally weigh more, but are their bones dense enough? Of course as we know in humans, larger bones do not automatically equal denser bones. But in Yorkies as in other breeds we do associate the "thickness of the bone" to approximate the density of the bone. Which of course does not answer the question at the joint (s), are they articulated well. So I would look to the thickness of the bones as more of an indicator of fragility. Although lets face it a 3-4 lb Yorkie can have challenges irrespective of bone width/density. "Matchstick type legs" at any age are of a concern, And puppies by definition all have growing bones, and ligaments that are soft. Their structure is very plastic in youth. I remember picking up one Yorkie that "looked" to the eye, a "normal sized female", and then I felt her bones. Oh dear, so narrow, so tiny. And she was quite light in weight. In her case I thought she'd be weighing in at about 5 -5.5 lbs. Then we compared her to a visually "smaller" female. And she was shorter than the first. But so lovely in bone structure. I thought I was going to be picking up a light 4lber or so. I was so surprised. A very solid lass. Not an inch of fat on her, and she weighed in at 5.5 lbs. Her bones were very solid. But the standard doesn't and the very old "illustrated standard" doesn't talk about bone width at all. In our breed to get an idea about "good bone" which is one of the criterias we breed for, we actually do measurements at the ankle joint, when they are pups. We also do chest measurements, for breadth of chest. |
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