Can a Yorkie weigh 12 pounds

Yorkie Size: How Big Do Yorkies Get?

Jersey Courtesy of Nadine Wallen

The AKC (American Kennel Club) had previously listed the minimum weight of a Yorkshire Terrier as 4 pounds (1.81 kg). However, breed standards have since changed, and now there is only a maximum weight of 7 pounds (3.17kg) for a Yorkshire Terrier full grown.

Regardless of this change, most Yorkshire Terriers find themselves fitting within the 4 pound to 7 pound range. Any Yorkshire Terrier full grown that is smaller than this would be considered too small, and find themselves with an increased risk of size-related health issues. These very tiny Yorkies are known as teacup Yorkies.

It is not uncommon, however, to find Yorkshire Terriers growing to weigh around 8 to 10 pounds (3.62 to 4.53 kg). This comes down to bone structure and whether the pup is overweight. A large Yorkie can also be the result of an incorrect pairing of dam and sire that were not quite able to produce standard-sized Yorkshire Terriers.

In some rarer instances, a Yorkshire Terrier can grow upward of 10 or even 15 pounds. In many cases, a very big Yorkie is simply a matter of another, larger breed of dog being introduced somewhere along the Yorkies bloodline. If your Yorkie is very large, you may not have a purebred Yorkie.

Despite all the standards introduced with regards to Yorkie weight, there has been no standardized height. You could expect an adult to reach somewhere between 6 and 9 inches, from the floor to their withers (the tops of their shoulders).

The Average Size of Yorkie Puppies

There is so much growth in the first year of a Yorkie puppys life. While for some growth will be spread out evenly over the course of the first year, others will see growth spurts with incredibly fast and noticeable growth for some months, and seemingly nothing for periods of time.

Regardless of how your puppy seems, whether it looks overweight or not, under no circumstances should a Yorkie puppy be placed on any sort of diet, nor should they be over exercised. It is absolutely and completely the norm for puppies to have puppy fat, making their appearance seem somewhat round and chubby. This is totally to be expected and nothing to worry about.

In fact, to help your Yorkie puppy reach their healthy growth potential, its important to let them eat whenever they like up until a certain age and even consider supplements like Tomlyn nutritional supplements for puppies.

Somewhere around the age of 9 months, Yorkie weight gain will start to slow. At this time, the Yorkie will continue to grow in length as well as height, resulting in a much leaner appearance. Yorkshire Terriers, as with all dogs, will start to take on a much sleeker form as the muscles are just about fully developed.

How Does a Yorkie Compare to Other Toy Breeds?

When compared to other toy dog breeds, the Yorkie isnt quite the smallest, although its a close race. The smallest four toy breeds are:

• Chihuahua: 2 6 lbs, 6 9 inches
• Pomeranian: 3 7 lbs, 8 11 inches
• Yorkshire Terrier: 4 7 lbs, 6 9 inches
• Pug: 13 20 lbs, 12 14 inches

While the Yorkie isnt the smallest, coming in third behind the Chihuahua and the Pomeranian, its very close.

The smallest dog on record in terms of height is a chihuahua Milly who is 3.8 inches tall. Dancer, a long-haired chihuahua, is the smallest dog by weight at just 18 ounces and 5 tall.

According to some reports, the smallest dog ever recorded was a Yorkshire Terrier named Sylvia who lived in England and died in 1945. Sylvia was reportedly 2.5 tall and weighed about 4 ounces.

Yorkie Growth Chart & Weight Chart

How Can You Tell How Big a Will Yorkie Get?

Yorkies come in all sizes ranging from just a couple pounds to over 10 pounds (4.5 kg). So how do you know if you have a Teacup Yorkie or more of a Teapot Yorkie? Although there is no fool proof method of predicting your Yorkshire Terriers final weight, there are several methods you can use to make a pretty good guess. You should consider genetics, make calculations based on weight (well show you how), and use our Yorkie Growth Chart to make a pretty good guess.

These methods work well for all Yorkies: standard, parti, or teacup Yorkies.

A fairly accurate method that many Yorkshire Terrier breeders swear by is the Yorkie Growing Chart below.

