Best Dog Food for Yorkipoo: A Guide to Nourishing Your Furry Friend

The Yorkipoo is a very small dog but he has a big personality. His temperament is a combination of the smart and spunky Yorkshire Terrier and the friendly Toy or Miniature Poodle.

These little dogs are not the kind of hyperactive small-breed dog you might expect them to be, though their personality will vary depending on the breeding. Yorkipoos are generally low-energy dogs that love to spend time with family.

They get along well with cats and other dogs, in most cases, though they may not be the best choice for very young children. If you’re looking for a small companion pet, the Yorkipoo is a great choice.

Read on and you will find our top recommendations for the best dog food for Yorkipoos.

Yorkipoo Breed Overview

• Breeds: Yorkshire Terrier and Toy Poodle or Miniature Poodle (Designer Dog)
• Size: 8 to 12 inches
• Weight: 8 to 15 pounds
• Energy Level: Low
• Lifespan: 15 years or more

The Yorkipoo is a cross between a Yorkshire Terrier and either a Toy Poodle or a Miniature Poodle. These are the smaller two of the three Poodle varieties and the ones most commonly used in the crossing to create a Yorkipoo.

The Yorkipoo stands between 8 and 12 inches tall, in most cases, and generally weighs between 8 and 15 pounds. Their size might qualify them as a toy breed, but they are more commonly just referred to as a designer dog or crossbreed.

As is true for all crossbreeds, you can’t make any exact predictions about your Yorkipoo’s adult size or personality – you’ll just have to wait until he grows up.

The Best Dog Food Brands for Yorkipoos

 

1. Nom Nom Pork Potluck

First 5 Ingredients (Turkey Fare):  Turkey, Brown Rice, Carrots, Spinach, Eggs

Nom Nom gives pet owners the chance to feed their pets restaurant grade food without switching to a messy raw food diet. Pork potluck is a healthy option, offering whole proteins through cooked turkey plus plenty of vitamins with whole fruits and veggies.

Nom Nom was founded by a veterinarian looking for a better way to get proper nutrition in the hands of pet owners. The company is a good balance between store-bought kibble and the confusing raw food diets.

Gently cooked meals using high quality ingredients in a limited ingredient formula. It’s simple, arrives fully ready to serve, and keeps your Yorkipoo happy and healthy.

The brand only incorporates real ingredients into their recipes and they omit any artificial flavors. Who needs artificial additives when the food is natural and high-quality? Also omitted from Nom Nom's recipes are unnecessary fillers like soy, corn, and wheat.

With this dog food option, your Yorkipoo can enjoy a healthy meal with zero fillers and only the highest quality ingredients! Plus, they deliver right to your front door, making it super convenient for you as a busy pet parent.

2. Nature’s Recipe Small-Breed Grain-Free Chicken Recipe

First 5 Ingredients : Chicken, Turkey Meal, Potatoes, Pea Protein, Peas

With a name like Nature’s Recipe, you would expect this brand to use high-quality, natural ingredients in all of their recipes – you would be right to do so. Nature’s Recipe has been producing all-natural pet foods for more than 30 years and they have always believed that pets deserve to live long, vibrant lives.

That’s why each of their formulas is packed with nutrition and natural flavor. This brand is also one of the more affordable brands of natural pet food. The brand offers a variety of products for dogs in different life stages and of different breed sizes, like this one.

This formula grain-free and easy to digest which makes it a great choice for your Yorkipoo. It features protein-rich chicken and turkey meal with potatoes, peas, and sweet potatoes for carbohydrate energy. It is full of healthy supplements like chelated minerals and essential vitamins to ensure nutritional balance for your canine companion.

3. Taste Of The Wild Appalachian Valley Formula

First 5 Ingredients: Venison, Lamb Meal, Garbanzo Beans, Peas, Lentils

This dog food is thematically based on what ancestral dogs from the Appalachian Valley would have eaten in prehistoric times. This ancestral diet is combined with our modern nutritional knowledge to provide well-balanced dog food that may be the best on the market in this price bracket.

The brand specializes in a high variety and quality of ingredients, that aim to cultivate your dog's digestive health.

Despite not quite reaching the levels of nutrition provided by pricier gourmet dog food companies like Nom Nom, Taste of the Wild provides a significantly higher proportion of protein and lower proportion of carbohydrates than its direct competitors.

It uses high-quality pasture-raised venison in its formula, which is what gives it such a healthy protein and fat ratio. This does, however, mean that the Omega 3 fatty acid levels are lower than dog foods that use fish products.

