There’s no denying the exceptional temperament of the Husky Yorkie mix, combining the energetic and friendly Siberian Husky with the confident and outgoing Yorkshire Terrier.
These dogs are a fair bit of work, needing regular grooming and moderate exercise, but they’re more than worth the effort.
In this guide, we’ll take a deep dive into this rare mix to see what they’re like to own and what you can expect as a potential owner. Let’s get into it.
Contents
Quick Overview
Here’s a quick overview of just about everything you need to know about the Husky Yorkshire Terrier mix.
- Other Names: Yorksky
- Average Lifespan: 12 to 15 years
- Average Height: 12 to 18 inches
- Average Weight: 20 to 40 lbs
- Coat appearance: Medium to long in length, many colors possible
- Activity Level: Moderate, around 1 hour daily
- Grooming Frequency: Regular grooming is necessary
- Typical Temperament: Very affectionate, friendly with a bold and energetic personality
- Daily Food Consumption: Low to moderate
- New Owner Friendly: Quite suited for new owners but does need lots of grooming
- Suitable to live with children? Great with all children and babies
- Suitable to live with other dogs? Usually fine, but can benefit from being socialized from an early age
- Suitable to live with cats? Must be socialized from an early age due to high prey drive
Appearance
The Husky Yorkie mix can vary in appearance significantly due to how rare it is to come across this breed.
Typically, you’re looking at a dog significantly larger than a regular Yorky with blue or bicolored eyes and a more pronounced snout.
Yorkskies always have erect, pointed ears as well as a thick double coat that can come in many colors, again depending on the parents.
The fur can sometimes be more fluffy than a Yorkie’s, requiring regular weekly grooming to keep their coat in good condition.
Siberian Husky Appearance & Background
Siberian Huskies have a classic wolf-like appearance, with several Spitz-type features, including erect ears, a thick double coat, and curled tails.
Huskies come in many different colors and patterns, including all white, red and white, Agouti, and many more.
Their piercing eyes can also come in various colors, from blue to brown and everything in between.
The overall build of the Husky is very slender, allowing them to be capable of incredible endurance and excel as sled dogs.
Yorkshire Terrier Appearance & Background
Yorkshire Terries are the most popular toy breed in the United States and one of the most popular in the United Kingdom, where they originate from.
Despite their cute appearance, Yorkshire Terriers were originally used to hunt vermin in mines in 1800s England, where workers in Yorkshire bred them from terriers brought over from Scotland.
They’re much more of a companion dog today and love to spend time around people.
Yorkshire Terriers have a classic terrier appearance, with long silky coats and a well-proportioned and compact body.
Average Size
The Husky Yorkie mix is a medium to small-sized dog with an average height of 12 to 18 inches and an average weight of 20 to 40 lbs.
The size can vary significantly depending on the parents’ size, but it’s more common to see this mix on the smaller side due to how small Yorkies are.
Coat Appearance
Many coat color combinations are possible in the Yorksky, including the classic Siberian Husky white and black, the Yorky black and golden brown, and pretty much any other color combination you can think of.
This is mainly due to the variations in coat color possible from the Husky side.
In terms of length, Yorkskies typically have a medium to long coat that is always double-coated. A double coat is split into two layers: a dense, wooly undercoat that provides insulation in warm and cold weather and an overcoat made of guard hairs that protect the skin and coat below from debris and moisture.
It’s common to see the coat more fluffy rather than the silky coat often seen in the Yorky.
Grooming Guide
Double-coated breeds with long fur need to be groomed regularly, and you should fully groom their coats at least once per week; you can find the process for this below:
- The grooming process starts with a slicker brush, which is designed to target the undercoat and remove loose hairs.
- After that, use a dematter comb, which gently removes stubborn tangles with a serrated edge.
- A gentle undercoat rake is then used to target the undercoat further and get rid of any remaining loose hairs.
- Lastly, a general grooming comb is used to get rid of any loose hairs or matter areas.
Remember that double-coated breeds also blow their coat twice yearly on average when they transition into their summer coat and lose lots of their undercoats.
During this time, they will shed even more than usual and require daily grooming.
Bathing
Many people assume that dogs with a thick double coat like the Yorksky need to be bathed very often, but the opposite is true.
Yorkskies only need to be bathed a few times per year, as frequent bathing can interfere with the natural function of the double coat and damage the hair. When bathing, use a pH-neutral, soap-free shampoo and conditioner.
Temperament
Temperament is paramount with any dog breed, especially mixes like the Yorksky, where it can be hard to predict.
Luckily for us, Huskies and Yorkshire Terries share quite a few personality traits, so let’s look at what you can expect from a Yorksky.
