Yorkshire Terrier

It was in the 19th century that the Yorkshire was born, in the English county of the same name. The breed originates from Yorkshire and the areas around Manchester, an uneven region in the north of England. In the mid-19th century, Scottish workers seeking work began to settle in the Yorkshire region, bringing with them small terriers that served them for poaching and rid them of vermin. The small size of the Yorkie allowed its owner to carry it in a satchel and take it out as needed to flush a rabbit from its hole. The breeding of Yorkies was mainly done by miners and workers employed in the cotton and wool mills of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The breed has three known individuals as its origin, a male named Old Crab, a female named Kitty, and another female whose name was not retained by history. Dogs of the Paisley Terrier breed (a reduced version of the Skye Terrier) also seem to have participated in the early crosses. They were selected from Scottish terriers and known as Yorkshire Terriers, because the breed had truly emerged and evolved in this region. In early times, any dog of terrier type that had long hair with a touch of blue on the body and reddish or silver highlights on the head and paws could compete in the Yorkshire Terrier category, as long as its tail and ears were docked. But towards the end of the 1860s, a specimen of Paisley Terrier, displaying the typical traits of the Yorkshire and called Huddersfield Ben, whose owner, Mary Ann Foster, lived in Yorkshire, began to hold sway in dog shows throughout the United Kingdom, where he imposed the modern type of the breed.

The Yorkshire Terrier is a small, energetic dog that requires exercise. It retains its hunting instinct and should not be left unsupervised with small animals such as rodents. A barker, it makes a good alert dog.

The Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog with long hair. Very compact, it stands very straight. The body is compact, the back straight, the loin well-supported, the ribs moderately curved. The coat falls straight and evenly on each side, parted by a line that extends from the nose to the tip of the tail. On the body, the coat is of moderate length, perfectly straight (not wavy), glossy. The head furnishing is long, of a tan color, more intense on the sides of the head, at the base of the ears and on the muzzle where the coat is very long. The coat is dark steel blue, extending from the occiput to the base of the tail. On the chest the coat is an intense and brilliant tan. All tan hairs are darker at the root than in the middle and become even lighter at the tip. The Yorkshire Terrier is a small companion dog. The skull is rather small and flat, being neither prominent nor round. The muzzle is not long, the nose black. The jaws and teeth are articulated in a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, that is, the upper incisors overlap the lower ones in close contact and are set well at right angles to the jaws. The jaws are of equal length. The eyes are medium in size, dark, sparkling; they are positioned so as to look straight ahead. They are not prominent. The edge of the eyelids is dark. The ears are small, V-shaped, carried erect or slightly curved, covered with short hair; their color is tan. Previously it was customary to dock the tail.

The Yorkshire Terrier is a dog with a long coat, so it is necessary to care for it well. So that it has a shiny and silky coat and to prevent mats, it is important to brush it daily and take it regularly to the groomer.