Boston Terrier vs Yorkshire Terrier: Which Suits Your Home?

A Yorkshire Terrier is tiny even by small-breed standards — 4 to 7 pounds and 7 to 8 inches, small enough to carry in a bag. The Boston Terrier, at 12 to 25 pounds and 15 to 17 inches, is two to three times the weight and nearly double the height. Both fall in the 'small' size class on this site, but that classification is doing a lot of work here.

Both breeds keep exercise needs low — a 2/5 for each — though the two run about even on overall energy too, moderate 3/5 apiece. Neither dog needs a running partner. A short daily walk and some indoor play satisfies both breeds' physical requirements.

The Yorkie's long, silky coat is genuinely demanding — a 5/5 grooming need, the top of the scale — even though it barely sheds (1/5) and is often marketed as hypoallergenic. The Boston needs almost no grooming (1/5) and sheds a bit more at 2/5. If you don't want to brush a coat daily or budget for regular trims, the Boston is the far less demanding choice.

Both breeds rate a full 5/5 for apartment suitability, so size and space aren't the deciding factor here. Noise is: the Yorkie barks a lot, rated 4/5, against the Boston's low 2/5, and it also tolerates being alone less well (2/5 versus the Boston's 3/5). In a thin-walled building, that barking gap matters more than the apartment score alone suggests.

Both work for a first-time owner, though the Boston rates higher at 5/5 against the Yorkie's 3/5, and pulls ahead in trainability too (4/5 versus 3/5). Yorkies are documented as bold and courageous — traits that can tip into stubbornness during training, especially if their small size leads owners to skip the consistent structure a bigger dog would automatically get.

The Boston is the more broadly social dog: 5/5 with kids against the Yorkie's 3/5, 4/5 with other dogs against 3/5, and 4/5 with strangers against a low 2/5. None of this makes the Yorkie a bad companion — its temperament leans affectionate and courageous — but it's a more one-owner, more cautious-with-strangers breed than the Boston's easygoing default.

The Yorkie's lifespan range runs wider and higher on top, 11 to 15 years against the Boston's 11 to 13, and its health list is the longer of the two — collapsing trachea, hypoglycemia, and portosystemic shunt are all documented risks tied partly to its very small size. Patellar luxation shows up in both breeds' data, a shared thing worth screening for regardless of which you choose.

The Yorkie costs more to keep: a 4/5 cost rating against the Boston's 3/5, $100–$190 monthly versus $80–$150, and $1,400–$2,900 in year one against $1,100–$2,300. Grooming is the biggest driver, though small-breed vet care (including dental work, given its documented dental disease risk) adds up too.