Yorkshire Terrier Dog Breed

Below are the characteristics and traits of the Yorkshire Terrier dog breed.

The yorkshire terrier is one of the most popular toy dog breeds and since many people desire the smallest yorkies it's not uncommon for the breed to be as small a four pounds. Generally the breed is 8-10 inches tall and weighs less than seven pounds.

Yorkies make great companion dogs and want to be with their family as often as possible. As a terrier, the breed has an adventurous spirit which can vary between being perky and friendly to mischievous and trouble making. They can be spoiled easily, so it's recommended to limit treats to keep rewards a positive surprise rather than an expected ritual. They can be timid towards strangers and unknown dogs, so it's recommended to socialize them when they're younger so they develop into a more well rounded adult.

Yorkshire terriers are well known for their long silky coats. Their fur is naturally straight and owners of show dogs will frequently avoid cutting their yorkies fur and let it reach the ground. The breed is considered a high maintenance breed and will require daily brushing to keep their hair straight and free of tangles.

The Yorkshire Terrier is one of the best-known lap dogs in the Western world, and she is coveted by royalty, carried by celebrities and pampered as if she's both. It wasn't so long ago that she was none of this, however, for she didn't exist until the middle of the 19th century. Nevertheless, the Yorkshire Terrier history is a short but action-packed one. While the name may make you think it's silly to wonder where Yorkies are from, it's not so simple as Yorkshire, England.

This dog and her forebears were used by miners, millers and factory workers in England for the grubby gig of rat-catching — a dirty job but one that was absolutely required in the early, dirty and disease-ridden days of the Industrial Revolution. She was neither the first nor the only dog to be put to this task. There were a number of breeds that were crossed to produce the Yorkshire Terrier, and most of these breeds came from Scotland. As factories in England opened en masse, they needed workers. As those workers moved from rural areas to cities such as Yorkshire, they took with them dogs that were small, manageable and could fulfill a number of roles. From this plethora of Terriers there were thought to have been three that were primarily used to produce the Yorkie: Clydesdale, Paisley and Skye Terriers. To be sure, the Yorkshire Terrier origin was a multifaceted one, and many of the above dogs may have had a part in the Yorkie being born.

While it's unknown who, how and exactly where all of this cross-breeding took place to create the basic breed we now dotingly call the Yorkie, it is said that the father of the breed was established by a "broken-haired Scotch Terrier" named Huddersfield Ben, born in 1865. Although "Ben" quickly became a popular show dog, the name "Yorkshire Terrier" wasn't coined until 1870. That year, after the Westmoreland Dog Show, a magazine titled The Field ran a piece by Angus Sutherland wherein he wrote, "They ought no longer to be called Scotch Terriers, but Yorkshire Terriers for having been so improved there." The name stuck, and the dog's popularity grew quickly and against great odds, for her humble beginnings ignited distaste in the very Victorian nobility that would soon enough adopt the breed. Four years later, in 1874, the Yorkie made it into the British Kennel Club stud book.

Across the pond, Yorkie history in the Yankee world was equally remarkable. The first recorded birth of a Yorkie in the U.S. occurred in 1872, and by 1878 the breed was in dog shows. A few years later, in 1885, the AKC formally recognized the Yorkshire Terrier. The popularity of the Yorkie exploded practically overnight when the dog was bred down in size to be approximately 5 pounds, give or take a pound or two. (The first Yorkshire Terriers, in the UK, were considerably larger at 12 to 14 pounds.) To this day, the Yorkie remains an extremely popular — and expensive — purebred dog.

The first and foremost aspect of a Yorkie is her gait: although ranging in size from tiny to tinier, she will walk most anywhere and everywhere as if she owns it. No matter if she has the typical puppy cut, the very rare full-blown show coat or something between — her swagger will be cocky.

