Dog breed
Yorkshire Terrier care calendar
- Adult weight
- 4-7 lb (2-3 kg)
- Typical lifespan
- 13-16 years
- Coat
- Fine, silky, continuously growing single coat
- Shedding
- low
A Yorkie's coat is hair rather than fur: it grows continuously, sheds barely at all, and mats if left. Owners realistically choose between a long coat combed daily and a short 'puppy clip' refreshed every six to eight weeks — the second is not a compromise, it is what most pet Yorkies live in comfortably. The health priorities are the toy-breed set. Dental disease is close to universal without home care, because forty-two teeth in a very small jaw crowd and hold plaque; daily brushing is the single highest-value habit for this breed. Knees, a collapsing trachea and hypoglycaemia in very small puppies round out the list, and a harness rather than a neck collar is standard advice.
Year-round routine
What a Yorkshire Terrier needs on a repeating cadence, whatever the month.
- GroomingComb through — long coatDaily
A fine silky coat mats behind the ears, under the legs and where a harness sits. A light conditioning spray reduces breakage while combing.
- GroomingClip — short coat optionEvery 6-8 weeks
A puppy clip drops daily combing to a weekly brush. Perfectly reasonable for a pet Yorkie and far more comfortable in summer.
- GroomingTrim around the eyes and sanitary areaEvery 2-3 weeks
Hair falling into the eyes causes irritation; a topknot or a trim both work.
- GroomingBathEvery 2-3 weeks
More often than most breeds because the coat is hair and picks up oils. Dry and comb out fully.
- GroomingEar check and hair trim in the canal openingWeekly
Keep the opening clear so air reaches the canal.
- GroomingNail trimEvery 2-3 weeks
Very little natural wear on a small indoor dog.
- ParasitesHeartworm preventiveMonthly, year-round
The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round prevention rather than a seasonal course, because a missed shoulder month is how most infections get in. Give it on the same date each month.
- ParasitesFlea and tick preventiveMonthly, year-round
Peak exposure runs spring through late autumn, but fleas overwinter indoors and ticks stay active above about 4 °C, so most vets now advise dosing through the winter as well.
- DentalBrush teethDaily, or at minimum three times a week
Only pet toothpaste — xylitol and fluoride in human paste are not safe to swallow. Plaque mineralises into tartar in two to three days, which is why twice a week is the floor rather than the target.
- DentalCheck gums and back teethMonthly
Lift the lip and look at the upper carnassials and the gum line. Red margins, a brown band, or breath that changed recently are the signs worth a call.
- DentalProfessional dental assessmentAt the annual exam
Toy breeds need professional assessment yearly from a young age, and often a first scale well before a large breed would. Ask specifically about retained deciduous teeth in dogs under two.
- WellnessAnnual wellness examYearly
Book it in the same month each year so it does not drift. Twice yearly from about age seven, when changes move faster than a twelve-month gap can catch.
- WellnessCore vaccinations reviewedYearly review, boosters on your vet's schedule
Rabies interval is set by local law; distemper/parvo combinations are commonly three-yearly after the initial series. Lifestyle vaccines — leptospirosis, Lyme, kennel cough — depend on where you walk and whether you board.
- WellnessWeigh and body-condition scoreMonthly at home
You should feel the ribs easily under a thin layer, and see a waist from above. Weight creeping up is the single most common thing an owner can fix without a prescription.
- WellnessNail length checkEvery 2 weeks
If you hear the nails on a hard floor they are long. Overlong nails change how the foot loads and, over years, how the joints above it are loaded too.
- WellnessDaily tooth brushing — non-negotiable in this breedDaily
Toy breeds accumulate periodontal disease early and lose teeth young. Daily brushing genuinely changes the outcome; weekly does not.
- WellnessHarness rather than collarOngoing
Pressure on the throat aggravates a collapsing trachea, which the breed is prone to. Use a harness for all lead work.
Month by month
The dates that move. Shedding, parasite season and the annual checks worth booking in a particular month.
January
Nothing extra — the year-round routine covers it.
February
Nothing extra — the year-round routine covers it.
March
- Tick check after time in long grass or woodlandSame day, March to November
April
- Tick check after time in long grass or woodlandSame day, March to November
- Faecal test for intestinal parasitesOnce or twice a year
May
- Tick check after time in long grass or woodlandSame day, March to November
June
- Tick check after time in long grass or woodlandSame day, March to November
July
- Tick check after time in long grass or woodlandSame day, March to November
August
- Tick check after time in long grass or woodlandSame day, March to November
September
- Tick check after time in long grass or woodlandSame day, March to November
October
- Tick check after time in long grass or woodlandSame day, March to November
November
- Tick check after time in long grass or woodlandSame day, March to November
December
Nothing extra — the year-round routine covers it.
