Yorkipoo: Overview

The Yorkipoo loves people and fun, not necessarily in that order. He will delight his family and is always willing to perform tricks or show off for any visitor. His confidence keeps him from being overly snappy or aggressive; he's happy in his own skin. The Yorkipoo can be an excellent companion to anyone looking for a small, confident dog with ample energy and even greater love.

Like most of the Poodle hybrids, the Yorkipoo was originally designed to be a companion dog who could reside with allergy sufferers. The goal was a small dog who didn't have the diseases of either the Yorkshire Terrier or Poodle, both of whom have suffered from health problems related to poor breeding or overbreeding.

Both breeds are intelligent, though, and so is the Yorkipoo. Both breeds enjoy performance competition, such as agility and obedience--and so does the Yorkipoo. The Yorkie is more independent than the Poodle, so a Yorkipoo's independence depends on the temperaments of the individual parents, the Poodle parent in particular. Yorkies don't necessarily need to be on your lap, whereas Toy and Miniature Poodles are practically barnacles; with the Yorkipoo it all depends, again, on the parents.

The Yorkipoo has low-dander, a low-shedding coat, and the small size of a toy breed. He's happy in many different types of homes and can make an excellent companion for the elderly. With his gentle and loving disposition, the Yorkipoo has proven that he can be a successful therapy dog.

Unfortunately, some dogs who weigh less than 10 pounds are clueless about their physical size and have been known to launch themselves at big dogs, and the Yorkipoo falls into this category. To protect your Yorkipoo from himself, introduce him to large dogs under supervision, before they interact on their own, to prevent potentially disastrous consequences. Dog parks intended for all sizes of dogs are not suited to canines weighing less than 10 pounds as it's all too easy for them to be seen as prey, and for them to foolishly act aggressively toward a large dog.

The Yorkipoo does well at training and is usually a quick learner. He can be stubborn, but this trait tends to rear its ugly head if training is harsh or becomes repetitive. Keep his lessons fun and interesting, and all should go easily. Consistent, positive reinforcement is the only way to train a Yorkipoo, especially since harsh corrections can seriously injure such a small dog. Even if injuries weren't a concern, negative reinforcement doesn't work with this dog because he'll simply shut down.

The Yorkipoo enjoys barking just a little too much ("I love this and I'm good at it!") and generally makes an excellent watchdog. He'll alert bark when someone comes to the door or when he sees anything suspicious (and the chances are good he's got a different definition of suspicious than you do). Some Yorkipoos can be trained to only bark once or twice, but many cannot.

There's a difference between an intentional breeding of carefully selected Yorkshire Terriers and Poodles versus a Poodle mix who's called a Yorkipoo because no one has any clue what his background really is. When the mix works as intended, you get the intelligence and spirit of the Poodle and the bold terrier aspects of the Yorkie. Of course, when the mix doesn't work, you can get a submissive, urinating fear-biter--but that can happen in any mixed breed, and in any purebred with unhappy genes.

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