This formula is thankfully grain-free and reduced into small-size kibble, helping to ease the digestive load from your dog and making them less prone to suffering from bloat.

Digestion is also helped by the formula's probiotic and prebiotic fiber. It does, unfortunately, use pea protein to increase the total amount of protein.

4. Ollie Fresh Pet Food

First five ingredients (Lamb recipe): Lamb, Lamb liver, Butternut squash, Kale, Chickpeas

Ollie Fresh Dog Food offers premium, human-grade meals tailored to your dog's specific needs. Made with high-quality ingredients like fresh meats, vegetables, and superfoods, Ollie's recipes are carefully crafted to provide balanced nutrition.

Delivered fresh to your door, Ollie makes it easy to give your dog a healthy, delicious diet that supports their overall well-being and vitality. They offer five different recipes made with whole foods and slow-cooked for maximum nutrition and flavor. 

Their food is made and hand-packed in the USA. They are partners with a veterinary nutritionist to formulate their nutritionally-balanced recipes in accordance with AAFCO standards. All of their food is cooked in small batches in their USDA-regulated kitchen.

They carefully source their ingredients from reputable farms in the U.S and Australia. Each partner must go through an extensive certification process to become a supplier. All of their food is made only with whole, fresh ingredients.

5. Blue Buffalo BLUE Life Protection Formula Toy Breed Chicken & Brown Rice

First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Whole Ground Barley

Blue Buffalo is one of the top brands of natural pet foods on the market and they offer four distinct product lines. The Life Protection Formula line features protein-rich, highly digestible recipes for dogs of all breed sizes and all life stages.

These recipes are all supplemented with Blue’s LifeSource Bits which contain a special blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to ensure complete and balanced nutrition. If you are looking for a dog food recipe specifically formulated for toy breeds like the Yorkipoo, consider this one.

It features protein-rich deboned chicken and chicken meal as well as menhaden fish meal for a total of 26% crude protein. This recipe is supplemented with brown rice, barley, and oatmeal for digestible carbohydrates and chicken fat for concentrated, calorie-rich energy.

You’ll also be glad to know that this formula contains a blend of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for your Yorkipoo’s healthy skin and coat, plus plenty of dietary fiber from natural sources.

6. AvoDerm Revolving Menu Turkey Recipe Small Breed

First 5 Ingredients: Turkey, Turkey Meal, Peas, Garbanzo Beans, Pea Flour

The AvoDerm brand has a unique name that highlights one of the ingredients they make sure to include in every recipe – avocado.

Not only is avocado rich in healthy fats, but it is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to help support your dog’s balanced nutrition. AvoDerm dog foods are made with premium ingredients like real meat proteins, wholesome grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables to ensure the quality of your pet’s nutrition.

Their Revolving Menu line of products is particularly interesting because it consists of several grain-free recipes that are designed to be fed in rotation to round out your dog’s diet while also reducing the risk for food allergies.

The AvoDerm Revolving Menu Turkey Recipe is one product from this line that would be a great choice for your Yorkipoo. Not only is this formula designed specifically for small breeds, but it is rich in protein, healthy fats, and natural sources for key nutrients.

7. Chicken Soup Dog Small Bites Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Cracked Pearled Barley

You may know of the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand as a book series, but this brand also has a line of pet foods. Chicken Soup pet foods are designed to nourish your dog’s body from the inside out through the use of high-quality, natural ingredients.

These pet foods are designed in keeping with a holistic approach to pet nutrition using real meat as the first ingredient as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. Their products are free from corn, wheat, and soy ingredients as well as artificial additives.

If you’re looking for a small-breed formula for your Yorkipoo, this chicken recipe is a good choice. Made with chicken, turkey, chicken meal, and turkey meal, this is a protein-rich recipe that is also full of natural flavor.

It features digestible whole grains like cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, and oatmeal as well as supplementary sources of fiber for healthy digestion. This recipe also contains plenty of healthy fats for energy and for immune support.

8. Solid Gold Mighty Mini Lamb, Sweet Potato & Carrot

First 5 Ingredients: Lamb, Lamb Meal, Ocean Fish Meal, Chickpeas, Peas

They say big things come in small packages—and toy dog owners can certainly attest! Smaller breeds need a kibble that’s full of nutrition and Mighty Mini delivers.

Perfectly balanced for their mini size, this grain and gluten free chicken and hearty vegetable recipe is packed with easily digestible protein, our unique blend of nutrient-dense superfoods and omega fatty acids to provide gut health and overall immune support.

