Brittany Spaniel vs Yorkshire Terrier: Which Suits Your Home?

This is one of the largest size gaps on the site: a Yorkshire Terrier weighs just 4-7 pounds and stands 7-8 inches, while the Brittany runs 30-40 pounds and 17-20 inches -- five to eight times the Yorkie's weight. A Yorkie is a true toy breed; the Brittany is not in the same conversation, size-wise.

The Brittany needs High (4/5) exercise against the Yorkie's Low (2/5) -- a gap that maps directly onto their size difference, though it's also a difference in job description: the Brittany was bred to work the field all day, the Yorkie to be a companion. Energy levels are closer than the exercise gap suggests, at High (4/5) versus Moderate (3/5).

The Yorkie demands serious coat care -- Very high (5/5) grooming against the Brittany's Low (2/5) -- but sheds very little in return, Very low (1/5) versus Moderate (3/5). Its long, silky coat is often marketed as hypoallergenic-adjacent for exactly this reason, though regular trims or a dedicated grooming routine are non-negotiable if you want to keep it manageable.

The Yorkie is built for small-space living: Very high (5/5) apartment suitability against the Brittany's Moderate (3/5). It does bark more, though -- High (4/5) against the Brittany's Low (2/5) -- a trait common in small terrier-type breeds and worth weighing if you share walls with neighbors.

The Brittany rates higher on both fronts: High (4/5) for first-time owners against Moderate (3/5), and Very high (5/5) trainability against Moderate (3/5). Yorkies carry real terrier stubbornness underneath the small, portable package, which can surprise owners expecting an easy training process to match the easy-to-carry size.

The Brittany leads across every household measure -- kids (5/5 vs. 3/5), other dogs (5/5 vs. 3/5), and strangers (High, 4/5, vs. Low, 2/5). Yorkies, despite their small size, often carry an outsized confidence that can read as reactivity around bigger dogs or unfamiliar people; that shows up clearly in these numbers.

Lifespans run close -- 12-15 years for the Brittany, 11-15 for the Yorkie. Both carry ten-condition health lists, with PRA, hypothyroidism, and allergies overlapping between them. The Yorkie's list adds several risks tied to its tiny size specifically: hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), collapsing trachea, and portosystemic shunt, a liver condition -- all more common in toy breeds generally.

The Yorkie costs slightly more to keep despite weighing a fraction of the Brittany: $100-$190 monthly and $1,400-$2,900 in year one, against the Brittany's $90-$180 and $1,300-$2,500. Grooming and the higher per-pound cost of specialized small-breed vet care both push its numbers up.