Yorkshire Terrier vs Silky Terrier

Yorkshire Terriers are friendly and will love your family members and house guests if properly socialized as pups. However, they aren’t great with young kids and babies—or, rather, young children aren’t great with them, especially those who like to play rough and haven’t been taught how to respect a dog’s boundaries.

The Yorkshire Terrier is a super-smart, super-cute and super-friendly dog. Like many small dog breeds, Yorkies aren’t aware of their diminutive stature. Full of confidence and spunk, your pup might take over full command of the household, not-so-gently letting you know when it’s time to wake up, put the food out and go for a walk. How? Yorkies can yap. They’re really, really, really good at it.

If their big personality—and high-pitched bark—are given run of the show, though, Yorkies can get a little too full of themselves, possibly developing aggressive temperament towards visitors and new people. But as long as your Yorkshire Terrier knows who’s boss (that would be you) and is given plenty of opportunities for social interactions with humans and canines from an early age, this breed can be a loyal, playful and friendly best bud.

Yorkshire Terriers don’t mind being handled and carried, so they’re some of the most portable pups around. Just be careful not to coddle them too much. Yorkshire Terriers still need exercise and independence so that they don’t grow afraid to be out of your arms. In fact, because Yorkies don’t love being alone, many Yorkie parents get two so they can keep each other company.

Young children aside, Yorkshire Terriers are perfect playmates for almost everyone. They can even get along with other dogs and cats if they grow up in a home with them. But beware if you have a hamster, guinea pig or other small animal; this terrier was bred to catch rodents and will chase them around the house.

Silky Terriers love being with their people, whether hanging out at home, running errands or going into the office with you. They can suffer from separation anxiety, so if you’re going to be gone for long, consider checking them into doggy daycare or arranging for a neighbor or pet sitter to swing by for some playtime.

This pup has a sparkly personality and loves to play and will perform all sorts of tricks for a treat. But they do have that traditional “terrier temperament,” which is feisty and bold. These traits endear them to their families, but without proper training and exercise, their boldness and feistiness may look a lot like stubbornness and attitude.

With proper socialization and training, these pups do well with kids and other dogs. This breed isn’t known for being aggressive or biters, but they will defend themselves if they feel threatened. So, it’s a good idea to supervise them around small kids and babies (a Silky may misread a toddler’s quick movements, squeezy hugs and squeals and try to protect themselves). It’s also important to ensure children are taught how to properly interact with dogs.

It might surprise you, but Silkies have a high-prey drive. These dogs are born hunters and were bred to hunt vermin (mostly rats and snakes). So, they’ll chase cats and other small animals. But a pup who’s had a full day of exercise and play is just too tired to chase the neighbor’s cat out of your backyard.

Silkies are known for their barking skills. If it was an Olympic sport, Silkies would take home the gold every time. This trait makes them excellent watchdogs. But know that, while you can teach them to bark less often, you’ll never train the bark completely out of them.

Silky Terrier dogs are very intelligent, so be sure to engage their brains as well as their bodies. Interactive toys and dog sports like agility are great ways to keep their active minds busy and out of trouble.