Mutant Yorkie. World's largest yorkie?
 

Nobody believes that my Chewy is really a pure bread yorkie, however I got him from a reputable breeder of yorkshire terriers and he came with AKC papers. Now he was considered incredibly large for his breed when we got him at 6 months and 10 lbs. Much to our surprise, this dog never stops growing. He's not nearly 8 months old and 15.6 lbs!!!!

This is definately NOT a complaint about my dog. I actually thought the breed to dainty for my taste and wanted a more robust dog that would still be happy in my apartment. Boy did I hit the genetic jackpot here! Chewy is about as healthy and adventerous as one could hope and loves a good rough and tumble with other pups as well.

My question is this: I have often read that the breed is only 6 lbs at the largest. But I have every assurance that this is a true Yorkie...Not that I'm hung up on pedigree, but I do derive a peculiar satisfaction in his blatant defiance of the breed standard (you go boy!). The vet actually wanted me to show papers to prove he wasa yorkie, and I think he called the breeder. After a while he told me that he had seen mutants alogn the same line as Chewey but never such a pronounced example. The vet has nicknamed him "mutant" (which I adoringly aslo call him now).

Beside being bigger than most yorkies by more than double size, and continuing to grow even at 8 months, he has a super-long neck (some tracheal problems when he gets too excited sadly), and a crazy flat body that becomes a wierd elongated shape when he's playing on the ground.

Grooming a yorkie this large is a big hasle, so we had him shaved....(edited to add: Shaved sounds so mean, lol...We had him trimmed to the puppy cut. He's much happier now.)

Rambling...

Ok, my question is this: Has ANYONE heard what the record largest Yorkie is? Is mine #1?

DANG! And here I thought that I could rightfully claim the "world's largest yorkie"!

Seriously, thanks for the quick response! Chewy is my first dog, and I've read up a lot on the breed and puppies in general both in preperation before getting chewy and thereafter. "Puppies for dummies" still sites on my coffee table ;)

I'll search for her posts and see if they are similar in their deviations from the breed standard...And how her giant yorkie grew...He may yet claim the title! My vet, breeder, and I all think that this "giant yorkie" thing is a throwback where the recessive genes of the earlier working-dog yorkie emerge. I wonder if her;s is as energetic and needs as much distraction as mine?

This leads me to another question, if I may ask. why is it often stated that Yorkies are no larger than 6 lbs? Is this more of a guideline than a fact? Or is this type of deviation that rare?

you know what...... i have heard of so many larger yorkies that i wouldnt be surprised if the larger yorkies were MORE COMMON than the smaller ones

I see, that's a comfort in that I can rest further assured that his unusual stature, being rather usual after all, won't likely lead to any unexpected health troubles. Unlike most of the posts I have read (browniesmom excluded of course) I am very happy that he's a big fellow. People often ask on the sidewalk where they can get a yorkie like mine. I gave some thought to learning to breed dogs to sell giant-yorkies with long giraff necks because I think they are too-cool.

Well, like many people who get their first yorkie, I'm eager to share pics, so here's some images of the little tyrant! I've included 3 here all taken on the same day when he was roughly 6 months old. Edit: This is roughly two months ago, he's much bigger now, lol.

You can see his earlier size here next to my 6 foot wife. I'll take some other pics to show off his crazy long neck and general longness.

Big or small he is just too gorgeous. :)

Thanks! A lot of Yorkie people, groomers mainly, keep trying to mess with his ears. They never understand that I like him as-is! Floppy ears are great, especially here in seattle with all the rain.

I just wish he had his full tail! Right now he just has a nub that I have named "Stubby McWigglesworth". (Yes, I have named most of his parts)

Well those have to be a lot better than me calling Sydnee's belly tummy wummie. I mean I even do raspberries on her tummy like she is a baby and I swear I think she giggles. ;)

CUTE!

I also give my dog raspberries, we refer to the result as "squiggly dog" and kiss him right on the snooter. (that's his nose's name)

Chewy is gorgeous. I can understand why people ask where they can get one. I wouldn't change a thing!

Well, we did end up changing one thing. He's a big guy and he HATED being groomed...so he's got something like a schauzer cut now. He's much happier not being pulled aside to get all the knits groomed out and being easier to foul up in rough-play (he loves to wrestle other dogs and run run run). So a sportier cut worked better for his personality. In the shots you see, his fur hadn't grown fully in, but once it had he wasn't quite the charmer...He's so active that his hair was contantly tangled and thin in places, etc...It also rains here a LOT so the long hair had to go.

