The Yorkshire terrier is a playful dog that looks more like a toy dog. It often becomes a media star when it pops out of the celebrity bags. This breed makes you fall in love with it due to its friendly nature. I assure you if you are into dogs, a glimpse of a Yorkie will create a place in your heart.
The Yorkie is distinctive and stands out due to its small size, often referred to as a ‘lapdog.’ Its compactness and light weightiness makes it super-fast and always try to get into your personal space.
If you are new to dogs and want to keep a low-maintenance dog, I recommend you go with it. The cherry on top is that you can carry it anywhere in your bag.
Moving on, keeping your Yorkie happy is essential. Some people confuse that its small size doesn’t require any exercise. To your surprise, Yorkie has an athletic build.
So, if it will not do mild exercise, the energy will make it aggressive. The most accessible activity is a walk.
The Yorkie may sometimes need motivation to walk. A regular walk will make its muscles strong and aid them to sleep peacefully. Make it to socialize with other dogs to avoid behavioral issues.
If you, for some reason, do not have the time to walk your dog, worry not, as you can always hire dog walking services.
How Long Should A Yorkie Walk?
First of all, you need to make a schedule according to your availability. It is ideal for taking your Yorkie on a walk twice a day.
However, if you don’t have that much time, only one time will suffice. I will suggest you keep the same time every day. A proper routine will help your dog to behave well-mannered.
The time for the walk varies from dog to dog. Puppy Yorkies have to walk for 15 to 20 minutes daily. However, for adults, a 20-25 minutes walk is essential.
If you are taking your Yorkie for a walk in the morning, it will help it to release its energies, and throughout the day, your pup will stay happy. Talking about the evening walk will make Yorkie sleep calmly.
While planning for the walk time, make sure it’s not closer to the sleep time of your Yorkie. In that case, it will have to stay awake as the walk will make it more energetic.
How Will You Know Your Yorkie Has Walked Sufficiently?
You need to know that Yorkie is an energetic dog, so it will never stop walking. Being a responsible Yorkie owner, you have to ensure that it doesn’t overwalk.
Overwalking will bring visible changes and may often cause injuries to your Yorkie. The exact minutes of the walk are different for each dog.
If your dog is panting heavily and extremely thirsty, it is an indication that it has over-walked. Lack of focus, stiffness of muscles, laziness, and reluctance to walk more will tell you that your Yorkie has over-walked and it’s time to stop.
When Not To Walk Your Yorkie?
When going out for a walk with Yorkie, you have to keep the weather in view. In frigid weather, Yorkie can easily catch a cold and may become ill. Moreover, a cold can make you sick as well.
So, walking in such weather is not preferable. However, it is better to run in cold weather to develop internal heat. It will keep your Yorkie healthy in winter.
You can protect your Yorkie from harsh weather by putting a coat on it as you cover yourself.
Should I Use A Harness Or A Collar To Walk My Yorkie?
I love dolling up my Yorkie with colorful collars. Collars can also carry identification and name tags in them. However, Yorkies have a sensitive trachea that can easily damage with pulling.
Therefore, whenever you are going out, use a harness. The harness provides you with more control over your pup. A vest harness is more suitable for Yorkie due to its fragile bone structure.
Can I Jog With My Yorkie?
Yes! Why not? It is an ideal dog to jog along with. You can jog along with your Yorkie when it starts feeling tired, and you can hold it or put it in your bag.
It is lightweight and easily fits in the bag, making your job easier. The small size of Yorkies was famous amongst miners, and they used to cry them in their bags to the mines.
What Other Forms Of Exercise Can a Yorkie Do?
Other than walking, they can do high-intensity exercise and mental stimulation.
Yorkies are famous for their agility and react swiftly. Games that involve these skills are good exercises for them. They can play with the toys by themselves.
So, you can provide them with different toys to enjoy themselves.
Flirt Pole
It is a plaything featuring a stick with a rope and a toy attached at its end. Just move the string, and your Yorkie will enjoy chasing it. It is more like chasing a rat. After chasing it, Yorkie will get a feeling of achievement.
| Photo | Title | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
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ASOCEA Dog Extendable Teaser Wand Pet Flirt Stick Pole Puppy Chasing Tail Interactive Toy for Small Medium Large Dogs Training Playing Exercise | $14.99 | Check Price |
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DIBBATU Flirt Pole for Dogs Interactive Dog Toys for Large Medium Small Dogs Chase and Tug of War, Dog Teaser Wand with Lure Chewing Toy for Outdoor Exercise & Training | $26.99 | Check Price |
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YOHSUGO Flirt Pole for Dogs with Lure, Extendable and Durable Pole for Chasing, Tug of War, Training, Interactive Flirt Pole for Large Breed Dogs, Heavy Duty Pole 26 Inches, Orange | Check Price |
Fetch
Fetching a ball is an enthralling activity to take out pent-up energies. You can play this with a lot of throws, and as Yorkies are intelligent so you have an option to introduce automatic ball launchers.
| Photo | Title | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
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Interactive Dog Ball Toys,360 Degree Self Auto Rotating Intelligent Ball for Puppy Small Medium Dogs, USB Rechargeable | Check Price | |
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Chuckit! Indoor Fetch Ball Dog Toy (4.75 Inch), Orange and Blue | $5.75 | Check Price |
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Wobble Wag Giggle Ball, Interactive Dog Toy, Fun Giggle Sounds When Rolled or Shaken, Pets Know Best, As Seen On TV | Check Price |
Frisbee Toss
Yorkies are excellent jumpers, and it is a splendid sight to see them jumping. You will observe an instinctive response of Yorkie as soon as you roll a Frisbee.