Consider Genetics

Find out how large your Yorkie puppys mom and dad are. Chances are your Yorkie will be somewhere in that range.

Find out how large your Yorkies siblings are. If he is smaller than most of his siblings, chances are he will be in the lower part of that range. If he is larger than most of his siblings, he will most likely be in the higher end of that range.

Calculating Full Grown Weight

Weigh your Yorkie puppy on his 8 week birthday. Take that weight and triple it. Your answer will be a good guesstimate on how much he will weigh when he reaches maturity. For instance, if he weighs 33 oz (935 g) at 8 weeks, you should triple that number (33 x 3) and you get 99 oz (2805 g) full grown. To convert that to pounds simply divide the number of oz by 16 (so 99/16 in our case) and the puppy will be about 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms) full grown.

You can also weigh your Yorkie on his 12 week birthday. Take that weight and double it. The answer to that will be a good estimate of how much he will weigh when hes full grown. For instance, if he weighs 30 oz (850 g) at 12 weeks, simply double that number (30 x 2) and you get 60 oz (1700 g) at maturity. To convert that to pounds, just divide the number of ounces by 16 (in our example 60/16) and you get almost 4 lbs (1.8 kg).

Yorkie Growth Chart Calculator

This Yorkie weight chart is an easy to use and fairly reliable tool you can use to predict the final weight of your Yorkshire Terrier. Although it cannot predict final weight down to the ounce it will make a pretty accurate prediction in most cases. Below youll find one yorkie growing chart that uses pounds and the other kg.

How to Use the Yorkshire Terrier Weight Growth Chart.

First, make sure the puppy is weighed exactly on his weekly birthday.

Second, dont just weigh the puppy for one week and make a prediction. Use the chart over several weeks to see how heavy the puppy is trending. You will see a pattern over several weeks and have more confidence that your guesstimate will be more accurate.

Find the weekly age of your puppy. Then find the weight of your puppy (or closest weight) in that weeks row. Then go down that column to the bottom of the chart to find the weight of your dog at maturity.

Yorkie Growth Chart in Kg

Having moved back and forth from Canada to the United States a couple of times, I understand the difficulty of using a measurement system that I am not familiar with. The numbers are virtually useless! So in order to give everyone an easily understandable chart, here is a weight chart based on kilograms.

What is the Standard Yorkie Weight?

According to AKC, a standard Yorkie is considered to be anything 7 lbs (3.2 kg) and under. Generally 4-7 lbs (1.8-3.2 kg) is considered Standard. Yorkies that are under 4 lbs (1.8 kg) are sometimes referred to as teacup Yorkies. There is a lot of debate about the term teacup Yorkie. Without going into all the issues right here, a teacup Yorkie is not a separate breed it is a weight designation that people use to mean really small so a Yorkie under 4 lbs (1.8kg).

How Accurate is the Yorkie Growing Chart?

The Yorkie Growth Chart is not 100% accurate able to guess your Yorkies final weight down to to the ounce, but it is a reliable tool that will get you in the ballpark and give you a good indication of how large your Yorkie will be. Breeders have been using it for years with great success. Ive found it very helpful with my Yorkies and their litters as well.

As a general rule, you can use it as a helpful predictor of final growth. Use it correctly and you will have good results.

Make sure the puppy is weighed exactly on the first day of his weekly birthday.

Second, use the chart over several weeks to find a pattern and see how heavy the puppy is trending.

This chart is designed for Yorkshire Terriers. If you have a Yorkie, dont use a generic chart or a chart designed for other breeds. They wont be as accurate. If you dont have a Yorkie, dont use this chart. Find a chart designed for that breed.

Proper nutrition (or lack of it) as well as prolonged sickness at a young age can both play a role in the accuracy of the chart.

Is My Yorkie Full Grown at 6 Months?

No, a Yorkshire Terrier is not full grown at 6 months. Although your Yorkie puppy wont be growing as quickly and dramatically as he did when he was younger, your Yorkshire Terrier is still growing and will continue to slowly do so until they reach about 1 year of age.

A Yorkie that is about 4 lbs (1.8 kg) at 6 months will probably finish around 5 lbs (2.3 kg) as an adult.

