The Yorkshire Terrier - known and appreciated for the silkiness, gloss and length of its coat.

A long life expectancy…

As with many small breed dogs, the Yorkshire Terrier has a very long life expectancy. Some vets and breeders have reported Yorkshire Terriers reaching 15 or even 21 years of age. This lifespan is all the more exceptional when it is compared to that of giant breeds whose average life expectancy is only 7 to 9 years.

A reduced sense of smell...

The area of the olfactory mucosa is very reduced in small
dogs: it does not exceed 20 cm². in the Yorkshire Terrier,
whereas in large sized sporting dogs the area of the
olfactory mucosa can reach 250 cm². The number of
olfactory cells (receptors) is therefore lower: less than 60 million in the Yorkshire Terrier compared to 200 million in a German Shepherd Dog for example.

Very sensitive skin with no undercoat

One remarkable feature of the Yorkshire Terrier is that it does not have any undercoat. A single long hair sprouts from each hair follicle, whereas usually there are 3 to 5 hairs (the main hair and secondary undercoat hairs).