How could they not be?
They combine characteristics of the Yorkshire terrier and the toy poodle, both of which are super cute in their own right.
This means they also combine the average lifespans of those two breeds, which results in a life expectancy that is longer than most dogs.
Keep reading to learn how long the average Yorkie Poodle can expect to live, plus simple steps you can take to increase the chances that yours will live longer.
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How Long Do Yorkie-Poos Live?
Yorkie-Poos live an average of 10 to 15 years. As a hybrid breed, their average life expectancy can be either that of the miniature poodle (10 to 13 years) or the lifespan of a yorkie (12 to 15 years).
Hybrid breeds have characteristics of both parent breeds. How much of each varies from dog to dog, with some having much more in common with one parent, while others are more in the middle.
That is why the average lifespan of any Yorkie mix is difficult to determine. The life expectancy of the Yorkie-Poodle, for example, ranges from the lowest end of the miniature poodle lifespan to the highest end of the Yorkie lifespan.
The Yorkie-Doodle lifespan is quite long in comparison to the average dog breed. But 15 is not necessarily the limit. Some Yorkie-Poos live longer than that. You can increase the chances that your dog lives longer by taking good care of it.
How To Increase The Life Expectancy Of Your Yorkie Poo
Let’s be clear: just like with humans, you can’t do a certain thing and know that it will lead to a longer life. But you can take steps to increase the chances of your Yorkie-Poodle living longer. And the first step starts before you ever even bring your puppy home.
Get your Yorkie Poo From A Reputable Breeder
You should always procure your dog from a breeder with a good reputation, so that you have all the information you need about its parents and its upbringing until the point your adopt it.
You want to make sure the breeder tests all of its breeding dogs to confirm they’re free of illnesses or genetic diseases that could be passed on to their offspring.
Once you know you’re bringing home a healthy pup, you want to make sure it stays that way. And perhaps the most important thing you can do is also the easiest, given how cute these dogs are.
Plenty Of Love And Attention
All dogs need to feel loved and they need attention. This is even more true of the Yorkie Poo than of many other breeds.
Make sure you spend quality time with your pup every single day. If you can avoid leaving it home alone, that is ideal.
If you have to leave it alone while you go to work, just be sure to make up for it by showering your pup with attention while you are home. Not hard to do with a dog this cute!
One good way to spend quality time with your Yorkie Poodle is to take it on walks or do other forms of exercise, like playing fetch. And what do you know, plenty of exercise is another way to increase the life expectancy of your little pup!
Plenty Of Physical Exercise
First and foremost, take you dog for at least one walk every single day. It should get a minimum of 30 minutes of walking time.
It is better to spread that out over two walks, instead of doing one long walk. Only taking your pup out once a day means it will have to “hold it” for a long time, which can stress its tiny bladder. Not to mention lead to accidents in your home!
You should also give your dog two or three more rigorous exercise sessions per week. This could be anything from playing fetch, to tug of war with a rope, to running an exercise course.
As long as your dog is working out hard, you’re good. You can get some of these great dog toys to help with this type of exercise. Balls and tug ropes are always great to have on hand.
Physical exercise is not the only type your dog needs. You should also encourage plenty of mental stimulation.
Mental Exercise
You want to make sure your dog’s mind stays sharp, especially as it enters old age. One great way to achieve this is to get your Yorkie-Poo some of these great puzzle toys.
Another way to provide mental exercise is to teach your pup new tricks from time to time. Training your Yorkie to learn something new is also a great bonding exercise that counts as giving your dog love and attention (as long as you use positive reinforcement during training, not negative reinforcement).
Healthy Diet
Make sure you feed your Yorkie Poo high quality dog food made from natural ingredients. Low quality food can have all kinds of harmful things in it.
You also want to avoid feeding your pup table scraps, which could lead to intestinal issues. It is generally best for their health to get only specially formulated dog food, plus the occasional treat. Make sure to give it only healthy, high-quality treats.
Finally, it is important not to overfeed your dog. Learn how much a Yorkie should eat per day, and stick to that. Obesity is just as unhealthy for dogs as it is for us humans.
Regular Grooming
Being a slob is another thing that is unhealthy in both humans and dogs. Yorkie Poos tent to take on some of the Poodle’s curly hair, which means less matting than a pure Yorkie’s straight coat.
But that doesn’t mean they don’t still need regular trimming and brushing. You can groom your pet at home, or take it to a professional.
