The main pride and joy of every Yorkshire terrier is of course it soft and very long hair, falling down to the floor. And even if having a perfect color and matching all the breed standards the pet does not become a show winner, the owner should still try to create all the conditions for the dog to grow healthy and cheerful: all the efforts spent on caring for your pet will be returned many times over in the form of your yorkie’s love and devotion.

The guarantee of health and good spirits of any puppy is in the correct and constant care and the hygiene habits that have to be instilled from an early age. Wearing socks on the hind legs to keep the hair in the top shape, cleaning the eyes with a cotton swabs moistened with clean water or chamomile infusion in the morning, trimming toenails and excessive hair in the ears that resemble an inverted letter “V” – all this has to become a habit for you and your pet. It is also necessary once every one or two weeks to cut the excess hair on the tips of the dog’s paws – between the toes and the pads.

Each owner determines the length of the coat of the pet based on his or her tastes, but if you decide that your yorkie will participate n the exhibitions, you should begin preparing for it in advance. When the dog reaches the age of eight-twelve months you should start on a regular basis to wind the hair strands on curlers using vegetable and animal oils. The hair during the procedure is divided into small locks, wrapped with paper, folded and fastened with rubber bands. It is very important to gradually train the yorkie for this hair manipulations, as the curlers need to be changes every 2 to 4 days and the dog has to endure the whole procedure with ease without trying to remove the curlers. When washing the pet do not forget to remove all the curlers, and while combing make sure that the hair is not braided into bundles. And do not cut the tangled strands – you can very easily untangle them with your fingers. A few basic habits will go a long way to keep your pet in the top shape!

Yorkshire terriers are generally characterized by their friendliness and playful disposition – in a matter of a few minutes the pet is able to cheer up both children and adults. But despite of the inclination for an active lifestyle, this breed of dogs is very much well-behaved and would never bother the owners with excessive barking or running around – probably the influence of the English blood. Without a doubt, Yorkshire terrier today is one of the most common species of small dogs in the world.

Being one of the smallest breeds around gives the Yorkshire terrier many advantages over the more sizable dogs. Even a small lawn in a park or around the house will be more than enough for a yorkie to play around, and it also does not require a lot of exercise to maintain the perfect tone and be in good shape. Additionally, it is perfect for a city apartment – even a small space will be plenty enough for a yorkie to run around and play with the owner.

Due to only having long hairs in the coat, Yorkshire terrier is absolutely unaffected by shedding and coupled with a great disposition and the lack of gnawing habits and damaging the interiors makes it the ideal pet for any home. In addition a miniature Yorkshire Terrier can easily travel in a car or even on a airplane (it is not prohibited by the air traffic regulations and some airlines even allow small dogs to travel in the cabin as port of carryon luggage), and many hotels allow this decorative dog to stay with the owner.

Yorkshire terriers are born with totally black hair, and as they grow older the puppies start to attain the main characteristics of a grown pet: long golden hair on a slightly flattened head with erect ears and a short muzzle and a dark body with a clearly visible parting right in the middle. The breed standard suggests a bluish color with the shades of steel gray, parted from nose to tail and long coat reaching the floor. A clear boundary between the color of the head and the body is mandatory: for the dogs, participating in exhibitions this detail is extremely important.

Yorkshire terrier has long gained a popularity among the breeders of decorative dogs due to its playful disposition, cleanliness and, surprisingly, courage and fearlessness. In addition, this miniature terrier inherited from its relatives a sharp wit and intelligence which makes it more attractive to breeders. As it has been pointed out, yorkies do not shed and do not require professional grooming – the owner can always choose to take care of everything on their own. Additionally, Yorkshire terriers tend to exhibit great care for their offspring and therefore produce a lot of puppies, which contributes to the spread of their popularity among dog owners.

You have to be up to the challenges and capable of fulfilling your role as a responsible pet owner.  If you believe you can, here are ten (10) practical tips on how to adopt a puppy.

