I had a 15 pound yorkie, Jessie Jamie, who lived to almost 15 years. She passed away in February. I looked around a lot because I loved the larger size yorkies. My new little girl, Jamie Yogini, is now 16 weeks and 4 pounds 13 ounces. So I expect she will be between 8 or 9 pounds. Love those bigger yorkies!

I thought the bigger yorkie was the norm many years ago when they were used to catch and kill rats in England then were bred down smaller.I would love to see one as i think they would be amazing.:)

My beefcake Tuffy is 15lbs and he's not fat he's just big boned LOL really he's very musculer and big boned.When he was a puppy the vet said that he was going to be in the 6 lb range boy did he show them he really did'nt stop growing till he was about 2 or 3 years old.When I called the breeder and told him how large he had gotteshe told me he was a clydesdale yorkie I think she meant that yorkies are thought to come from a clydesdale terrier.When people ask me if he's a mix I just tell them he's a rare clydesdale yorkie.I'm kidding of course but most of the time people ask me where they can get a yorkie that size plus he has the sweetest personality.

Lexi is 10 lbs.. just more to love...less to worry about

What breed is she?
 

I have enjoyed reading all the posts on large Yorkies. Our new addition to our family is 9 month old, Ginger Bear. She is 12 lb., stocky and sturdy! I take her with me as much as I can and I always get the same response..."What is she? She is so beautiful!" When I answer, "a Yorkie", the response again is the same, "Gosh, she is sooo big!" Thanks to the owner who posted that she tells people her large Yorkie is a special Clydesdale Yorkie; that is an awesome come back! I am going to use it from now on! What a great way to acknowledge how special Ginger Bear really is. We also have an 11yr. old lab mix, 40lb. and an 11yr. old Yorkie, 8 lbs. All three play, sleep, and eat together! Ginger Bear is the only one of the 3 that has Obedience Training. She loves her classes and shines above her classmates. I love the fact that she will always be the perfect puppy size, even when she, too approaches 11.

I had the same question. I have a 9 month old female, she weighs 9 lbs, my 8 month old male weighs 11 lbs. His Mom and Dad both weighed 8-9 lbs. I also have people tell me he is to big to be a yorkie, he also has floppy ears. My vet told me he has seen a 20lb. yorkie. Size doesn't matter, it is just more to love.

More to Love
 

Dear Susan,

My big boy, Gus, is 13 pounds and I love every inch of him. He also has floppy ears. I have had ignorant people say, "that isn't a Yorkie." Yes, Gus is a purebred Yorkie. He is a throwback to the original sized Yorkies, and he certainly has the Yorkie personality: loyal, stubborn at times, very loving and he thinks he is a big dog! I have a little parrotlet in my home and Gus is very gentle with him. Skye eats out of his dog dish and yells at Gus, "Leave it, don't touch it!" Gus wouldn't dare touch Skye. They are best of buds. Of course, the parrot is the boss, but I don't tell Gus that.

lol Syl, Gus and Skye
ps: we love the big Yorkies - more to cuddle.:aimeeyork

Redhead on the left is Nala 13 lbs.
Middle guy is Spike 11lbs.
Big Girl on right is Cosmo 19 lbs.(not a yorkie but I could not leave her out!)

They are all beautiful and sweet no matter what size.

Hey there!
 

My boy is also a big one. He's almost 4 months and already 6,5 lbs. His parents are very small (around 4 - 4,5 lbs). For me it doesn't matter if he's small or big, i love him more and more every day. What i don't like is the people's attitude. They look, admire but seems very surprised when they hear that he's just a puppy and then starts to tell me that for sure it's not a pure breed and stuff like this. Even the vet told me the same things. But, this is the menthality here, what to do? They don't have too much experience but they act like they are the smartest and the best.
So, dear friends, what i think is the most important for us is our yorkies to be healthy and happy, even if they are small or big. :)

big yorkies
 

I agree, my boy was 6.3 lbs at 13 weeks old. Now he is 11-12 lbs. I asked my vet to be sure he was a yorkie and he said of course he is. He is just standard and perfect.

I think a lot of the larger Yorkies come about because breeding the big bitches is safer and creates larger litters for sale. There may be a premium paid for the smaller, show quality dogs, but the breeders of larger dogs make it up in volume and safety for the birthing females.

Unless you are planning to show...what does it matter? They're all great and have the fabulous Yorkie temperament and look. I don't even care about breed purity...I now have a Chorkie and she's one of the most wonderful pooches I've ever known. :)

My aunt's yorkie is a whopping 21lbs. and is full breed AKC paper, When she bought him the breeder said he should be about 8lbs but he just kept growing and growing... He is very cute! just a larger size yorkie:)

First, let me say that I love animals - especially dogs and cats. It doesn't matter to me what breed or size.... I just love animals.

