The Dog Tale is reader-supported. We may earn a commission if you buy something through our site; this doesn’t change our recommendations.
Bringing a puppy home is such an exciting time! But that new family member comes with a lot of needs. Having the right puppy products in place beforehand can make this big transition much easier.
We’ve compiled a list of essential Yorkie pet supplies that are just the right size for these sweet, tiny furballs. With this guide in hand, your puppy preparation will be a breeze.
In this guide:
- What do you need for a Yorkie puppy? (A quick overview)
- Basic Yorkie puppy supplies (make home feel like home)
- Puppy food & treats (puppies need nutrition!)
- Training supplies (from potty training to behavior correction)
- Grooming supplies (Brushes, shampoo & more)
- Gear for going out and about (harnesses, collars & more)
What do you need for a Yorkie puppy?
Here’s a list of all the basic supplies you need for a Yorkshire Terrier puppy
- Travel carrier, playpen and/or crate
- Dog bed & blanket
- Pee pads, poop bags & enzymatic cleaner
- Collar, harness & leash
- Puppy food & treats
- Dog toothbrush & toothpaste
- Grooming gear (dog shampoo, clippers & brushes)
Keep reading for a full rundown on what you need and which products we think are best.
Basic Yorkie puppy supplies
There are some basic items you’ll need to have in place before your puppy arrives home. But, the very first thing to grab is a travel carrier, in which you will transport the puppy home from the breeder.
>> Read more: How to Take Care of a Yorkie: Puppy Care from 8 Weeks to Adulthood
A playpen
To keep both your personal belongings and your puppy safe, we recommend you keep your puppy in a semi-confined area while they are house training and getting used to their new home. This ensures they are not getting into anything they shouldn’t. It also helps you supervise your pup so you can get them to their potty spot when they squat to go. As they grow and their training sets in, you can expand the amount of space they have access to without your direct supervision.
You can keep your puppy confined in a variety of ways. Puppy playpens provide a safe place when you can’t closely supervise them. These collapsible pens are great if you need an option that’s portable—but you’ll need to add a washable mat or pee pads as the base isn’t waterproof.
Some owners prefer a wire playpen and others keep their puppy confined to a room with a pet gate. If you are closely supervising your puppy, you can also opt to confine them to an area with a harness and a tethered leash. Whatever you choose to corral your pet, make sure you provide food, clean water, toys, a cozy bed, and a pee pad set on the opposite side of the food and bed.
>> Read more: The Best Yorkie Playpens for Your Puppy
- This spacious pet playpen is reinforced with an attached floor mat to ensure the comfort and safety of your pet.
- Roomy 8-Panel design with protected seams and reinforced corners. Made from durable water-resistant materials. The removable zippered top can be easily removed for indoor use & closed for outdoor use to provide shade. Zippered door provides easy in/out access for your pet. Close the door to keep your pet safely inside.
- The lightweight, yet strong design makes this ideal for traveling or camping. Comes with a convenient carrying case.
There are several ways to housetrain your puppy at night. One of these ways uses a training crate that allows just enough room for the pup to move around, but not enough that they will urinate. Instinctually, dogs don’t like to urinate in their sleeping area. These dog crates typically include a movable divider you can expand as your pup grows, becomes housetrained, and requires more room. You can learn more in our guide to crate training a Yorkie puppy.
Though effective, this method may require you to make several midnight potty trips outside to relieve a little bladder.
A cozy bed
Yorkshire Terriers tend to curl up when sleeping, so a donut cuddler bed, coupled with a soft blanket, is a good choice for their playpen area. But, if you choose to crate train at night, a self-warming crate mat may work better.
Bowls for chow
When choosing a food and water bowl, ceramic and stainless steel are the best options as they are non-porous and do not scratch, which can allow bacteria to grow. Yorkshire Terrier pups are tiny and need feeding bowls that are shallow—two inches deep or less—so they can reach their food.
>> Read more: Best Dog Toys for Yorkies
Puppy food & treats
Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” You can prevent a lot of common Yorkie health issues by starting your puppy off right with a nutritionally balanced food that is specifically formulated for puppies. There are a number of things that distinguish quality food from sub-par food, and sometimes it’s not easy to tell from a label.
Our guide to the best dog food for Yorkies covers some of the problems with many of the food brands on the market and some recommendations for brands that are doing it right.
If you want to provide your pup with the best and are looking for a premium option, we suggest checking out our The Farmer’s Dog, Ollie Dog Food, and NomNomNow reviews. The recipes are vet-crafted and include human-grade, real ingredients like beef, beef heart, sweet potato, peas, and potato. It’s minimally processed to maintain bioavailable nutrients while cutting out the nasty fillers and artificial flavors you get with many dog foods. Oh, and they deliver the meals pre-portioned to your door!