1. Two of the first places you should look into are rescue centers and shelters.  Especially when you are not particular about the breed, you can help save puppy lives through adoption.  The difference between the two is that animal shelters are government funded while rescue centers are not.

2. Prior to yorkie puppy adoption, get all the information you need, for instance, where the puppy came from, why he was put up for adoption, what his distinct personality is or how he behaves.  You can visit the place of adoption for such purposes and or take advantage of all the resources conveniently available online.

3. Use online services dedicated to helping you find everything you need to know about the breed and its peculiarities.  Either you choose a puppy from a rescue center or from a shelter, you will surely find one that will match your preferences.

4. Know your rights as an adopter.  For instance, you have the right to access the history and get all the information necessary to the puppy you wish to adopt, such as if the puppy belongs to pure breed or mix breed, any medical or health issues at the time of birth or at present.

 5. Inspect thoroughly the puppy you plan to adopt.  Ask the rescue center or shelter or your preferred source for adoption to allow the puppy to stay with you for about a week prior to formalizing the adoption.

6. Before adopting a yorkie puppy, be sure that your home can accommodate your new member.  You have to make sure your puppy of a healthy environment for your puppy.  You also need to allocate a certain budget to cover for his needs.

7. Establish a connection between you and your puppy and introduce him well to other members of the family.  Especially when your puppy comes from either a rescue center or an animal shelter, he may need a little more time to adjust to his new home.

8. Know what the adoption fee for puppies covers.  Typically, the fee you give as donation goes to the following:  neutering, vaccinations, as well as treatments and tests.  Even if you are adopting your puppy free of cost, you will have to spend for these things.

9. Choose a puppy that seems to be curious and does not display any unusual behavior.  As much as you can, avoid getting a puppy that is overly excited or shows aggression.  Avoid long eye contact with your puppy as it may tempt him to bite you.

10. Welcome your yorkie puppy into his new home.  Make him feel comfortable.  Show your puppy that he is about to begin his new life surrounded by love, care, attention from a responsible pet owner who took the time to learn how to adopt a puppy.

More than anything else, it is very important to know the essence of being consistent when it comes to the puppy food brand that you would buy for you puppies. It is also preferable if this would be done while sticking to a consistent feeding schedule and a consistent feeding plan.

These are very crucial since the earliest years in the life of a puppy are also the years when he is developing his sense of taste. Studies have also found out that the types of food that are chosen to be fed to puppies correlate to their behavior in the later days of their lives. These things simply imply that you should be very careful when choosing a certain type of dog food by scrutinizing it- from its taste, texture, components and nutritional value.

To be specific, it is ideal that the puppy food you would choose should be not too hard so that your yorkie puppy would not suffer from the discomfort it may experience in his sensitive developing teeth because of the stiffness of the texture of the food. It is also ideal that the taste of the puppy food would not be so strong that it would shock the developing sense of taste of the puppy yet not too bland to deprive it from the experience.

When it comes to planning the nutrition plan of the yorkie puppy by looking into the composition of the puppy food, it is important to consider various minerals and vitamins. Puppy foods that are rich in calcium are very ideal since it would help the puppy in developing its bones, which are also essential in supporting the lifestyle of an ordinary energetic dog. Protein-rich puppy foods may also be considered since it would prepare the puppy for the activities that it would be enjoying in the later years of its life.

On the other hand, when it comes to planning when and how the yorkie puppy would be fed, it is essential to know that consistency is the key. It is very important that the puppy would be fed the same amount of puppy food in every interval. As much as possible, supervision should also be done.

Deciding to get a puppy is not like deciding to buy a toy or just any mechanical object; it is a must to treat it in the most ideal manner possible.

Gelatin should be administered during the course of two weeks, starting with a small amount on the tip of a teaspoon and gradually increasing it to one teaspoon. Gelatin can be soaked in warm water or given in a dry form by adding it to the dog’s food.

Glucosamine should be used according to the instructions on the package.

But the most effective and simple method is to hold the puppy’s ears in place with the help of an adhesive medical plaster. The following is one of the best ways on how to glue the hanging ears of Yorkshire terrier puppy with conventional medical adhesive tape. This is a very efficient method.