However, You can gradually increase the level of movement. You will see the spectacular agility and acrobatic skills of your Yorkie.
| Photo | Title | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
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ChuckIt! Paraflight Flying Disc Dog Toy, Large (9.75"), Orange And Blue | $4.44 | Check Price |
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Nerf Dog Rubber Tire Flyer Dog Toy, Flying Disc, Lightweight, Durable, Floats in Water, Great for Beach and Pool, 10 Inch Diameter, for Medium/Large Breeds, Single Unit, Blue, Original | $6.27 | Check Price |
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XIGOU Dog Flying Disc, 3 Pack Dog Flyer Dog Toy, Dog Soft Rubber Interactive Lightweight Flying Disc Dog Toy for Small Large Dogs - Floats in Water & Safe on Teeth, 7 inch. | $7.98 | Check Price |
Stair Sprints
Stair Sprints is an easy game. Throw the ball from the top of the stairs and let your dog catch the ball. It will burn the energies and make your Yorkie active.
| Photo | Title | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
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Chuckit! Ultra Ball Dog Toy, Small (2 Inch Diameter), Pack of 2, for Breeds 0-20 lbs | $7.05 | Check Price |
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Outward Hound Squeaker Ballz Fetch Dog Toy, Medium - 4 Pack | Check Price | |
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Franklin Pet Supply Squeaky - Ready Set Fetch Dog Toy Tennis Balls with Squeaker - Perfect Pet Toy for Small, Medium + Large Dogs - 3 Pack | $5.99 | Check Price |
Mental Stimulation
All dogs require an opportunity to challenge their mind. If they don’t get any chance, they tend to create it independently.
You may witness them barking excessively and manifesting other destructive behaviors. I am rounding up some mental games that you can play with them.
Puzzle Toys
Yorkies are smart and intelligent dogs. They enjoy challenging themselves and testing their skills. Therefore, puzzle games are best for them. However, it is an arduous task for you to find challenging puzzles.
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Dog Puzzle Toys, Treat Dispensing Dog Enrichment Toys for IQ Training and Brain Stimulation, Interactive Mentally Stimulating Toys as Gifts for Puppies, Cats, Dogs | $13.99 | Check Price |
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Penerl [ New Edition Dog Puzzle Toys Dog Slow Feeder, Interactive Dog Toy for IQ Training; Slow Feeding, Aid Pets Digestion, Dog Puzzle Toys for Smart Dogs | Check Price | |
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Onfsevy Dog Puzzle Toys – Dog Toys for Small Dogs with 16 Treat Holes, 13 Slider Covers - Heavy Duty Safe Silicone - 3D Bone Shaped Mental Enrichment & Training Dispenser | Check Price |
Nose Games
Yorkies have a great scent sense and sharp noses. So you can play such games to stimulate their minds. For example, you can play games like finding the treat.
In this, you hide the treat and give the command like “find it” and Yorike uses its sense of smell to find it.
Similarly, you can play pick a hand with your Yorkie. In this, you place a treat in one hand, place your both hands behind the back and then switch them or not and ask your Yorkie to pick one.
| Photo | Title | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
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Milk-Bone Soft & Chewy Dog Treats, Beef & Filet Mignon Recipe, 25 Ounce | $14.48 ($9.27 / lb) | Check Price |
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Milk-Bone Original Dog Treats Biscuits for Large Dogs, 10 Pounds | $14.98 ($1.50 / lb) | Check Price |
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Pur Luv Dog Treats, Chicken Jerky for Dogs, Made with 100% Real Chicken Breast, 16 Ounces, Healthy, Easily Digestible, Long-Lasting, High Protein Dog Treat, Satisfies Dog's Urge to Chew | $11.98 ($0.75 / ounce) | Check Price |
Chewing
As we all know, endorphins help to relax. Yorkies keep their stress in their jaws, so chewing is an excellent way for releasing endorphins and helping them to relax.
Moreover, you can enrich the surroundings for the Yorkies and make it enjoyable by introducing various exciting things to the environment.
Instead of giving them food in a bowl, you can make them work for their food. They will enjoy the activity when they need to look for food.
| Photo | Title | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
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KIPRITII Dog Chew Toys for Puppy - 23 Pack Puppies Teething Chew Toys for Boredom, Pet Dog Toothbrush Chew Toys with Rope Toys, Treat Balls and Dog Squeaky Toy for Puppy and Small Dogs | $16.99 ($0.74 / Count) | Check Price |
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Carllg Dog Chew Toys for Aggressive Chewers, Indestructible Tough Durable Squeaky Interactive Dog Toys, Puppy Teeth Chew Corn Stick Toy for Small Meduium Large Breed | $12.99 | Check Price |
Can a Yorkie Join You On A Hike?
Well, the athletic body of Yorkie allows them to join you. However, you have to ensure that they don’t get too exhausted. You can take a dog carrier to save your dog from exhaustion.
Final Words
Yorkies are loveable energetic dogs with extreme intelligence. They tend to adapt and learn immediately. However, this breed requires a moderate walk to stay healthy and happy.
It is the best choice of dog for those who don’t have sufficient time for maintaining the dog. Apart from the regular walk, I suggest incorporating mental stimulation into your Yorkie routine.