Once you’ve settled on a quality puppy chow, check out our guide on how much to feed a Yorkie puppy. We’ve included a free downloadable feeding schedule to help you stay on track with daily meals and know how much to feed your pup as they grow.
- ORIJEN Puppy dog food delivers a diet rich and varied in fresh, whole animal ingredients from free-run chicken and turkey, wild-caught fish, and cage-free eggs.
- With 85% quality fresh and raw animal ingredients, ORIJEN nourishes dogs according to their natural, biological needs.
- Fresh regional ingredients are supplied by people Orijen knows and trusts, and are delivered to their Kentucky kitchen fresh or raw, in their most natural and nourishing form.
Finally, you’ll want to stock up on tasty treats before your puppy arrives. You’ll need them right away to reward your pup during potty and behavior training. Here’s a list of our favorite treats for Yorkies.
>> Read more: What’s the Difference Between Puppy and Adult Dog Food?
Training supplies
Yorkshire Terrier puppies are excitable and curious, and it’s going to take some training to morph them into well-behaved family members. We’ll cover the critical supplies below, but now is also a good time to consider signing up for a digital training course, such as Brandon McMillan’s MasterClass on Dog Training or the free workshop offered by K9 Training Institute. We’ve gone through both courses ourselves and found them immensely useful.
>> Learn more: K9 Training Institute Reviews
- Access the FREE video workshop
- Learn advanced techniques used by experienced dog trainers
- Train your dog to behave like a service dog
Potty training supplies
Potty training can begin as soon as your puppy comes home, and I’m sure you’ll want to get right to it. Whether you plan to potty train outdoors, indoors, or a little bit of both, you’ll want to make sure you have disposable pee pads or washable mats on hand for their crate, playpen area, and designated indoor pee area. Pee pad trays are used with the pee pads to keep the pad in place and keep the puppy from chewing and shredding the pad.
Doggie doors make outdoor training easier since the dog can go outside at any time. There are even pet doors that fit right into a sliding glass door and do not require any cutting—perfect for rentals, condos, and apartments. But, if a doggie door isn’t feasible with your home’s set-up, you can train your dog to ring a hanging bell to alert you that it’s potty time.
Poop bags, and lots of them, are another necessity. To be a good neighbor and keep your shoes clean of smelly surprises, you need to clean up after your Yorkie. Keep the bags close to the door so you can grab one right before you walk out the door. Or, you can attach a poop bag dispenser to your dog’s leash. We recommend buying poop bags in bulk since you’ll save more and need them for your pup’s entire life.
If you can’t dispose of the poop bag in an outside trash bag, I’d recommend grabbing some odor-locking garbage bags and placing them in a sealing diaper pail to keep your home smelling fresh.
During the training process, expect lots of potty accidents. It takes time for these little guys to learn the ropes. Don’t get frustrated with your puppy—just clean up the mess and reward your puppy when they potty in the right spot. Using an enzymatic cleaner is really important, as it eliminates the urine scent so the puppy won’t try to mark the area again.
For more tips and tricks, check out our guide on how to potty train a Yorkie puppy.
Behavioral training supplies
Prior to the arrival of your little bundle of fur, it’s a good idea to read a puppy training book or even several books to get an idea of how you want to train.
We’ve also written a bit about training a Yorkie puppy; in a nutshell, you want to build a positive relationship with your pup where they feel safe and loved and are rewarded positively for behaving the right way (rather than being punished for misbehaving). This means that it’s going to take time, patience, and lots of treats.
We recommend small treats, such as Pupford Sweet Potato treats. These 1kcal bites won’t infringe too much on a Yorkshire Terrier puppy’s tiny 175–200 calorie budget. And while you’re at it, grab a training treat bag to keep those treats handy.
Training clickers can also be useful when training your pup. Puppies have a short attention span, so use the clicker to specifically identify the behavior you are rewarding so your pup knows exactly what you want them to do.
Yorkie puppies like to mouth and chew on everything. We found that using a bitter chew spray was helpful until our little pup learned not to gnaw on the legs of our living room chair. Other training methods include spraying your pup with a water bottle to discourage certain behaviors like nipping.
If you want to stop your Yorkie from barking or repeating a number of other bad behaviors, consider a training collar specifically made for toy breeds like the Goodboy Mini Remote Collar (below). You can also compare other humane options in our guide to the best bark collars for Yorkies.
