Craig & Sammy — the whole story.

I'm Craig Sandeman. Sammy is the 3.2 kg Yorkshire Terrier who runs most of the editorial decisions around here — he just doesn't know it yet.

This site started in frustration. In Sammy's first winter I ordered four different "extra-small" sweaters from four different brands. All four fit him like a borrowed overcoat. The chest was designed for a Cavalier. The neck opening assumed a much thicker neck. The back length was built for a dog twice his height. Returned, all four.

A Yorkie is not a generic small dog. At 3.2 kg, Sammy sits at the very bottom of every manufacturer's size chart — which is always designed for a dog at the top of that weight band. His chest-to-neck ratio is different. His back slopes differently from withers to tail. The silky, single-layer coat means garments sit differently than they would on a double-coated breed. None of that nuance makes it into a standard XS-S-M-L grid.

So I started keeping proper notes. I bought something, I measured the neck opening against Sammy's actual neck, I watched whether the harness slid up his throat on the first sharp turn, I put the raincoat through three real winter walks before writing anything. If it went back, it went back. Those products don't appear on this site.

I'm not a vet. I'm not a professional dog trainer. What I am is a Yorkie owner who has now tested more small-dog clothing and gear than is strictly reasonable, and who has learned what the patterns are. The trachea thing is real: harnesses that pull at the throat are a genuine risk for Yorkies, not just a preference. The sizing thing is real. The warmth thing is real — a single-coated toy breed in sub-zero temperatures needs actual insulation, not a fashion jumper.

Everything on this site was either bought with our own money or tested and returned. I earn a small commission when you click through and buy from Amazon — that's disclosed on every page and keeps the lights on. It doesn't change what I recommend. If anything, the commission model reinforces the honesty: I only get paid when you actually buy, so recommending something that disappoints you helps nobody.

Sammy is currently 4 years old and weighs 3.2 kg. Opinions: many. Tolerance for ill-fitting knitwear: none.