To perform it you will need: medical adhesive tape about an inch wide or smaller, scissors and some manual dexterity.

The ears have to be glued for about 5-7 days. Usually this provides enough time to strengthen the ear cartilage. If after a few days of application of the method the strengthening does not occur, the procedure should be repeated. Generally, after the second try the ears become stronger and assume the correct position.

To maintain the ears of the Yorkshire terrier healthy, they have to be cared for correctly using cotton pads, cotton swabs, special lotion for cleaning the ears and tweezers.

1. Remove the excess hair that covers the ear canal with tweezers.
2. Drip a small amount of lotion into the ears to clean them and thoroughly massage the base of the ear to distribute the lotion to the inner surface. Then repeat with the second ear. Wait 10-15 minutes for the lotion to dissolve the earwax.
3. Clean the ears of your Yorkshire terrier with cotton pads or cotton swabs.

Repeat the procedure as often as required.

If you notice the signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, pain on touch, purulent discharge, as well as a large amount of dark brown discharge, immediately contact your veterinarian.

When you are choosing a Yorkshire terrier, be mindful of the following guidelines.

It is essential that the puppy had been healthy and in a good shape – small but solid, energetic, with flowing hair.

Make sure that the eyes are wet and they have a steady and attentive gaze. A puppy of 2-4 months old will have semi-erect or drooping ears. The ears will become erect later, provided that they are not too big and heavy.

When the puppies are born their color is typically black and tan, and as they grow older it changes into steel blue. It normally takes about three years for the final color to develop. If the color is changed within six months, it means that by the age of twelve months it will develop into steel-white with a solver hue which is very undesirable.

High quality properly selected dry food is ideal for feeding a Yorkshire terrier. When feeding dry food, always have a bowl of water nearby; the water should be either filtered or boiled (cooled). Dry food contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals necessary for wholesome nutrition, so there is very little need to supplement them additionally. If you still feel that you have to feed your Yorkie natural food, you will need to add vitamins and mineral supplements to ensure the healthy development and growth for your pet. For the puppies under 6 months old the number of daily feeding should be four times a day, and after that – three time. Adult Yorkshire terrier eats twice a day. A proper and balanced diet will determine how your dog looks, the quality of his hair, and how cheerful and playful he is.

Puppies misbehave due to many reasons: curiosity, testing of boundaries of what is allowed (to understand what they can or cannot do), stress (often the result of excessive freedom and the absence of any restriction of behavior), desire to get something (like a toy that rolled under a bed), constant energy (if you don’t play with it, it will find something else to do) or a psychological problem, such as separation anxiety.

Experts often mention the rule of thumb when you are training a puppy: if you cannot always control your pet, only provide it with the space that will limit its actions. So any misbehavior of your puppy is your fault first and foremost.

Pups are destined to be “bad” as they don’t know any better. The main objective of the master is to teach the puppy the right ways to expend the energy.

If you spend your time and energy teaching it how to behave, it will learn quickly. Think about what it can be occupied with while not on your watch. Perhaps this is the best answer to the question on how to control the puppy.

Keep the puppy in its crate when you are not with it. Sure, it will mean that much of the first year will be spent in the crate while you are away. But if you spend some time to teach your pet how to behave at home, the time spent in the crate will be greatly reduced. You will need to devote some time each day to training a puppy to the extent that as it is trained it will absorb more information. You shouldn’t feel guilty and say to yourself:”I need to train my dog every day, I need to spend at least have an hour with it otherwise it will not be properly trained.” In reality, the training session can last only 5 minutes, as your pet is not able to follow a one long lesson at a time, it needs consistent training.

When you are doing household chores, keep the puppy with you. Bring various items, like toys etc, and barricade the puppy in the small area near you. This works well, but do not forget to watch it.

