A companion breed first, everything else second
A Yorkshire Terrier can learn to cope with being left alone for limited periods, but this is a breed to choose for a workday with your eyes open. Yorkies may have begun as working ratters in mills, yet for generations they have been bred as close personal companions, and the modern Yorkie takes that job seriously. He will likely choose one or two favourite people, follow them devotedly, and want to be on a lap or in the same room at all times. A dog built that way does not experience your workday as a neutral gap in the schedule; he experiences it as your absence, and coping has to be taught gently and realistically.
Why long days defeat a Yorkie faster than most
Two limits arrive at once. The first is emotional: separation anxiety is common in the breed, showing as barking or whining that can go on for long stretches, pacing, loss of appetite while alone, and occasionally frantic scratching at doors — behaviour that causes real problems in flats and terraced homes where neighbours hear everything. The second is physical and non-negotiable: a dog weighing only a few pounds has a very small bladder. Even a calm, well-trained adult Yorkie will usually need a toilet opportunity well inside a full working day, and a puppy or a senior may manage only a couple of hours. Holding on longer is not a training failure; it is anatomy.
Shortening the day from the Yorkie's side
Practise alone time in minutes at first, always returning before distress starts, so quiet confidence rather than panic is what gets rehearsed. A play session and a short walk before you leave, breakfast from a lick mat or puzzle, and a cosy, enclosed sleeping spot with your scent on the bedding all help a Yorkie settle. Some owners of tiny dogs provide an indoor toilet area as a back-up for long days, which can work if it is introduced as a puppy or trained patiently in an adult — but it is a supplement to a midday visit, not a replacement for company. If your household's schedule means eight or nine unbroken hours alone every weekday, a more independent breed will be a kinder match than a Yorkie.
Keeping the midday cover coordinated
Because a Yorkie needs that middle-of-the-day person more than most breeds, the handoffs have to be watertight: the walker needs to know he was fed, the family member covering lunch needs to know the walker already came, and you need to hear promptly if he seemed off his food or unusually unsettled. Scattered texts across three people's phones are how a small dog's small problems get missed until evening.
KinsLe Messenger solves that for a Yorkie household by keeping every conversation about him in one per-pet hub, so the walker, the family, and you all see the same thread of updates about his day.