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Breed guide · Dogs
He shakes every new toy until it stops squeaking. I buy the quiet ones now.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Fixed on the geckos on the wall, the pigeons on the balcony and the cats in the car park.
What's going onYorkies were bred to kill rats in Yorkshire mills, and the geckos and the cats set off the same drive. Keep them on a lead near cats and roads, and give them a toy to chase at home.
At home
A honking cough when they pull on the lead, get excited or have a drink.
What's going onTracheal Collapse (a weak windpipe) is on their health record. A collar presses on it every time they pull, so walk them on a harness and tell your vet about the honk.
At home
A squeaky toy gets shaken until it stops squeaking, then taken apart.
What's going onThe grab and the shake are how a ratter finished the job. Give it somewhere safe to go every day: a chase game with you, and sturdy toys that are theirs.
At home
They face up to dogs many times their size, and take offence at dogs who stare.
What's going onThey were bred to face a rat in the dark and not back off, and they do not judge size. A big dog can hurt them in play without meaning to. Choose their friends and keep hellos short.
At home
A long, silky coat that tangles fast, and knots behind the ears if you miss a few days.
What's going onTheir coat grows like hair, not fur. Brush it through several times a week and keep it cut for the heat. Mats pull at the skin and hide what is underneath.
At home
A hop on a back leg for a step or two, then off they trot as if nothing happened.
What's going onIt can be a kneecap slipping out and back in. Yorkies carry on, so the skip may be all you see. Mention it to your vet rather than waiting for a limp.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their work
Built for: Killing rats in a mill.
In Dubai: Carried more than they walk.
Their size
Built for: A ratter, bred down to lap size.
In Dubai: Often treated as a lap dog first.
Their neck
Built for: A weak windpipe.
In Dubai: Often a collar that presses on it.
The barking, the bossiness with big dogs and the chewed-up toys mostly come from a ratter with no job to do.
You cannot give them a mill full of rats. You can give them a job, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Yorkshire Terrier's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They will dig at the sofa either way. A place where digging is allowed saves the cushions.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They will dig at the sofa either way. A place where digging is allowed saves the cushions.
What to do
Fill a shallow box with old towels or a snuffle mat, or a tub of play sand on the balcony. Hide part of their food in it while they watch, and let them dig it out. When they dig anywhere else, take them to their spot.
Once they see a cat, they stop hearing you, and they are small enough to be hurt by one.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Once they see a cat, they stop hearing you, and they are small enough to be hurt by one.
What to do
Keep them on a lead, clipped to a harness, anywhere cats or birds gather. Practise recall on a five to ten metre long line in a quiet, fenced place, and keep the lead on near roads until recall works when a cat runs.
A ratter who gets to chase and shake something with you is calmer everywhere else.
Every age
Why
A ratter who gets to chase and shake something with you is calmer everywhere else.
What to do
Drag a small, soft toy along a rug and let them pounce and shake it. Let them win sometimes. Teach "drop" by swapping the toy for a treat. Keep a puppy's games short and on a soft floor, and an older dog's slower and lower.
Barking was part of the job, and shouting back sounds like joining in.
Every age, most of all under 2 years
Why
Barking was part of the job, and shouting back sounds like joining in.
What to do
Let them bark twice at the door, say "thank you" calmly, call them to you and reward them. Close the curtains on the view they bark at most, and give them a chew when a delivery is due. New barking in an older dog, or barking at nothing, is worth telling your vet about.
They will take on any dog, and a big one can hurt them in play without meaning to.
Every age, most of all under 2 years
Why
They will take on any dog, and a big one can hurt them in play without meaning to.
What to do
Keep hellos with strange dogs to three seconds, then walk on. Lift them out of the way of boisterous dogs. Meet a few small, calm dogs often, and skip the busy dog park at peak time.
Small dogs learn just as fast as big ones, and Yorkies learn fastest when it pays.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Small dogs learn just as fast as big ones, and Yorkies learn fastest when it pays.
What to do
Three to five minutes, two or three times a day, paid with part of their daily food. Stop while they are still keen. Teach recall, "drop" and a cue for being picked up.
