Chow Chow vs Yorkshire Terrier: Which Suits Your Home?

The size gap here is the most extreme in this entire batch: chow chow runs 45-70 lbs, Yorkshire terrier just 4-7 lbs -- a chow can outweigh a yorkie by ten times over. Height follows suit, 17-20 in against 7-8 in. Size class labels them medium and small, though "small" barely covers how tiny a yorkie actually is standing next to a chow.

Both rate low (2/5) on exercise need, a genuine tie, though the yorkie edges slightly higher on general energy level (moderate, 3/5, against the chow's low, 2/5) despite the exercise-need tie. Neither breed asks for serious daily activity; a short walk and some indoor play cover both. That extra spark of energy in the yorkie tends to show up as playfulness at home rather than a need to get outside and run.

Grooming need ties at very high (5/5) for both breeds, but the payoff is nowhere close. Yorkie sheds very low (1/5); chow sheds high (4/5). The yorkie's long, silky, often-called-hypoallergenic coat rewards regular brushing with almost no loose hair; the chow's dense double coat sheds regardless of how well you keep up with it. A yorkie's coat can even be left to grow long and silky show-style, which raises the grooming bar further still.

Yorkie rates very high (5/5) for apartment suitability against the chow's high (4/5), but it's also the louder dog -- high (4/5) barking against the chow's moderate (3/5) -- and tolerates being alone worse, low (2/5) versus moderate (3/5). Small-space living favors the yorkie on square footage, but a thin-walled apartment might favor the quieter, more self-sufficient chow instead, especially if your schedule leaves the dog home alone most weekdays.

Yorkie rates moderate (3/5) on trainability and moderate (3/5) for first-time owners; chow rates low (2/5) on both. Neither breed is an obedience star, but the yorkie's more workable temperament -- bold, confident, but ultimately affectionate -- gives a beginner a somewhat easier path than the chow's independence does. Short, food-motivated sessions tend to work better on the yorkie than the longer structured routines a chow generally tunes out.

This is one of the more even household-fit comparisons in the batch: both rate moderate (3/5) with kids and low (2/5) with strangers, a tie on both. The yorkie edges ahead with other dogs, moderate (3/5) against the chow's low (2/5), which tracks with the temperament data -- yorkie reads bold and confident, chow reads reserved and independent. Small children should still be supervised with a yorkie given its size, regardless of the temperament match.

Yorkie's lifespan tops out at 15 years with a higher floor too, 11-15 against the chow's 9-15. The two breeds don't overlap much on specific risks in this data: the chow's list centers on hip and elbow dysplasia, bloat and stomach cancer, while the yorkie's includes patellar luxation, collapsing trachea and portosystemic shunt -- small-breed-specific concerns the chow's list doesn't share.

Both rate high (4/5) on overall cost, a tie, but the dollar ranges favor the yorkie slightly -- $100-190 monthly against the chow's $120-250, and $1,400-2,900 in year one against $1,600-3,000. A smaller dog still eats and boards more cheaply even when both breeds demand comparable grooming attention. Professional grooming for a yorkie's coat can still add up quickly if you skip DIY maintenance between visits.