You can also bay and inexpensive short leash and fasten it to your puppies collar, and tie the other end of the leash to your belt. This is a good way to keep your puppy close and small tugs will remind you that you need to keep an eye on your pet. Of course, this is not ideal as you still need to supervise your pet.

The best strategy to adhere to when training a puppy is to combine many different methods. They need to spend more time outside the crate and be constantly looked after as they explore the world around them.

However, if you have a show dog, the care is a lot more complicated – it is a consuming process that requires time, effort, a lot of money and patience.

To get your yorkie accustomed to bathing, it is very important not to scare it the first few times. Take great care in order not to let the water get into your dog’s ears, eyes and nose. It you do everything right initially, it will become a pretty easy process thereafter – you will be able to wash and comb your dog without causing it any harm.

Dirty coat grows much more slowly, that is why regular washes are a must. Before every wash, thoroughly check the coat and disentangle the hair if necessary. Do not try to comb dry coat, and you can even utilize special conditioners for combing.

Most of the shampoos are concentrated so they should be diluted in a ratio that fits the particular features or your dog’s coat. Start lathering from back to head and washing off the opposite way. Use easy massaging gestures in order not to hurt your pet.

After your yorkie is washed, it needs to be wrapped into a towel, after having gently squeezed the water from the coat and then letting the towel pick up the rest of the moisture. While the dog is in the towel, you can trim its nails.

After that you can comb and dry your pet. The choice of the combing instrument is important because it will determine the state of your dog’s coat. Some choices include a natural massage brush, metal brush, plastic comb, a comb with rotating teeth. Start to comb from the ends and moving towards the roots. Take special care with the following areas: stomach, legs and paws, behind the ears and neck. If your yorkie has a good hair structure and you wash it carefully, it should not require frequent brushings.

As for drying – try to dry the coat naturally – e.g. air dry, and avoid using hair dryers.

Feeding – find out what had been fed to the puppy prior, otherwise there is a lot of trial and error. Keep in mind that the correct nutrition will directly affect the state of your puppy’s coat and general health. When your Yorkshire terrier puppy is still growing, it also needs additional vitamins and minerals so be sure to include them in your pet’s diet.

1. First of all, dog food. Find out at the place you adopting your yorkie from what kind of dog food your puppy have been fed – it is probably a good idea to continue with the same until your new pet is fully acclimated to the new surroundings and then you can start varying the diet. Do not feed your dog “people food”, becomes in time the dog will get used to it and will start begging at the table and being a nuisance.

2. Potty train your yorkie puppy. This requires a little bit of patience, but if done correctly your puppy will not get confused and quickly learn to go potty in the same place. Here is one of the methods to accomplish that. It requires the use of potty training pads.

- Remove all the carpets in the rooms where your puppy is allowed to be in. Place potty training pads in each room, corridors and   balconies. Yorkie puppies are very small so your house or apartment will seem huge for them, so it is important to have the training pad in puppy’s view all the time. Puppies tend to make decisions quickly – they will look around and if they do not see a pad they will go potty right where they are.

- Every time you see your puppy using a pad, praise him with such words like “well done” etc, and you can even give him a treat from time to time (important – doe not give the puppy a treat every time as they will expect it as a matter of course). Also use the same praise word every time – if you use different words every day, it will make it much harder for the dogs to differentiate them.

- Every day scoot the training pad several inches closer to the permanent spot. Over time, when the puppy is sufficiently trained, you will be able to put the carpets back.

3.  Next – a place to sleep. While your yorkie puppy is still small, it is better to have a special place for it to sleep. You can purchase a special crate from a pet store and when it is time for the puppy to go to bed, place it in the crate. Also during the day if you see that the puppy is falling asleep, place it in the crate as well. Also be firm! If the puppy starts to cry (or squeal), discretely check up on it to make sure that everything is OK, but try do it without the puppy noticing it – dogs pick up on things very quickly and if they realize what leads to what they will start crying and squealing every time they are bored. Now, if you need to “punish” a puppy for any “wrongdoing”, scold an shame it while they are still doing something wrong, because in a couple of minutes the puppy will not understand what all the scolding is all about. Do not hit your puppy with your hand – if your puppy is being a nuisance you can gently slap it with a rolled newspaper, for example.