At What Age Do Yorkies Reach Their Full Size?

Yorkies generally reach their full size around 1 year of age. That is not to say that their will be absolutely no growth after 12 months but by that time most Yorkshire Terriers have stopped growing and he is pretty close to his final weight.

I had a Yorkie who grew some after her 1st year. Dogs, in general, finish their growth about 16 months of age, so you are not guaranteed that your dog has stopped growing until around that time.

Factors that Influence Weight

Health and nutrition play important roles in a dogs weight.

Problems in health and nutrition in that formative 1st year can influence final growth. A dog who was sicly or was not given proper nutrition may not reach its full growth potential.

A dog who is given too much to eat or the wrong kinds of food may become overweight.

The methods used to determine final weight at maturity do not account for these variables.

Go back toYorkie Puppies

Go back toYorkie Information

Go toYorkie Puppy LifeHome Page from Yorkie Growth Chart

Yorkie Growth & Weight Chart: Puppy to Adult (With Pictures)

Yorkies are wonderful dogs, but no one will ever accuse them of being big pups. These are tiny dogs, suitable for living in your lap or riding around in your purse.

Even so, many Yorkie owners inevitably find themselves wondering if their pup is normal in terms of size. Its understandable, as an overgrown Yorkie can be prone to health problems, while an undersized one may be malnourished.

With that in mind, weve prepared a guide that lets you know just how big do Yorkies get, along with how big Yorkies should be at various points of their development. There are always outliers, of course, so dont use this in place of a vets advice, but it should be useful as a broad guideline.

Yorkie Breed Overview

Yorkies are one of the smallest dog breeds on the planet, only tipping the scales at 37 pounds when fully grown. As a result, you may not see much change in their size from week to week or even month to month.

If anything, these charts may be more useful as indicators of whether your Yorkie is getting too big. Many people spoil these dogs, and they can often become overweight as a result. This is terrible for their health, so use the data below to make sure youre not overfeeding your pup.

Also, keep in mind that all this information is designed for purebred Yorkies. If you have a mix, that can skew the data significantly.

Yorkie Puppy Growth and Weight Chart

All the information below is a general estimate of where the average Yorkie will be at different stages of their development. As with humans, some Yorkies develop at different rates, and yours may be bigger or smaller than average at various points.

Therefore, you shouldnt panic if your dogs size doesnt correspond with the chart below in a single time window. Instead, track their growth over several weeks or months, and only start to become concerned if theres a consistent pattern of being too big or small.

Another important thing to realize is that one of the biggest factors affecting your dogs growth will be their birth weight. If they were huge at birth, theyll likely be bigger at every stage of development before ultimately becoming large adults. The opposite is true for very small newborns.

Yorkie Puppy Growth and Weight Chart (Male)

Yorkie Puppy Growth and Weight Chart (Female)

You need to take good care of your pet while they are growing, so you can use our calculator tool to help you know how much to feed your pup and keep their well-being:

The exact amount of calories an individual animal needs to maintain a healthy weight is variable and influenced by many factors including genetics, age, breed, and activity level. This tool is meant to be used only as a guideline for healthy individuals and does not substitute veterinary advice

Yorkie Growth Stages

Like most small-breed dogs, Yorkies mature faster than their larger counterparts. That means you shouldnt compare them to, say, your neighbors Great Dane; however, if you do, youll likely notice that your dog goes through a few stages of growth more rapidly.

Below, we explain what you should look for at each stage, including major milestones, necessary vaccines, and how much your dog should be eating.

8-week-old (2 months) Yorkie

At 8 weeks, your Yorkie is ready to be weaned from their mother (this is also the week that you get to bring your new buddy home if youre adopting or buying from a breeder).

They should be eating an appropriate puppy kibble at this point, and you can let them free-feed. Just set a bowl of food out for them, and replenish it as necessary. Your dog is growing rapidly and needs all the calories that they can get.

Your puppy should get their first shots at this point, as they need boosters for parvo and distemper.

12-week-old (3 months) Yorkie

Once your Yorkie is 3 months old, you should stop free-feeding them and instead give them portion-controlled meals three times per day. How much you feed them will depend on the food and their size, but in general, they should receive between and a cup of food per day.

