Breed comparison
Chihuahua
vs Yorkshire Terrier.
Both are tiny, devoted, endlessly popular toy breeds, and both come with a reputation for big personality in a small body. The Chihuahua is the smallest dog breed by average size and famously one-person loyal; the Yorkshire Terrier is a true terrier underneath the silky coat, feisty and confident.
The practical differences that actually matter for daily life are grooming commitment and how each breed carries its confidence, not size, since both are genuinely tiny dogs.
Quick answer
Choose the Chihuahua for the lowest-maintenance coat and the most intense one-person devotion. Choose the Yorkshire Terrier for true terrier confidence and do not mind the grooming commitment that comes with that coat. Whichever you pick, treat it like a real dog that needs training and socialization, not an accessory, and both will reward you with outsized loyalty.
Chihuahua
- Trainability
- 6/10
- Energy
- Medium
- Training difficulty
- 57/100
- Group
- Toy
Yorkshire Terrier
- Trainability
- 7/10
- Energy
- Medium
- Training difficulty
- 45/100
- Group
- Toy
Scores from the TailorPup Dog Training Difficulty Index.
Key differences
Coat and grooming
This is the clearest split. The Yorkie has a long, silky, human-hair-like coat that mats without regular brushing and needs either daily care or a shorter "puppy cut" to stay manageable. The Chihuahua short or long coat is far lower maintenance, an occasional brush is usually enough.
Temperament
The Chihuahua tends to bond intensely to one person and can be wary or even snappy with strangers and other dogs without careful socialization. The Yorkie carries genuine terrier confidence and feistiness, it does not act like a small dog, and can be scrappy with other animals too.
Trainability
Both score 6 to 7 out of 10, moderately trainable but stubborn like most toy breeds. Both are prone to being under-trained because owners let small size excuse behavior that would not be tolerated in a bigger dog, this is where most behavior problems in both breeds actually come from.
Fragility and handling
Both are genuinely fragile, easily injured by falls, rough handling, or being stepped on, and both need supervision around young children for their own safety as much as the child comfort. Neither is a durable "kid-proof" dog.
Which is easier to train?
Both breeds sit in the moderately trainable range (Chihuahua 6/10, Yorkie 7/10), and in both cases the limiting factor is usually the owner, not the dog. Small dogs get carried, excused, and skipped on house training and socialization far more than large breeds, which is exactly why "small dog syndrome" behavior shows up. Short, consistent, reward-based sessions and real socialization work as well on either breed as on a dog ten times its size.
Which one is right for you?
Choose the Chihuahua
Owners who want the smallest possible dog, an intensely loyal one-person bond, and minimal grooming, and who are committed to real socialization so that loyalty does not turn into wariness with everyone else.
Chihuahua training guide →Choose the Yorkshire Terrier
Owners who want a feisty, confident terrier personality in a tiny package and are ready for a genuine grooming routine, whether that is daily brushing or regular trips for a short clip.
Yorkshire Terrier training guide →The verdict
Choose the Chihuahua for the lowest-maintenance coat and the most intense one-person devotion. Choose the Yorkshire Terrier for true terrier confidence and do not mind the grooming commitment that comes with that coat. Whichever you pick, treat it like a real dog that needs training and socialization, not an accessory, and both will reward you with outsized loyalty.
Frequently asked questions
Which is easier to train, a Chihuahua or a Yorkshire Terrier?
The Yorkshire Terrier scores slightly higher (7/10 vs 6/10), but both are moderately trainable toy breeds with a stubborn streak. In practice, consistent house training and real socialization matter more than the small gap between them.
Which needs more grooming?
The Yorkshire Terrier, by a wide margin. Its long, silky coat mats without regular brushing or a shorter clip. The Chihuahua coat, short or long, needs only occasional brushing.
Are they good with children?
Both are fragile toy breeds that can be injured by rough handling and need supervision around young children. Neither is a durable "kid-proof" dog, and both do best in homes where children are taught gentle handling.
Whichever you pick, train it right
TailorPup builds a personalized 12-week program around your dog's exact breed, age, and behavior, no generic one-size plan.
Build my dog's programMore: all breed comparisons · training difficulty index · all 240 breed guides