I'll have some pictures of his new look up soon. I think the groomer I took him to messed up a little on the face (a wonky notch or two are evident) but in the future I will do this myself so it will be much smother. He doesn't mind being shorn anymore than he does a bath!

I just saw a neighbor over the weekend with a yorkie that was like 22 pounds. She said he was definitely a purebred yorkie and people always question her about that. I thought he was still adorable, as is Chewy!

Wow he is gorgeous! Lucy is in love!! ;)

:p Yes, "you go boy" :D He is beautiful and I love his coloring! I have a larger yorkie too, purebred akc. I was told he would be about a 5 to 6 pounder. Bentley, he's around 12 pounds. He's solid as a rock! I love all sizes of yorkies! We can play a little more vigorously with him than we do our smaller one, Bitsy. She's about five to six pounds. Thanks for sharing your pictures!

Hes BEAUTIFUL!! Ya know,Id love to have a HUGE yorkie,to me that would be perfect!! lol.The standard does say that they should not be over 7lb´s,but this doesnt mean they cant grow over that mark at all.The standard is there but really its only important if you were planning on showing your dog..if not,it really doesnt matter.Your yorkie is truely beautiful!! I LOVE his ears:) I wouldent worry about how big he is at all,you just have that much more yorkie to love:D

Chewy is so handsome! Big or small, Yorkies are the BEST! :)

wow...Chewey sure is a cutie, the bigger the better when it come to cute fluffy doggies.

Mojo is almost 8lbs and i love him for that...he is more "grabable" hehehehe

AWH, Chewy is a Handsome Full Figured Fella.....Very Very Cute.... :animal-sm

He is a darling! I also think the 7# thing is for lf you are showing the dog! Remember, they were larger dogs in England bred to kill rats. I would love to see him! His pics are just adorable. My little one is 3#, and I have to be so careful of her. Her bones are not any bigger than a tooth pick and she gets hurt real easy. The biggest ones I've seen here was a 5# one. But this is a small town. My two boys and family live in Seattle, and the rain and wet makes their dog pretty scrubby. They have him cut down a lot too. Enjoy! Pat

He is gorgeous..

No matter what size he is, he does have THE cutest face! Adorable pup!

What a handsome fellow!!!! He is just just precious!!!!!!!! To me he looks like a real cuddle bug. :p

He looks like my Stomper boy - check out the pictures I've attached below! They have the same nose, don't you think?

Stomper is 4 1/2 months old (came with papers) and is 7.6 pounds. The vet said he will be between 10-13 pounds full grown.

I am so happy that he is such a big boy...I don't have to be so gentle with him. The negative thing is...I can't sneak him in places because he is so BIG!!! :)

I think hes a cutie.. My Bell is bigger too!! The standard says not over 7lbs. But Bell weighs in at around 8.5 lbs. She is taller too, around 11- 12 inches at the shoulders.
I also get asked (actually told) that Bell is NOT a Prue Breed, But I also have papers :p and saw the mother and father.. Bell is also not the regualr Balck and Gold, She more SIlver and tan..

Wow, thanks everyone for the kind words regarding my little bitey monster! I can hardly wait to find my camera and get some shots of some of his sillier looks. All those were taken by a friend of mine who's a photographer, so that might be considered cheating? ;)

Anyway, you just have to see his super-short cut. It's really funny at first, but it keeps his fur sooo much softer to the touch and makes his stubby tail so pronoucned that his every emotion has an exlamation point at the end!

He is cute as a bug in a rug!!!! Larger or not, he's beautiful! I bet he's rotten too!!! :p

How Crazy!!
 

My dog, Chewie, lol, is a huge yorkie too!!!! His last weigh in was 8lbs at 5 months!!! And I'm sure he'll just keep getting bigger!

Large Yorkies
 

He's a beautiful puppy. I had one litter of pup's and one pup ended up 18 lb full grown. The Mommy my Pebbles who I still have she is 16 now she was 8lb then and the Daddy was 4 lb. So I have no clue where he came from!
But he is a beautiful dog. Hair to the floor and very healthy.The owner lives near me and I still babysit him for her. He is now 14 yrs.
The beauty of the larger Yorkies is that they are very healthy and have great teeth "usually".Don't be surprised if his ears stay down for some reason on the large males they do. It's like God making up for the size and making them just adorable. I love all Yorkies no matter what size they are they are all precious. I have 4 total. They are the Angels of my eye. Also the bigger one's are great to snuggle up to. I love putting jammies on Pebs and she feels like a baby in my arms. So just love him and he will return it for a very long time.
Best Wishes, Teri :animal-sm