A collar presses on a weak windpipe, and they walk close to the hot pavement.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
A collar presses on a weak windpipe, and they walk close to the hot pavement.
What to do
Clip the lead to a harness. From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Keep their coat brushed and cut short for summer.
Crowded teeth and dental disease are on their health record at every age, and they are the number one risk.
Every age
Why
Crowded teeth and dental disease are on their health record at every age, and they are the number one risk.
What to do
Brush once a day with a small, soft brush and dog toothpaste. Start with a few seconds and a reward, and build up. Watch for baby teeth that stay put once the adult ones come in, and mention them to your vet. A professional dental clean every 6 to 12 months is in your plan from six months old.
A slipping kneecap is on their record from puppy to prime adult, and a hip problem called Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (loss of blood supply to the top of the thigh bone) from 4 years.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
A slipping kneecap is on their record from puppy to prime adult, and a hip problem called Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (loss of blood supply to the top of the thigh bone) from 4 years.
What to do
Rugs on marble, a step up to the sofa and the bed, and lift them down rather than letting them jump. Keep them lean. If a limp does not pass, tell your vet. An orthopaedic evaluation (a joint and bone exam) is in your plan every year from age two to four.
Skin allergies are on their record from 4 years, and their coat hides a lot.
Every age, weekly from puppyhood
Why
Skin allergies are on their record from 4 years, and their coat hides a lot.
What to do
Part their coat and look at the skin, check between their toes and feel for lumps. Weigh them once a month, because extra weight makes their windpipe and knees worse. Tell your vet about any new lump the same week you find it.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Show coat or summer cut
Show Yorkies keep the long, silky coat the breed was first shown in. Most family Yorkies wear it cut short, which is kinder in the Dubai heat. Mini and toy Yorkie are words for the same small breed, not separate types: an adult usually weighs up to 3.2 kg.
Colours
Every Yorkie puppy is born black and tan. As they grow, the black slowly clears to a dark steel blue against the tan, so the puppy you meet is not yet the colour of the dog they will become.
The first six months
Their vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Feed small meals at set times, because a puppy too excited to eat can run low on blood sugar. If they are weak, trembling or hard to wake, contact your vet now. A puppy who stays smaller than their littermates, vomits often, or seems wobbly or strange may have a liver shunt (Portosystemic Shunt, where blood bypasses the liver): tell your vet.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the flat ready
Buy a harness, not a collar, put rugs down where they will run on marble, and a step up to the sofa. Set up a digging box with old towels, and the cushions have a better chance.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Teeth, knees and the windpipe are the big three on a Yorkie's health record. Ask the breeder what their vet has found in the puppy and both parents, and meet the mother if you can.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep silencing their toys. If their bark turns into a honk, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
The 1800s
Yorkies were working dogs first, killing rats in the mills and mines of Yorkshire, small enough to get into gaps a bigger dog could not reach.
What they still carryThe rat-catcher's nerve, the barking, and the shake they give every toy.
Around 1865
A dog called Huddersfield Ben, born around 1865, is counted as the father of the breed. Ben won prizes at dog shows and in ratting contests.
What they still carryA show coat on a ratter.
1885 to 1886
The American Kennel Club registered its first Yorkshire Terrier in 1885, and The Kennel Club in the UK recognised the breed in 1886.
What they still carryA coat that grows like hair, and needs brushing and cutting for life.
Late 1800s onwards
The Yorkie became a fashionable lap dog in Victorian homes, and was bred smaller over time.
What they still carryA toy-sized body with the ratter still inside, and the windpipe, knees and teeth that come with the size.
Today
In the UAE a Yorkie lives in a flat or a villa, often carried through the lobby, still ready to take on anything that moves.
What they still carryA mill ratter with geckos on the wall and cats in the car park.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Yorkie suits you, so might these.
Miniature SchnauzerThe same kind of dog: a small terrier, a little bigger, more reserved with strangers, in a wiry coat.
West Highland White TerrierAnother small, lively terrier, bigger, in a white coat with a louder bark.
Toy PoodleThe same lively, friendly temperament, in a tiny dog with curls that barely shed.
Bichon FriseA similar small size and a coat that sheds very little, in a fluffy white lap dog that needs daily grooming.
