First, you need to know what the breed standard is. The standard I am quoting is the AKC standard set forth by the Yorkshire Terrier Club Of America. AKC is the best Registry in the US. They verify that all the males are purebred with DNA testing when the male is used 7 times it’s required by AKC. The AKC Standard for the Yorkshire Terrier is: The Yorkie has long features. Erect v-shaped ears. The breed standard body of the Yorkie has a level spine, docked tail, long straight coat, typical slightly flattened skull and dark eyes. The Standard Size for a Yorkie is 4 – 7 Pounds. Some breeders refer to Yorkies that will be less than 4 lbs as an adult as a “Tea Cup”. A great way to describe weight is to say “this Yorkie will be above/below the standard weight as an adult”. The Yorkie is Classified in the TOY group.

Now that you know what the standard looks like, you can assess what features you may personally desire in your yorkie. Personally I like the short coby body with short legs, apple head, and short snout. which obviously, you don’t want if you’re looking for a show dog. But as far as cuteness, I don’t think it gets any cuter than a baby doll yorkie. A baby doll yorkie has tiny ears, round apple head, short square body, tiny tail, and extra short face with short legs. True baby doll yorkiesare hard to find and just because a breeder says “I have baby doll yorkies for sale!” doesn’t mean they are baby doll. There are many breeders who advertise these things but when your yorkie reaches maturity has nothing like the picture described below. Make sure you look at the parents. Looking at the parents is very important, you can get a good idea of what the puppy will look like at maturity.

Coat Color

What color will my yorkie be when full grown? The first yorkie I bought was a beautiful little black and tan puppy at 3 months old, as she grew her coat went through color changes and eventually as an adult she maintained a tan color on her head and a coat that is mostly blue and some silver. I love my JoJo to death no matter what color her coat is. But on my next yorkie I wanted one that would maintain that cute black coat as an adult.  In the show ring blue & Tan is usually the Champions coat color. But some prefer yorkies that will stay black as adults , just like when they are babies. Or Exotic rare colored yorkies like Chocolate and Parti Colored Yorkies.

Coat Quality

 In the early history of Yorkies they had a more whisky short coat. Yorkies were bred to have longer thicker coats. If you see a picture of yorkie that has the coat down to the floor, and has a silky sheen, it has a high quality coat. Most yorkies that have the whispy coat, can’t grow it more than six inches. Some of the thicker coats can require more maintenance if you wan’t them grown out. The thick “cotton” coats (as they are commonly described) get quickly matted. While the thinner whisky coats that can’t get very long, don’t get matted.  For yorkies that do have the thick cottony coat you can keep it cut short if you don’t have the time to do weekly brushes. Matts left in too long can be impossible to brush out and be very painful for the dog to be brushed out. Matts that occur close to the dogs skin, can even cause lesions and scabs to form. Here are some examples of the different coats below. There is also whats referred to as a show coat, show coats are long, thick, but soft and glossy in texture. Show coat is the highest in coat quality.
 You have to very experienced looking at young puppies coat to be able to tell coat quality when a yorkie is only 8-12 weeks old. So the best way for someone to tell what the quality of the yorkie’s coat is that are considering buying – is by looking at the coat of the parents !

Body Structure Quality

 Have you ever hear the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”? body style is by preference ! Make sure you asses the parents. If you want short and cobby body make sure the parents have those traits. If your looking for a yorkie that is show quality, know the standard ( I have listed it right from AKC below) and look for those traits. Look for length in the back, legs and snout. Those are great indicators for size at maturity in puppies. Also look at the ears ! Some yorkies have strangely large ears. Personally, I like the little tiny ears that stand at attention !

The Official Standard

General Appearance: That of a long-haired toy terrier whose blue and tan coat is parted on the face and from the base of the skull to the end of the tail and hangs evenly and quite straight down each side of body. The body is neat, compact and well proportioned. The dog’s high head carriage and confident manner should give the appearance of vigor and self-importance.

Head: Small and rather flat on top, the skull not too prominent or round, the muzzle not too long, with the bite neither undershot nor overshot and teeth sound. Either scissors bite or level bite is acceptable. The nose is black. Eyes are medium in size and not too prominent; dark in color and sparkling with a sharp, intelligent expression. Eye rims are dark. Ears are small, V-shaped, carried erect and set not too far apart.

Body: Well proportioned and very compact. The back is rather short, the backline level, with height at shoulder the same as at the rump.
Legs and Feet: Forelegs should be straight, elbows neither in nor out. Hind legs straight when viewed from behind, but stifles are moderately bent when viewed from the sides. Feet are round with black toenails. Dewclaws, if any, are generally removed from the hind legs. Dewclaws on the forelegs may be removed.

Tail: Docked to a medium length and carried slightly higher than the level of the back.
Coat: Quality, texture and quantity of coat are of prime importance. Hair is glossy, fine and silky in texture. Coat on the body is moderately long and perfectly straight (not wavy). It may be trimmed to floor length to give ease of movement and a neater appearance, if desired. The fall on the head is long, tied with one bow in center of head or parted in the middle and tied with two bows. Hair on muzzle is very long. Hair should be trimmed short on tips of ears and may be trimmed on feet to give them a neat appearance.
Colors: Puppies are born black and tan and are normally darker in body color, showing an intermingling of black hair in the tan until they are matured. Color of hair on body and richness of tan on head and legs are of prime importance in adult dogs, to which the following color requirements apply: Blue – Is a dark steel-blue, not a silver-blue and not mingled with fawn, bronzy or black hairs. Tan – All tan hair is darker at the roots than in the middle, shading to still lighter tan at the tips. There should be no sooty or black hair intermingled with any of the tan. Color on Body: The blue extends over the body from back of neck to root of tail. Hair on tail is a darker blue, especially at end of tail.
Headfall: A rich golden tan, deeper in color at sides of head, at ear roots and on the muzzle, with ears a deep rich tan. Tan color should not extend down on back of neck.
Chest and Legs: A bright, rich tan, not extending above the elbow on the forelegs nor above the stifle on the hind legs.
Weight: Must not exceed seven pounds.
Disqualifications: Any solid color or combination of colors other than blue and tan as described above. Any white markings other than a small white spot on the forechest that does not exceed 1 inch at its longest dimension.

Approved July 10, 2007 Effective October 1, 2007