What to watch for
The signs an owner can actually notice for each of the 5 conditions the Yorkshire Terrier is over-represented for.
Periodontal disease
Bad breath, tartar at the gum line, dropping food, chewing on one side, loose teeth.
Collapsing trachea
A dry honking cough, worse with excitement or pressure on the neck.
Patellar luxation
A skipping step on a hind leg that resolves within a stride or two.
Portosystemic (liver) shunt
Poor growth, vomiting, disorientation or circling after meals in a young dog.
Hypoglycaemia in puppies
Wobbliness, glazed eyes or collapse in a very small puppy that has not eaten. Rub honey on the gums and go to a vet.
What a Yorkshire Terrier year comes to
The Yorkshire Terrier calendar carries 19 tasks in total — six grooming, six wellness, four parasites and three dental. 17 of them run on a cadence rather than in a named month, and two are pinned to particular months, which is what the grid above is for. A calendar that repeated every year-round task in all twelve cells would bury the two or three entries that make a given month different.
April is the busiest month of a Yorkshire Terrier year, with two dated tasks falling in it. January, February and December have nothing dated at all, which does not mean nothing to do — the weekly and monthly work carries straight through.
Seven tasks recur weekly or more often on this breed and four monthly, so the honest cost of a Yorkshire Terrier is measured in short repeated jobs rather than in occasional big ones. The grooming block alone is six entries: comb through — long coat; clip — short coat option; trim around the eyes and sanitary area; bath; ear check and hair trim in the canal opening; nail trim.
The Yorkshire Terrier against the rest
At 4-7 lb (2-3 kg) the Yorkshire Terrier is the 10th heaviest of the eleven dog breeds on this site, and the 2nd longest-lived, at 13-16 years. Size and lifespan are what set the wellness cadence more than anything else: the year an animal moves from an annual exam to a twice-yearly one is a function of both.
It has a fine, silky, continuously growing single coat, and it sheds at the low level — nine of the other dog breeds here shed more, and Poodle sits at the same level. That is the number that decides how much of the grooming block is brushing and how much is everything else.
What the health list actually says
Five conditions are listed for the Yorkshire Terrier: periodontal disease, collapsing trachea, patellar luxation, portosystemic (liver) shunt and hypoglycaemia in puppies. These are the ones the breed is over-represented for, described by what an owner can actually notice rather than by what a diagnosis looks like. None of it is a diagnosis — it is what to raise at the next appointment, or sooner where the entry says so.
Collapsing trachea, portosystemic (liver) shunt and hypoglycaemia in puppies appear on no other breed page on this site, which is the part of the list worth reading twice — the rest of it is the ordinary risk of being a dog. Two of the five are shared, patellar luxation with Abyssinian and Dachshund; periodontal disease with Pomeranian and Sphynx.
The calendar above describes what is typical for a Yorkshire Terrier. Parasite risk varies enormously by region and season, and an individual animal's schedule is set by its own health and history — your veterinary practice is the authority on both, and this page is what you take to them rather than instead of them.
Breeds with a similar routine
Closest first by coat and size, because an owner comparing the Yorkshire Terrier is usually comparing it with something.
- Poodle6-9 lb toy, 12-20 lb miniature, 45-70 lb standard · low shedding · 12-18 years, smaller varieties living longest
- French Bulldog16-28 lb (7-13 kg) · moderate shedding · 10-12 years
- Beagle18-30 lb (8-14 kg) · moderate shedding · 12-15 years
- Dachshund11 lb and under miniature, 16-32 lb standard · moderate shedding · 12-16 years
- Pomeranian3-7 lb (1.4-3.2 kg) · seasonal shedding · 12-16 years
- Bulldog40-55 lb (18-25 kg) · moderate shedding · 8-10 years
Forms to take with you
- Daily Feeding LogA printable seven-day feeding log: meals, amounts, treats, water and stool quality in one place, for a diet trial, a weight plan or a shared household.
- Foster Pet Intake FormA printable intake form for a foster or rescue placement: animal details, where it came from, medical history, behavior around people and other animals, and feeding.
- Pet Medication & Supplement TrackerA printable weekly grid for every medication and supplement your pet takes: what was given, when, and by whom, so a shared household stops double-dosing.
- Puppy Socialization ChecklistA printable twelve-week socialization checklist: sounds, surfaces, people, animals and everyday experiences, each with room for the date and how your puppy coped.
- Vet Visit Prep SheetA printable one-page form for the appointment you are about to have: symptoms with dates, questions you will forget to ask, current medications, and a weight log.
Done with the Yorkshire Terrier? Go back to all 21 breeds, browse the 5 families of printable forms, or check the pet holidays and awareness calendar for the month you are in.