Many opt for a combination of both, with smaller jobs done at home and larger ones like a complete hair cut or a nail trim done by a professional groomer. Just make sure you know how to groom a Yorkie Poo properly.
You should aim to trim the coat at least every 2 to 3 months, but take care of problem areas more often. This means ensuring the hair around the eyes and ears never gets too long.
It is best to brush your dog’s coat every day, but at least 2 or 3 times per week. In the end, it really depends on how tangled your pup’s fur gets.
It varies a lot from dog to dog, especially with a mixed breed like the Yorkie Poo, where different pup’s take on varying levels of each parent breed’s characteristics.
You also want to ensure your dog’s nails are trimmed and its teeth are clean. It is best to trim the nails every two weeks or so and to brush the teeth 2 or 3 times per week, if possible. Good chew toys help clean the teeth as well.
Keep Your Yorkie Poo Safe
Yorkshire Terrier don’t generally suffer from many health issues, and they usually pass that trait on to their Yorkie Poo offspring. But as a toy-sized breed, they are at higher risk of injury from trauma.
You should take steps to reduce the risk of your pup suffering a debilitating injury. Keeping if safely inside a gated yard, and on a leash while outside, will reduce the likelihood of a traffic or strange-dog related injury.
You should also make sure to keep any dangerous foods (like raisins and chocolate), cleaning products or other household items that could harm your dog, poisonous plants, electric cables it could chew on, etc., out of its reach.
Checkups And Vaccinations
Make sure you take your pup to the vet for an annual checkup, to ensure it stays in good health. You should also ensure it gets all required and recommended vaccinations.
Yorkie-Poodles can fall victim to a few dangerous bacterial infections that can cause serious health problems and even death. A simple vaccination can prevent most of them.
Benefits Of Having A Yorkie-Poo
Crossbreeds like the Yorkie-Doodle are conceived to get the best of both worlds. Breeders hope to create a new breed that has all of the most appealing characteristics of both parent breeds. They even dock Yorkie poo tails, I guess since both parent breeds tend to have their tails docked, too.
With the Yorkie-Poo, the goal was to create a toy-sized dog with a hypoallergenic coat, that is friendly and intelligent. They succeeded and this new breed has some wonderful advantages that we’ll list below.
Before we get to that, it is important to understand that this is a relatively new breed. It only became popular in the past decade and is still quickly gaining new admirers.
But this means that most Yorkie-doodles litters are first-generation. In other words, they are a combination of two purebred parents.
This means they could take on far more of one parent’s characteristics than another. It is not guaranteed that a Yorkie-Poodle will have the most desirable traits of each parent. In fact, it could end up having each parent’s most undesirable traits!
Multigenerational breeding practices are used to reinforce the most-desired character traits. Once we have a few generations of Yorkie-poos behind us, the chances of an individual pup having all the best characteristics will greatly increase.
Hypoallergenic
For the most part, Yorkie Poos are hypoallergenic. They do not shed much, making them great for families in which a family member is allergic to pet dander.
Intelligent
The Yorkshire terrier is one of the most intelligent breeds out there. The poodle is even more intelligent, ranking number two among all dog breeds, right after the border collie!
This means you will have an easier time training your pup. These little geniuses will catch on much quicker than many other breeds.
Just make sure you train your little pup using positive reinforcement. That works better for all breeds, but especially for this one. Yorkie-poos just don’t respond well to harsh training techniques that use negative reinforcement (i.e. punishment).
Be patient and use tons of effusive praise (and maybe some tasty doggy-treats) whever your pup does something right.
The one challenge you will face in training these dogs is that they have a short attention span and can get bored or distracted easily. Make sure you maintain a distraction free training environment and keep training sessions short.
Sociable
Yorkies are known to be quite territorial. Poodles aren’t. Most Yorkie poos are thus far less territorial than purebred Yorkshire terriers. They are much more likely to welcome strangers into the house.
Color
Purebred yorkies can only have four colors: gold, tan, black or blue. They can not be white. But white yorkies are popular, so breeders create them by cross breeding yorkies with other breeds. a yorkie poo is one way to create a white Yorkshire terrier. Plus, a number of other interesting color combinations.
Yorkie Poo Lifespan: Conclusion
Yorkie-doodles are wonderful little pets that live far longer than the average dog. And if you take good care of yours, you can ensure it lives as long as possible.
So make sure you treat it with plenty of love and affection, feed it a healthy diet and keep it clean and fit. If you do that, chances are your pup will live a long and happy life!
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