Your dog will need another round of parvo and distemper shots, and they should also receive a complete checkup at this point (including a stool sample).

By this point, they should be acclimated to your home (assuming that you brought them home at 8 weeks). You can also begin housetraining them and teaching them to walk on a leash.

6-month-old Yorkie

At 6 months old, your Yorkie should be their final color. Theyll also be close to their final size, although some Yorkies keep growing until theyre a year old.

If your pup has put on enough weight, you can likely start feeding them only two meals per day. You can keep the total amount of food the same or drop it down a bit, depending on the advice of your vet.

Its important to pay attention to your dogs bite at this stage as well, as its not uncommon for their jaws to suddenly become misaligned around 5 or 6 months old.

They should have a rabies vaccination at this time, and theyre also old enough to start learning more advanced obedience techniques. This is also when they reach sexual maturity, so you should have your dog spayed or neutered if youre not planning to breed them.

12-month-old (1 year) Yorkie

At 12 months, your Yorkie is now officially an adult. With your Yorkie at full-grown size, you can commemorate the occasion by switching them (slowly) to an adult dog food. Continue feeding them to cups of food daily in two servings, unless otherwise advised by your vet.

Theyll need a round of boosters at this stage, including rabies, DHPP, coronavirus, leptospirosis, Bordetella, and Lyme disease. They should also be on flea and tick medication and a heartworm pill.

You can do just about anything with a 12-month-old Yorkie, including putting them through advanced training classes and long grooming sessions. Theyll stay an adult until they turn 8 or so, at which point theyll be considered a senior dog.

When Do Yorkies Stop Growing?

Yorkies grow quickly (although they dont grow very much). Many Yorkies stop growing and are fully mature by the time theyre 6 or 8 months old, although some take until they turn a year old to reach physical maturity. As a general rule, though, if your Yorkie is still adding weight after theyve turned 1, its time for a diet.

They also mature quickly from a mental standpoint. You can start training a Yorkie earlier than you would a larger-breed dog, and theyll have the attention span and intelligence to handle advanced techniques by the time theyre 6 months old.

The flip side to this is that they lose their puppy-ness sooner than other dogs, but even adult Yorkies are still fairly puppy-like.

How Does Neutering/Spaying Affect My Dogs Growth?

Since Yorkies mature so quickly, spaying or neutering them has little effect on their growth. By the time theyre old enough for the procedure, theyll likely be close to their final size.

However, allowing your female Yorkie to become pregnant before theyre fully mature can stunt their growth a bit, as the nutrients that they need to continue growing will go to their puppies instead. If youre planning on breeding your dog, wed recommend waiting until theyre fully mature to do so.

Dangers of Growing Too Quickly or Stunted Growth

Its very rare for a Yorkie to grow too quickly or have their growth stunted. Keep in mind that youll find quite a few variations in size within the breed, so see if your vet says that you should be concerned.

If your Yorkie is packing on extra weight, though, you should decrease their caloric consumption and increase their exercise levels. Being overweight can lead to a host of different health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and joint problems.

However, if your dog isnt putting on any weight at all, you should take them in for a checkup. This is often a sign of an intestinal parasite, so the vet will likely want to take a stool sample to be sure.

If your Yorkie is way off the growth chart in both height and weight, it may indicate that theyre not purebred. Yorkie mixes can weigh 15 pounds or more, but its extremely rare for a purebred Yorkie to get anywhere near that big. If you bought your dog from a breeder, you might want to start asking questions.

Conclusion

Yorkies are wonderful dogs, and raising them as puppies can be both fun and challenging. Ideally, youll want your dog to grow slowly and steadily, but thats not always possible with this breed.

Dont be alarmed by sudden growth spurts, and dont be concerned if your dog stops growing at 6 or 8 months. These dogs mature quickly, and their puppyhood fades fast.

As long as your Yorkie isnt too much of an outlier (and as long as your vet isnt concerned with their growth), you have nothing to worry about. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy watching your new Yorkie grow to full size and explore the world.

Featured Image Credit: Pezibear, Pixabay