- Modes feature one warning beep and nine levels of vibration; no shock
- The remote control has a simple, straightforward design with no excessive buttons or settings
- Specifically crafted for small dog breeds: 5 lbs.–15 lbs.
Grooming supplies
You’re going to need some basic grooming supplies to keep your puppy looking and smelling fresh.
Dental supplies
Yorkie teeth are relatively crowded due to their tiny jaws. This means the breed tends to develop periodontal issues if you don’t stay on top of their dental care. Your puppy will need a toothbrush and chicken-flavored toothpaste—YUM!—to care for their teeth. Between brushings, use dental-friendly Yorkie treats to help maintain clean teen and fresh breath. Greenies, Whimzees, and Blue Buffalo Dental Bones are a few good options.
Bathing supplies
They’ll also need a quality shampoo that doesn’t have nasty chemicals and won’t affect the pH levels of her skin. We’ve tested and compiled a list of some of the best shampoos for Yorkies so you can find some safe options.
If puppy care is new for you, I’d also recommend you read through our guide on how to groom a Yorkie to start you off and give your further tips on supplies you may need.
Yorkies often develop tear stains, so keeping some dog eye wipes or tear stain removers on hand can help keep them looking fresh in between baths.
Paw wipes are also great for a quick wipe down after a romp at the dog park.
Hair supplies
Yorkies don’t shed, and they often sport really long hairdos. Whether long or short, you’ll need some gear to care for this hair, including a few good brushes. We recommend starting with a pin and bristle brush and adding a detangling comb if you plan on growing your puppy’s hair out even a little.
Somewhere between a detangling comb and a pin brush is a slicker brush, which has a densely packed pad of short wire bristles. These bristles effectively distribute the natural coat oils throughout the hair and grab any dead hairs stuck in the coat.
If you choose to keep your puppy’s hair short and opt to do the grooming yourself, check out our guide to the best dog clippers for Yorkie hair. You’ll want to make sure you have the right clippers for your Yorkie’s single coat, so you don’t pull their hair nor break the bank.
- This organic, aloe-based shampoo will not only leave your pup smelling amazing but also help protect against fleas.
- Natural ingredients like aloe vera, shea butter, coconut oil, and lavender essential oil soothe painful, dry, and itchy inflamed skin.
- Sustainably sourced, 100% biodegradable ingredients are vegan and free of cruelty, detergents, sulfates, and preservatives. Made in the USA in small batches to ensure quality.
>> Looking for adorable, short haircuts? Check out our guide to the Yorkie puppy cut and other short haircuts for active Yorkies.
Yorkie pet supplies for going out & about
Yorkshire Terriers are adventurous little breed, and they will need some basic equipment to help keep them safe while they are out and about. Finding equipment that is small enough for a two-pound puppy can be a challenge, so we’ve included some links below to help you quickly find what you need.
Supplies for a walk
For starters, your Yorkie needs a collar with ID tags. The collar size needs to be small enough for Yorkies, and it is not to be used with a leash. The breed has small and fragile necks, and they can develop collapsed trachea from trauma to this area.
Instead, you should use a Yorkie harness to walk your puppy. There are a variety of styles to choose from, including strap harnesses, vest harnesses, reflective harnesses, and more. You may need to consider a cold weather harness that doubles as a coat in the winter, as Yorkie puppies have difficulty regulating their own body temperature.
Retractable leashes are also helpful when walking a dog. They allow a bit more freedom for exploration without requiring you to stop and start quite as much. However, your small puppy may not be strong enough to pull the leash at first, so while they’re still developing, you may need to lock the leash with plenty of slack or opt for a lightweight standard leash. We suggest choosing a 5’–6′ leash that is no more than a ½” wide.
I’ve found that having poop bags and a bag dispenser easily accessible on the leash is helpful during walks. Also, collapsible water dishes that easily attach to a leash or hiking gear come in handy on long walks or at the dog park.
Supplies for the car
Just like humans, dogs should be secured in vehicles to prevent injury from sudden stops or accidents. There are several options when it comes to car safety. The Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Harness is a crash-tested harness that clips to existing seat belt straps. If this option is too big for your puppy, you could also choose a seat belt tether that clips directly to your pup’s harness.
If you want your puppy to be able to have a window view while traveling, we suggest opting for a pet car seat. Many of these car seats adjust to allow small dogs to see out of the window while keeping them safe with an attachable tether.
- Boost your dog to the perfect height to look out the car window
- Connect your car seat belt and use the safety tether to keep an adventurous pet secure
- Adjustable straps fit on any bucket or bench seat with headrests. Easy to remove. Folds flat for storage.