Confident & Social
Yorkies are known for their fiery and brave attitude, whereas Huskies are incredibly friendly and goofy.
Yorkskies definitely don’t lack confidence and will love socializing and meeting new people with very little suspicion of strangers. These dogs are highly suited for city living, where they can get outside and see new things and people daily.
Very Loyal
Yorkskies are very loyal and form a strong attachment to their owners, which means that they’re more suited for owners who are around most of the time.
This trait is thanks to both the parent breeds – Huskies are very loyal and form strong connections with their owners, and Yorkshire Terriers are much the same and form a close bond with their owners as well.
Stubborn
Both the Siberian Husky and Yorkshire Terrier are known for being stubborn, which means that the Yorksky is all but guaranteed to have a strong, stubborn trait.
Stubbornness has an impact on many areas of daily life for a dog owner:
- Expect obedience training to be very difficult, as stubborn breeds don’t care much for listening to their owners.
- Don’t rely on recall when exercising, as there’s a good chance they won’t follow the command.
The list really does go on…
With a Yorksky, it’s all about patience.
Moderately Active
Yorkshire Terriers are very active despite their small size and love to exercise.
Siberian Huskies are one of the most active breeds you can find, requiring at least 2 hours of exercise each day. When you combine these two traits, it’s no surprise that the Yorksky is also a very active dog.
Fortunately, due to the smaller size of this mix, they don’t need as much exercise as a Husky and aren’t as demanding in this area. Expect to exercise a Yorksky for an hour or day, up to 90 minutes, if they particularly love to exercise.
Very Vocal
Everyone knows how vocal Huskies can be at times, but not as many people realize that Yorkshire Terriers are also a very vocal breed as well and love to bark and yap at people, especially people passing by their house.
With that being said, Yorkskies are prone to being very vocal, which can become an issue if the behavior isn’t addressed.
Prone To Separation Anxiety
As Yorkskies are so loyal and form such a strong connection to their owners, they do not like to be left alone for long periods.
If they’re left alone regularly, they can develop separation anxiety, a condition where they will become stressed and exhibit destructive behaviors such as excessive howling or barking and scratching.
Prey Drive
An important thing to know about the Yorksky is their high prey drive.
Huskies naturally have a high prey drive, and Yorkshire Terriers do as well due to their background as vermin hunters.
A high prey drive means that Yorkskies are prone to chasing after small animals without considering it. This can not only put them in danger but also the animals that they are chasing.
In daily life, this means that Yorkskies will need to be raised and socialized with other small animals from a young age if they want to live together (things like pet cats or small dogs).
It also means that Yorkskies will be safer being kept on a leash when exercising to keep them out of harm’s way.
(Possible) Guarding Instinct
The last point on the Yorksky’s expected temperament is that they can be prone to having a protective or guarding instinct, depending on the parents.
Huskies are not protective at all and lack any guarding instinct, but Yorkies tend to have quite a strong guarding instinct and can be wary of strangers sometimes.
Is The Husky Yorkie Mix A Good Family Dog?
The Husky Yorkie mix is a great family dog for many reasons.
They’re incredibly friendly and loyal to all family members and are great with children and babies. They’re not too much work in terms of exercise and have a very bold and outgoing personality that thrives in a family dynamic.
It is best if they are raised with other family pets from a young age, including cats or other small dogs especially, but apart from that, there shouldn’t be any problems with a Yorksky as a family pet.
How Much Do They Cost?
Yorkskies are not a well-established mix at all, so finding reputable breeders is a challenge.
That being said, Huskies cost $800 to $1,500 upfront, and Yorkshire Terriers cost around $1,500 per puppy, so you could expect the mix to be within this type of range.
You’re much more likely to find them in shelters or rescues, though, where the only related costs would be the adoption fees and any vet work needed.
In Summary
Husky Yorkie mixes pack a whole lot of personality into a smaller-sized dog.
They’re excellent for families as long as they are appropriately socialized with other family members and pets and form close bonds with those around them.
They can be prone to barking and howling a lot and are very stubborn, but if you can have some patience, they’re a fantastic mix to consider adding to the family.
If you’re interested in learning about more Husky mixes, you can check out some of our recent articles below:
- Husky Chow Chow Mix [Chowsky]: Complete Guide & Pictures
- Siberian Husky Weimaraner mix [Weimarsky]: Guide & Pictures
- Husky Newfoundland Mix (Newsky): Full Guide With Pictures
- Siberian Husky Staffy Mix [Staffsky] – Profile & Pictures
- Siberian Husky Saint Bernard Mix (Saint Berhusky) Full Guide
- Labradoodle Husky Mix: Full Profile & Pictures
- Siberian Husky Great Pyrenees Mix: Full Profile & Pictures
