The Yorkshire terrier’s Clothes are not only made with the purpose of making your pet look adorable, although that is one of the results for sure. Instead, in many different cases, clothes are necessary and totally functional.
Our information will be very helpful to you if you are searching to buy shirts, coast or sweaters for your Yorkie.
Why to Put Clothes on Your Yorkshire terrier
Well, the most important purpose of the clothes is that they will keep your dog warm. And the Yorkshire Terriers tend to get pretty chilly for several reasons:
- The toy dogs tend to be with a low tolerance for the cold and not only during the winter but also in the course of the whole year
- The body is usually insulated by the fat and since these dogs do not have much excess fat, the Yorkies get chilly pretty easy
- Although many dog breeds are with fur or double coat, the Yorkies are not – they only have a single coat.
These are the reasons why your Yorkie might be shaking or shivering even if you are not feeling cold. We all know that regular walking outside is important for the dogs even if the weather is cold outside.
Plus, there can be chilly spots in your house as well and we should keep in mind that the dogs usually lie on the floor which is the coldest part of the whole house since the heat rises up.
Considering these factors, it would be a great idea to put some clothes on your Yorkie in order for the dog to be more comfortable and warm.
In order for the dogs to be happy, they should be feeling comfortable. That is why having a shirt or sweater on will make your Yorkie more comfortable and secure.
Other Benefits of Yorkie Clothing
Security – The clothes will not only be useful by providing a proper body temperature maintenance for your pet but the feeling of the clothes itself can be pretty helpful for the Yorkie’s feeling of security.
An example of this function is the “thunder vest“ which is a vest or shirt that is close fitting and wraps around the dog with the purpose of keeping it calm during high stress times – thunderstorms, for instance.
Of course, the clothes will be useful in other examples as well – for instance, when your dog is being near to a firework display.
These vest are marketed as helpful to use for separation anxiety. Even though, this would mean that your pet should use close fitting clothes for a long time, which we do not recommend.
They method of working is pretty much the same a baby’s swaddling and it is effective for many of the pets.
The Yorkie’s Clothing should not be as tight as a stress-reducer vest should be. The soft fabric of the clothes can give your puppy the feeling of safety and make it calmer.
The surprise benefit of the cuteness factor – The Yorkshire Terrier shall be much cuter when you put it some nice clothes on.
Well, during family gatherings or holidays with friends, the atmosphere is chaotic and messy, and the Yorkies might feel left out since they are closely bonded dogs.
But…
If your dress up your Yorkie, it will look extra cute, so the pet will get much more attention during gatherings for its nice look.
The Dogs easily understand if they are getting extra attention. No, not only when they are petted or receive verbal recognition.
They can “read“your body language and facial expression, and other non-verbal cues. If your dog if feeling admired, this will lead to it feeling more confident and special.
The Best Yorkie Clothes for the Right Time
The Yorkies have specifically needs and react different to the environment, so here is what you should consider:
Yorkie Sweaters
We, as adults, really need these clothes but this is also true for Yorkshire Terriers no matter if they are young puppies or seniors. This breed has a hard time keeping warm and since its single coat cannot do the job, the sweaters and the thick shirts can definitely help. With them your Yorkie will feel more comfortable and warm.
Here are some of our favorite Yorkie sweaters from ADogFashion:
Firs lets see why we love these sweaters:
- Because they are High quality clothes made by “A Dog Fashion” – Small family business in Europe
- They are very very sweet and unique.
- Made from high quality Acrylic baby yarn.
- Soft, stretchy and comfortable.
- Different sizes available – no matter if you have a tiny puppy or bigger Yorkie they will have (or make) the size for her/him.
- They accept custom orders with the size of your dog.
- Worldwide shipping
- All shipments have tracking numbers so no worries here.
Actually the only downside I could think of is that the shipping is a little slower, because they ship from Europe and usually it takes 10 – 14 business days to arrive but in some cases it might take a little less or a little longer.
But it definitely worth the wait!
The following sweaters are available for sale on Amazon too.
Bee dog sweater
Click Here to Buy from Amazon
Tiger Dog sweater
Click Here to Buy from Amazon
Minion dog sweater
Click Here to Buy from Amazon
White dog sweater with pink flowers
Click Here to Buy from Amazon
Ladybug dog sweater
Click Here to Buy from Amazon
If you would like to see all of their dog clothes see their website: adogfashion.com
Yorkie Shirts
A functional piece of clothing. It is pretty easy to put a shirt on your dog, plus, even if your dog hasn’t used clothes before, it will be able to tolerate the shirt. The shirts are perfect for indoor and outdoor activities during the whole year.
Yorkie Coats; Jackets
These pieces of clothing are perfect for the days of the winter when the temperatures are below zero and the rain is certainly cold. If you live in an area where the snow is heavy during the winter, it is a nice idea to get your Yorkie a waterproof coat or jacket.
Yorkshire terrier Vests
A vest would wrap around the back and the chest of the Yorkie without covering the legs (which would be somehow distracting). This piece of clothing will prove to be useful for proper maintenance of the body temperature and is perfect for the winter and the fall when the days are chilly and cold.
How to find clothes for Yorkies that actually fit?
The Yorkies are pretty tiny breed and that is why it is so hard to find fitting clothes. Sometimes, more often than not, when you see a nice piece of clothing, no matter what it is, you shall understand that it is made for bigger breeds.
The Yorkshire Terriers are usually about 6-9 inches and 3-7 pounds and most of the clothes are just too big for them.
A lot of brands advertise some of their products as ‘extra small’. Still, pretty much all of these products are for dogs larger no less than 10 pounds. Considering this, you will have a hard time finding clothes that are sized for as tiny dogs as the Yorkies.
How to be sure that the clothes you are buying will fit your Yorkie?
Well, before you buy yourself clothes, you take measurements of your chest, neck and waist. The same can be applied to your dog. If the clothing fits perfectly, your dog will not only feel more comfortable but will not be able to pull it off and the piece of clothing will not drag on the ground, neither will be a distraction for the dog. The clothes should be snug but not tight.
What you should not forget is to measure the areas around the neck and around the chest’s largest part. Plus, measure what the distance is from the neck to the waist.
When buying a sweater, remember that it should leave the area lower below the waist free. The correct size will be easier determined if you know what is your dog exact weight.
Although we suppose that you know this one, we will mention it – the dogs must not and cannot wear pants. You should buy them only jackets or sweaters.
The armpit area – the zone around the arms – should be checked as well as the area around the neck. This is done with the purpose of ensuring that your dog will have freedom of movement and there will be no excess fabric. You’d better purchase clothes that you can easily put on and off your dog and which won’t make your dog struggle while you are pulling tightly over its head.
A few Clothing Tips
The look of the clothes is not as important as the quality. You’d better purchase quality pieces of clothing for they will last longer. If you choose to buy cheap ones instead, you’d be surprised how fast they will be worn out or ripped off.
You treat your clothes carefully and you should do the same with your dog’s ones. Check the instructions for cleaning and wash them with a good laundry detergent.
Do not forget to read the drying instructions since most of the sweaters require air drying.
4-5 times is the maximum wearing times of the shirts and the sweaters before washing. Otherwise, they will start to smell. The winter coats must be washed at least once in 6 weeks.
The body oils of the canines secrete slowly and, even though your pet might seem clean, you should bathe it every three weeks.
Should you not wash the clothes, the body oils will soak the fabric which will then start to smell.
It your pet loves one specific piece of clothing, buy it two of them and your Yorkie will not get upset when you take one of them for laundering since the other will be available for the dog to wear.