This perfectly balanced diet features easy to digest lamb, fiber-rich sweet potatoes and antioxidant-rich cranberries to support gentle and healthy digestion.

It includes a unique blend of nutrient-dense superfoods and omega fatty acids for improved gut health and overall immune support.

This grain and gluten-free recipe also has small kibble for easy chewing for petite mouths while providing your pup with the holistic protein he needs to thrive.

This kibble from Solid Gold is ideal for toy and small breeds of all life stages including puppy and senior.

9. Merrick Puppy Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe

First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Peas, Sweet Potatoes

The Merrick pet food brand follows the tagline, “Whole health made right” which speaks to their commitment to wholesome, natural nutrition for pets.

This brand offers their customers a “five star promise” which includes a dedication to using local ingredients, real whole foods, company-owned manufacturing facilities, balanced nutrition, and health you can see.

This company also offers their “Merrick Guarantee” which promises 100% satisfaction, or your money back. Merrick offers a variety of different formulas for small-breed dogs like the Maltipoo, but they only have one grain-free puppy recipe.

This formula features deboned chicken and chicken meal, so you can rest assured that it will meet your Maltipoo puppy’s needs for protein. It also contains easily digestible carbohydrates like potatoes, peas, and sweet potatoes plus healthy fats like chicken fat and flaxseed oil.

This recipe is also supplemented with probiotics for healthy digestion and chelated minerals for maximum nutrient absorption. Plus, it’s small kibble size is perfect for your Yorkipoo puppy and he’ll love the natural flavor.

10. Wellness Complete Health Small Breed Senior Formula

First 5 Ingredients: Deboned Turkey, Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Peas, Ground Rice

Small breeds of dogs typically live longer than large breeds. You’re likely to spend a significant amount of time caring for your senior Yorkipoo. Wellness Complete offers an easily digestible formula with only 12% fat to help with your senior’s weight without compromising essential antioxidants and vitamins.

The first ingredient is deboned turkey, an excellent source of lean protein. Other ingredients include veggies for vitamins and minerals, probiotics for better digestion, and healthy fats for skin and coat.

It also considers heart health with highly controlled sodium. It includes glucosamine and Chondroitin for joint and bone health. If you’ve had trouble with your senior dog refusing food in the past, you shouldn’t have any issues with that here (just be sure to portion correctly to avoid overfeeding)

Wellness has a team of veterinarians, animal lovers, and nutritionists responsible for creating their food formulas. They use fresh, whole ingredients for their foods, giving your Senior dog a better chance to digest food properly and receive dietary requirements.

Dietary Considerations

The Yorkipoo is a cross between the Yorkshire Terrier and the Toy Poodle or Miniature Poodle. The Yorkshire Terrier is a toy breed with no specific height, according to the breed standard, and a weight between 8 and 15 pounds.

Toy Poodles are the smallest of the three different Poodle varieties, weighing somewhere between 7 and 10 pounds and standing 10 inches tall or less. The Miniature Poodle is the middle size, standing between 10 and 15 inches tall and weighing about 15 to 17 pounds.

Depending on which Poodle variety the dog is bred from, a Yorkipoo may grow between 8 and 12 inches tall and will generally weigh between 8 and 15 pounds at maturity.

Although the Yorkipoo has fairly low needs for exercise, these dogs still burn through a lot of calories throughout the day. Small-breed dogs have very fast metabolisms which means that they generally need more calories per pound of bodyweight than larger dogs.

 

Neither the Yorkshire Terrier nor the Poodle are particularly prone to obesity, but it is a problem that all dog owners should be aware of. Follow the feeding recommendations on your dog food package to ensure that your dog’s energy needs are met without going overboard on calories.

In addition to considering your Yorkipoo’s high needs for energy, there are a few other nutritional considerations you need to make. For example, Poodles have a high risk for food allergies so your Yorkipoo could inherit that trait as well.

Many Yorkipoo owners choose to feed their dogs a grain-free or Limited Ingredient Diet to avoid triggering food allergies and sensitivities. Another health problem you should look out for is hypothyroidism, a condition common in Yorkshire Terriers that could cause your dog to gain weight.

Yorkshire Terriers are also prone to hypoglycemia, particularly as puppies, so they may need to eat more frequently than other toy breeds to keep their blood sugar from dropping too low. Some Toy Poodles have the opposite problem – high blood sugar that develops into diabetes. If your Yorkipoo has diabetes, you might need to feed him a low-carb, high-fiber diet.