Yorkshire Terrier

AKC Group: Toy

Club: Yorkshire Terrier Club of America, Inc.

Secretary : Shirley Patterson
Address: 2102 Chestnut Ct, Pottstown, PA , 19465-7163
Website: www.ytca.org
Email: SPTOYDOGS@AOL.COM
Club Type: Specialty

General Apperance:

That of a long-haired toy terrier whose blue and tan coat is parted on the face and from the base of the skull to the end of the tail and hangs evenly and quite straight down each side of body. The body is neat, compact and well proportioned. The dog's high head carriage and confident manner should give the appearance of vigor and self-importance.

Coat:

Quality, texture and quantity of coat are of prime importance. Hair is glossy, fine and silky in texture. Coat on the body is moderately long and perfectly straight (not wavy). It may be trimmed to floor length to give ease of movement and a neater appearance, if desired. The fall on the head is long, tied with one bow in center of head or parted in the middle and tied with two bows. Hair on muzzle is very long. Hair should be trimmed short on tips of ears and may be trimmed on feet to give them a neat appearance.

Colors:

Puppies are born black and tan and are normally darker in body color, showing an intermingling of black hair in the tan until they are matured. Color of hair on body and richness of tan on head and legs are of prime importance in adult dogs, to which the following color requirements apply:

Blue: Is a dark steel-blue, not a silver-blue and not mingled with fawn, bronzy or black hairs.

Tan: All tan hair is darker at the roots than in the middle, shading to still lighter tan at the tips. There should be no sooty or black hair intermingled with any of the tan.

History:

The Yorkshire Terrier traces to the Waterside Terrier, a small longish-coated dog, bluish-gray in color, weighing between 6 and 20 pounds (most commonly 10 pounds). The Waterside Terrier was a breed formed by the crossing of the old rough-coated Black-and-Tan English Terrier (common in the Manchester area) and the Paisley and Clydesdale Terriers. It was brought to Yorkshire by weavers who migrated from Scotland to England in the mid-19th century.

The Yorkshire Terrier made its first appearance at a bench show in England in 1861 as a "broken-haired Scotch Terrier". It became known as a Yorkshire Terrier in 1870 when, after the Westmoreland show, Angus Sutherland reported in The Field magazine that "they ought no longer be called Scotch Terriers, but Yorkshire Terriers for having been so improved there."

The earliest record of a Yorkshire Terrier born in the United States dates to 1872. Classes for the breed have been offered at all shows since 1878. Early shows divided the classes by weight - under 5 pounds and 5 pounds and over. Size, however, soon settled down to an average of between 3 and 7 pounds, resulting in only one class being offered in later shows.

While a Toy, and at various times a greatly pampered one, the Yorkshire is a spirited dog that definitely shows its terrier strain. The show dog's length of coat makes constant care necessary to protect it from damage, but the breed is glad to engage in all the roistering activities of the larger terrier breeds.

Fun Facts:

• The Yorkie became a fashionable pet in the late Victorian era and before.
  
  
• In its beginnings, the Yorkie surprisingly belonged to the working class, especially the weavers; in fact, facetious comments were often made about how the dogs' fine, silky coats were the ultimate product of the looms.
  
  
• The Yorkie made its debut at a bench show in England in 1861 as a "broken-haired Scotch Terrier."
  
  
• Became known as a Yorkshire Terrier in 1870 after a reporter stated that "They ought no longer to be called Scotch Terriers, but Yorkshire Terriers for having been so improved here."
  
  
• The Yorkie traces to the Waterside Terrier, also a "weaver dog."
  
  
• Classes for the Yorkie breed have been offered in America since 1878.