Coronado Yorkies
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As a hobby and show breeder of Yorkshire Terriers for thirty years, I often am ask by a potential buyer whether a male or female yorkie is a better pet. The answer to this question can be complicated. Yorkies tend to have individual personalities and a female may have some characteristics that are often found in the male and vice versa. In the United States, often a buyer will have a definite preference for a female, mainly because they believe that a female is easier to house break and a male will always lift his leg in the house. If a male is neutered as a puppy, he can be as reliable in this regard as a female. I sometimes stay in motels when I attend dog shows and I have found that males usually will go potty immediately when taken outside whereas females may sniff endlessly and may or may not end up completing the mission.

Unlike many breeds, size in yorkies is not necessarily determined by their sex. Small yorkies (incorrectly advertised as teacups by backyard breeder and puppy mills) can be either males or females. If size is important to the buyer, sex of the puppy is not a factor. I have also had pet owners say that they can’t dress up or put a bow in a male yorkies’ hair. This is simply not true. Male yorkies wear the same bows as females when they are in the show ring and there are plenty of jackets, sweaters, and other wardrobe items out there for males. I tell my clients to think of the bow as a bowtie on top. My male show dogs have often seemed to have more luxurious coats than my female show dogs, and if you think in terms of different species, this makes sense. The males of many other species are the ones with the best coats, the brightest feathers, and the most handsome attributes.

There may be a correlation between the sex of the yorkie puppy and temperament. I can say, with some conviction, that most yorkie breeders have a soft spot for the males. They feel that males are much sweeter, more devoted, and often more playful. When I have a litter of puppies, I do a lot of observation of their behavior. I currently have a litter of 2 males and a female. When I let them out in the living room to play, the males will immediately locate me and want some love and attention, while the female is too busy exploring and showing her independence to make the effort. This litter’s behavior is generally the rule and not the exception and occurs in almost every litter of yorkies that I have observed. My adult male yorkies also are great babysitters. They will play with the puppies with a patience and gentleness that I have seen in only a few females other than the litter’s mother. I have seen my adult males lying on their backs with several puppies piled on top of them to the delight of all involved. I am not saying that yorkie females do not make excellent pets as they often do and they certainly make good mothers, but I think pet owners often overlook and under appreciate the benefits of having a male yorkie as a pet.

With people, females are often thought of as the kinder, gentler sex- in yorkies I have found that this is not always the case.. I have seen dogs fights between both yorkie males and females. More often than not, the males will use lots of body language and may fight but they don’t seem as brutal as when the females fight. Females don’t seem to fool around with a lot showing off or idle noise, they simply go directly for the throat. With yorkie females, that are not spayed, I have found it important to have an alpha female who can maintain order.

Another factor to consider is price. Whether it is because of market demand, the breeder wanting to keep quality females in the litter for show, or other reasons, often males are less expensive than females. Some years could be designated the year of the male. I know of someone who had 18 males before having a female.  and I suggested that they may want to consider some assistance from a shaman. Most breeders do not have this kind of experience but I have definitely averaged more males than females. In theory, males and females are born in approximately equal numbers but I have yet to meet someone who has had predominately female litters all the time. I knew someone, when I was starting out in yorkies, that said that to get female puppies it was important to breed early in the morning while facing the sun. Breeders can be superstitious when to comes to these things. Some studs seem to produce more of one sex than the other. For the pet person, it is important to remember that males can be from 15 to 30 percent less expensive and, because of female demand, the male that you purchase may be of better quality than you would have gotten with a female.

We often develop cultural preferences without thinking it through. We may have had a female pet as a child, or someone may have told us that female yorkies were better pets. Whatever the reasons that people may have for wanting a female, I hope that they will consider the case for having a male yorkie as a pet.

Author: Sharon

 
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