4. Toys and games for your puppy. It is important that your yorkie puppy has some toys so it understands what is allowed to play with and what is not.

Yorkshire terrier, or in short a yorkie is without exaggeration a dog for the entire family. Really, it would be difficult to find another breed that gets along so well and so easily with both the smallest family members and their parents. Yorkies are very playful and love to play with children, and besides, they get along really well with other pets – cats and dogs. Despite being rather miniature, a yorkie is always ready to fill your space and time, helping overcome sadness and creating a welcome and joyful atmosphere in your home.

Yorkshire terrier is a very beautiful and unique breed. Miniature frame, soft and very pleasant feeling coat, small ears and very smart eyes that closely follow your every word and movement – all of this makes a yorkie one of the most beloved and adored pets in the entire world. Do not think for a minute that the dogs of the decorative breeds are not as smart as their much bigger counterparts – this is an erroneous opinion. The ancestors of the present day yorkies were terriers from which they inherited their acumen, amazing wit, courage and limitless energy. Yorkshire terriers are very perceptive and are able to very precisely detect their owner’s mood – if you feel like having some fun, your pet will be ready to play along and run around the house yelping happily, but if you are tired, your yorkie will settle down beside you and quietly enjoy your company. The main thing worth remembering is that yorkies get attached to their owners so much that they do not take to separation very well, which is why it is not advisable to leave them alone for extended periods. Also, it is better to take them for frequent walks – in addition to keeping them on a leash they can be carried in hands.

Among the man created dog breeds, Yorkshire terrier is one of the smallest in size and lightest in weight. The average weight of a yorkie is about 8.8 lb, but it does not prevent it, much like the terriers of other breeds, to be fearless and brave. Astute hearing gives it a chance to sense the approach of anyone – be it a person or a bigger animal. And despite its diminutive size, a yorkie is always ready to defend its owner from any threat, exhibiting an amazing bravery and fearlessness against their opponents. These “fighting” qualities are very entertaining to their owners who do not expect such bravery from their pets.

Yorkies are a very resilient and healthy breed and with the right care and attention they will be as lively and playful in the old age as when they are young. The most important point is a proper care for the dog’s coat: its structure very closely resembles human hair, which is why it has to be regularly washed and combed. Ordinarily, the hair of the show dogs is left intentionally long, but if you want to make your pet look original and unusual, you can think of a short and more creative style.

Yorkies are not picky eaters, which is why the owners as a rule do not have much trouble selecting the menus. But ideal, of course, are specialized canned and dry meals that contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals for your pet’s development and comfort. Besides, a yorkie will not consume more than 6 tablespoons of dog’s food a day, so it is quite easy and inexpensive to stock several months’ worth of dog’s food. Miniature statue and a lack of necessity for long and extensive walks make a Yorkshire terrier an ideal pet for a city apartment.

Another important fact to keep in mind when you consider yorkie puppies for adoption: despite its playfulness, a Yorkshire terrier will never chew or gnaw on the interior items in your home, bark unnecessarily or try to attack other people or animals. Your pet’s coat will not affect the interior of your home either: yorkies almost never shed due to their long coat, so you do not have to worry about your carpets and furniture – they will remain absolutely clean. Additionally, this particular breed is almost created specifically for people with allergies and for interaction with children (of course, provided your pet is healthy). Due to their small size and high tolerance and adaptability to strangers, yorkies have long gained the right to fly on planes with their owners and even allowed into certain hotels. Besides, yorkies are very curious by nature and take to various trips with great interest – they love to observe the world around them.  Many owners purchase special bags for their pets – it is more convenient to transport them this way and a dog tends to feel more comfortable in its little “home”.

Regardless whether you are still thinking about yorkie puppies for adoption or are already a happy owner of this very lively and joyful kind of dog, you always have to remember that the health and livelihood of your pet will depend only on you, your care and attention.