Bichon Yorkies Facts

Bichon yorkies, or yo-chons, are mixed dogs that have become very popular house pets. They are a mix of two equally popular breeds of dog, and are considered to be a designer breed. They are not yet set as a breed of their own, and are still produced only by breeding a Yorkshire terrier and a bichon frise.

  1. Bichon Yorkie

    • Bichon yorkies are a mix between a bichon frise and Yorkshire terrier. Like most mixed dogs, bishon yorkies can vary widely in both size and personality. They are produced only when a breeder crosses a Yorkshire terrier with a bichon frise, and cannot be reliably bred to each other to produce bichon yorkie puppies.

    Characteristics

    • Bichon yorkies can inherit the long curly or straight white hair of a bichon frise, along with that dog's size (9 to 12 inches and 7 to 12 lbs.), or the brown and black coloration of a Yorkshire terrier with that breed's size (6 to 7 inches and 7 lbs.). Since the breed is not set, there is no reliable way to tell which combination will result from each breeding.

    Personalities

    • Bichon yorkies are the offspring of dogs that are widely popular for their upbeat personalities. Bichon frise are intelligent, loving, affectionate and social. Yorkies are bold, loyal and adventurous and can be quite stubborn. Bichon yorkies have a wide array of different combinations from this foundation of personality traits.

    Considerations

    • Buying hybrid dogs is always risky. There is no guarantee that purebred, healthy dogs were bred to produce a bichon yorkie. Since this is not an AKC-recognized breed, there is not control placed on breedings for this dog, and no restrictions in regard to which dogs should and should not be bred.

    Grooming

    • Bichon yorkies are a mix of two dogs with long, rough and sometimes curly coats. Bichon yorkies have inherited that type of coat, and need frequent grooming. These grooming sessions need to include shampoos, brushing and some clipping to keep the dogs' coats from getting tangled and knotted. These dogs shed heavily if they aren't groomed often.