I'd like to try to address some of the comments I read here.

There are "breed standards" for each breed set by the AKC (American Kennel Club) and each breed's specific club, such as the YTCA (Yorkshire Terrier Club of America). There are reasons they have "standards". "Showing" is at the beginning of setting breed standards. People show to establish that their lines are "breed standard" and worthy of being bred.

Imagine being a senior citizen living in an apt and the rental agreement says that you are only allowed to have a dog weighing "no more than 10 pds". So, you do your research and find that a Chihuahua would suit you perfectly because they are only suppose to weigh "no more than 6 pds" and they would be light enough for you to pick up and take care of for the next 15 years. You buy a Chi with an AKC registration thinking that it will fit within the standards - right? What do you do when the dog reaches 20 pds? :confused:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/chihuahua/index.cfm

It might not seem like an issue for some but most people want to know what they're buying. Some people hunt and want a dog that has natural instincts to do that. Some people have small children and want a small yet sturdy dog with a really good temperament. Some people want their houses guarded and they feel the size of their dog is important.

People have a right to know what they're buying. When you get a AKC registered dog you should be getting a dog, that for the most part, fits into the standard set forth by AKC/Breed Club. If I want to buy a French Bull dog I certainly don't want to end up with a Bull Mastiff. :D

If it doesn't matter... then that's wonderful. :thumbup: There are tons of beautiful, lovable dogs in shelter and rescues that are just waiting to be loved.

Don't get me wrong - there will always be puppies that turn out larger or smaller than standard - even from the best breeders. Nothing to be ashamed of or insulted by - that's just nature's way. Neither one of my babies are "standard" and no one could love them more.

I think the reason people comment on our Yorkies is because they don't know what a Yorkie is really suppose to look like. With it's popularity in the last 10 years most people think they should be 2 pds and fit in your pocket. :rolleyes:



http://www.ytca.org/standard2.html
http://www.akc.org/breeds/yorkshire_terrier/index.cfm
I'm sure it's hard for vets to know the standard for every breed and it certainly doesn't take away the love you have for him or that he's a Yorkie but he's not within the standard at 11/12 pds.

Banjo is a chorkie- his mom was a 6# chi- his dad a 4# yorkie-
he is about 20#'s - shock- he weighted 1.8 #'s at 10 wks when i got him!

But he is sweet, loving and very healthy!! And i love him to death!!

I never dreamed he would get this big- but it does not matter to me- i coud not have gotten a better pet- that i loved any more!!

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum and I don't know half of what yall do about Yorkies. I am a new parent to a tiny little girl named Jazzi. We got her from a breeder a couple of hours away from us. So far she has been real healthy and has gained twenty ounces in a month. I don't know if that is a good gain or not but the vet was happy with it.

My problem was the food they (breeder and vet) wanted her to eat. Eukanuba...she hated it...so the breeder told me to feed her a small amount of Ceasers with it. Jazzi licked the Ceasers off and left the dry food. I went to another food, no luck, then the vet gave me some wet puppy food with some dry as well. I give her both so she has a choice. She is five months now and I think her teeth are starting to itch because she is eating more of the dry.

The potty training is going very slowly too. She knows it's wrong to go on the floor but does not yet understand that outside is where I want her to go. I've tried the puppy pad and now I bought a potty patch complete with the spray that is suppose to intice them to go...not working so far.

I can't believe the breeder gave you Caesar's!! junk food! treats only.

I am so glad I read this... I was becoming concerned about my yorkies as well. Kaizer weighs 10.5lbs (1 year), Zoey is 11 lbs and Zack is 7.5lbs (Zack and Zoey are bro/sis & 9months). The breeder told me Zack and Zoey would only get 7lbs at most.. :rolleyes:


I feed them Eukanuba, I asked another breeder about their weight and she told me to stop feeding them Eukanuba and change to adult food...?
But now it sounds like they are normal in size... Not sure if I am doing something wrong or not with their food? They don't look fat! And they are VERY active!!

What are you feeding your yorkies?

*Kristin :animal-pa


:yorkiesar

I can confirm that over here in England variation in size is normal. The smaller ones are sometimes sought after and some breeders used to use rather unethical methods to keep them small. I heard that during the first half of the last century, unscrupulous breeders gave them gin to stunt their growth! But they were bred from larger terriers in Scotland, like the Skye, Waterside, Dandie Dinmont etc. So given their origins it would be unusual if many Yorkies werent smaller. There is a feeling over here that the tiny ones are good for a one dog no kids household, possibly a mature couple, but for a family pet youre better off with the larger ones.

