Yorkshire Terrier Size Guide: How Big Does a Yorkshire Terrier Get?

If you are looking to adopt a smaller dog, a Yorkie may be perfect for you. Classified as a toy breed and a companion dog, they make ideal apartment pets. In this Yorkshire Terrier size guide we will take a look at the breed standards, their growth patterns, and the different types of Yorkshire Terriers available to help you answer the question ‘how big will my Yorkie get?’ 

Our handy interactive puppy growth chart and calculator takes all the hard work out of predicting your puppy’s potential adult size. This helps you to know exactly what you are in for.

Yorkshire Terrier Size Predictions by Age 

Yorkshire Terriers are one of the most popular breeds in the US, and with good reason – these perfect pint-size pups are packed full of personality. However, just like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. They may be cute, sweet, and cuddly, filled with that adventurous, mischievous spirit terriers are famous for, or anything in between.

Plucky, fun, and devoted, Yorkshire Terriers are small in size but big of heart. With their sumptuous steel-blue and golden-tan hair coats, and loveable, feisty souls, they make excellent pets for singles and families alike. However, you might want to keep them away from small children who, with their boisterous play, may make them nervous and a bit snappish. 

Yorkies are sociable critters who don’t like to be left alone for too long. That being said, they can be suspicious of strangers and will likely yap to let you know when any are about. Early training and socialization can help make them less nervous and slightly less vocal. A good amount of exercise and playtime will keep them happy and healthy. 

Regarding size, Yorkshires can be a little inconsistent. One litter can contain dogs on both the larger and smaller ends of the spectrum. Generally speaking, your adult pup should fall within the 4-7 lbs range, though. This is what you can expect to see in terms of their growth across the first year:

Age	3 months	6 months	1 year	Adult
Weight	1 – 3 lbs	2 – 5 lbs	4 – 7 lbs	4 – 7 lbs
Height	3 – 6 inches	6 – 8 inches	7 – 8 inches	7 – 8 inches

*A dog’s height is measured from its withers – this is the point between the shoulder blades.

As a toy breed, Yorkies tend to be at, or close to, their adult height and weight from as young as 6 months. They will likely have achieved their full size before their first birthday, although some dogs could continue to vary in both height and weight until they are as much as 4 years old – but not by much. 

Are There Different Sizes of Yorkshire Terrier?

While the American Kennel Club (AKC) conventions say that a Yorkshire Terrier should be 7-8 inches and 7 pounds, the truth is these dogs can vary in size much more than that. Ones that fall outside these parameters are known as Giant or Teacup Yorkies. 

Giant Yorkies are over 9 inches in height and weigh anywhere between 10 and 16 lbs. If their impressive size is not caused by obesity, Giant Yorkies tend to be incredibly vivacious dogs and arguably healthier than their standard-sized counterparts. 

Teacup Yorkies, on the other hand, are less than 4 pounds. As is the case with most micro animals, they are prone to a variety of health conditions – the result of breeding litter runts. They may not even naturally be teacup size, only appearing small because of underlying health conditions impacting their bones or stunting their growth. 

Be very wary about purchasing a teacup version of any type of dog. A responsible breeder will be breeding for health first and appearance after.

Yorkshire Terrier Growth Patterns

As with most dogs, Yorkies do most of their growing early on in their lives, reaching around 50% of their adult size somewhere between 2 to 3 months. They will likely be full-grown by the time they are 6 to 10 months. However, dogs on the larger end of the spectrum, such as Giant Yorkies, may continue to grow right up until their first birthday or even beyond. 

Incremental size changes may happen after that for some time, but will barely be noticeable. 

How Big is a Full-Grown Yorkshire Terrier?

Even though Yorkshire Terriers are pure-breed dogs, it can be a little tricky to anticipate their adult size. With most dogs, you can look to the parent animals for an indication of where they might fall in terms of the breed conventions – this is not the case with Yorkies. However, you might be able to get some ideas by tracking your pup’s growth rate.  

Yorkshire Terriers usually get to half their total weight around 2-3 months and their adult size at roughly 6-10 months. You can calculate their potential adult weight at 2.5 months by taking what they weigh at that age and multiplying it by two.

A different formula you could use is:

1. Growth = current weight / current age in weeks
2. Adult weight = Growth x 52 (number of weeks in one year)

So, for example, if your 12-week old pup weighs 18 pounds. You simply divide the current weight by their age in weeks and multiply the result with 52:

What Age is a Yorkshire Terrier Fully Grown By?

You should have a fairly decent idea of what size your Yorkie might be by the time they are six months old. Although they may continue to grow beyond this time, their growth rate will have slowed right down by then. Dogs on the smaller size may have stopped growing at 3 months, while ones on the bigger side could potentially grow even beyond their first birthday. 

Yorkshire Terriers make great pets for people who are in search of a compact dog with a fun and playful nature. They are sweet, brave, bossy, devoted, and endlessly surprising, which is why they are the favorite toy breed of the nation. If you have chosen to adopt one of these delightful hounds, details here should give you some indication of their growth and mature size. Although there’s really no doubt that you will love them no matter what.