You'll notice her ears: pointy, perky and alert. Her cute little black eyes set in a small and slightly flat will complement her slight body; blue-eyed Yorkies are very rare and this often displays as heterochromia or with other genetic defects. The Yorkshire Terrier tail tends to be docked to a stub that should be approximately half its original length (undocked is more humane). Yorkie coats can be short, medium or very long, but the hair is always silky and the golden-black sheen is a wonder to behold when nicely groomed.

The AKC has a somewhat strict standard when it comes to Yorkshire Terriers, but that standard is also a bit open-ended. Because there is no mininum weight set by the AKC, there has been a great push to make these dogs alarmingly small. Along with size variations, there are color varieties and even one breed that has emerged from such production which has been informally recognized by the AKC. There are also color types that breeders — but not the AKC — have named.

Perhaps the most popular sort of Yorkshire Terrier is the Teacup Yorkie. The Club doesn't recognize such variations, however, even going so far as to state on its official Web site to "keep in mind that the AKC doesn't register or endorse 'teacup' breeds." This has not stopped the demand for extremely small Teacup Yorkies, a dog that may weigh as little as 2 to 3 pounds. These dogs are also sometimes called the Mini Yorkie or a Toy Yorkshire Terrier. (It should be noted that as the Yorkie is categorized by the AKC as being in the Toy Dog Group, a "Toy Yorkie" is probably just a selling gimmick.)

Color, which tends to come with a great amount of contention, is another way that Yorkies tend to be popularly grouped. The AKC recognizes only four colors: black and tan, black and gold, blue and gold, and blue and tan. Many people proclaim that there are separate varieties such as the Golden Yorkie, the Chocolate Yorkie, the Red Yorkie and the Silver Yorkie. These single-color rarities — along with the even more rare Red-legged Yorkshire Terrier — are indeed Yorkies but are considered "mismarked."

There is also the emergent breed that is somewhat a variety, the Biewer Terrier. This dog, which has been in the AKC's FSS Program since 2014, came from a hybrid dog, the Parti Yorkie.

The Yorkie temperament is both boon and bane; these dogs may be small but they are a bundle of responsibility! They are demanding, insistent, loving, inquisitive and demanding — so much so it needs to be stated twice!

One funny Yorkie personality trait is that she doesn't understand her diminutive size, and while you do have to make for a few allowances, one thing you cannot allow is for her to control you. Setting this precedent may have life-long repercussions regarding Yorkie behavior. Through it all, however, her unending devotion, guard-doggedness and desire to please you should be appreciated. She'll be there for you but you must be there for her lest she develop separation anxiety, destructive habits and non-stop yapping.

House-training is sure to be one of the most difficult parts of the Yorkshire Terrier temperament. These petite pups are known to favor neither rain nor isolation, and this can make outdoors potty trips nearly impossible and crate-training all but intolerable. Still, the rewards for undertaking all this is having a beautiful, loving and gracious Yorkie who will be there for you all the time!

Below are health issues and concerns most common in Yorkshire Terriers

Below are some interesting facts about the Yorkshire Terrier:

• One nickname for a Yorkie is "the Tomboy Toy." These dogs are popular with women, but they also excel at "un-ladylike" activities like agility trials and dog sports--hence the "tomboy" nickname.
• Yorkshire Terriers are considered by many to be ugly dogs. In fact, a horrendously ugly Yorkie normally places high (or low, depending on how you look at it) in the annual World's Ugliest Dog competition in Petaluma, CA.
• A Yorkie's fur is texturally similar to human hair. Yorkie coats need frequent brushing, just like humans' hair; some owners actually use only human shampoo on their dogs.
• A Yorkshire Terrier holds the record for being the smallest dog in recorded history. A dog named Sylvia, owned by an English man named Arthur Marples in the 1940s, stood only 2.5 inches tall and weighed less than half a pound.
• That strange honking sound some Yorkies make? It's called reverse sneezing. Also called "pharyngeal gag reflex," some dogs of this breed "honk" and wheeze from a spasm in the laryngeal area. But don't be alarmed--reverse sneezes are as harmless as regular ones.