Over here it is pretty much the same with Jack Russells. They vary quite widely in size and stature.

Yeah, that's what the vet said too. The breeder told me to get her to eat anything I could. She was less than two pounds when I got her and subject to hyglocemia (sp?). I had a tube of Nurti-cal and gave her that every morning. I was so confused and worried until I got the puppy food from the vet. Talk about worried, I tried to get Jazzi to eat all day long.

I have bought three bags of treats from the vet and Jazzi doesn't like any of it. They were not cheap either. Right now I am using sandwich cheese to reward her, do you think that is okay?

Bigger Yorkies
 

I was searching as to why my Yorkie, Jet, is 17lbs and found this site. I have 3 Yorkshire terriers. Jet, my big guy, is lazy and lovable. It's just who he is and although he's chubby, he's solid as well. Jet was very tall as a puppy, definitely not your standard requirements for a Yorkie. His legs were long early and he sort of filled out to his height with weight looking large put more proportionate. He has a beautiful Yorkie face but his features are larger.. basically the black part of his nose (not the length of his snout)
Bebe, my 4 year old girl is 8lbs. She's a perfect size, not too tiny to cuddle with and tiny enough to carry around. Unlike Jet's colors of Black and tan, Bebe is blue and gold. Very pretty with her long eyelashes. However, Bebe is longer than the average Yorkie required body length from head to tail. Just a tad, but enough to notice.
Bear is my little man, he just turned 3. He is tiny tiny about 5lbs on a good day and is mostly gray and tan.. (black and tan as a baby) He's got a great, very happy personality. He is perfect but some may say, a little small. I noticed one thing that may be a hint as to determining how big your Yorkie will be. I think the size of their features as babies say alot. If they are bigger. Tea cups or smaller Yorkies have very tiny features.. everything is smaller, medium size Yorkies have a little more to thickness to their features and so on.
I guess since I literally have "Small, Medium & Large" in my Yorkie family, this became apparent to me. Just thought I'd share it with you.

My 3 are the same way, Tessie is 11 lbs, Hobbes is 15 lbs and Calvin is 8 lbs. Calvin and Hobbes have the same doggie parents but are a different litter. They are 21 months old, 19 months old and 13 months old. Hobbes is the most laid back and sweetest of the 3.

My yorkie is about thirteen pounds now at 16 months. I think she might be slightly overweight because she is having trouble rolling over like she could before. My significant other feeds her table scraps, so I think this unhealthy eating habit is what is doing it. However, she was just fine at 11 and 12 pounds.

Eating table scraps are unhealthy. Too much fat. If your S.O. wants to feed her. Take a few pieces of dog food and give it to her.

Clyde is 12.5 pounds right now and weighed 13.5 pounds at his heaviest weight (but 12.5 pounds was the healthiest weight for him to be, he had gotten a little tubby a little while after getting neutered but he is back in shape now).

Dexter weighs 5-6 pounds right now, and he is only a four month old puppy. He weighs the same amount that Clyde weighed at his age. I have a feeling Dexter will weigh somewhere around Clyde's weight (his parents were only five and eight pounds). Dexter is AKC and supposedly from a champion line, but I have never looked into it.

I read somewhere once that Yorkshire terriers used to be heavier set dogs (twenty-pounds) before people started breeding them for smaller sizes and then the breed standard was set.... I don't know if this is particularly true BUT if you think about it one of the dogs used to create the Yorkshire terrier was the Airedale or "waterside terrier" ... and they are big dogs ... and that is why larger Yorkshire terriers will appear ... I do not know if this is true. I could be saying this and being totally INCORRECT .... but I'm just thinking that because of this fact it would make sense that larger Yorkshire terriers are here. This is more of a theory or hypothesis than anything else.

Large Yorkie
 

I wanted a smaller size dog , my Rocky is 13.8 pounds !! Strong and fast like a jackrabbit !! Life is like a box of chocolates !! Love him

my last girl tipped the scale at 17lbs lol, beautiful sleek body. My adopted boy is 12 lbs, he seems tiny to me after my 17 pounder. A yorkie is still a yorkie regardless of their size. The bigger yorkie fits into my life style. I ADORE the 5 pounders but prefer the larger ones.

My first Yorkie was a tiny little thing at 3 pounds and mine now is around 9.5 pounds. My tiny one was a lot of fun and adorable but cost me a fortune in medical bills because of the melamine in chicken strips made in China. I lost him at 10 years old. Micky is almost 2 and I love this little guy. He doesn't seem too big. I love holding him in a hug and he wakes me up with kisses. Both are adorable but Mickey has his way of wrapping me around his little foot. He has the cutest little round baby butt.