Yorkshire Terriers, also known as Yorkies, have soft, silky fur. Some people choose to grow the yorkie’s fur out. The fur would be long, smooth and silky. It would reach the ground and requires lots of maintaining. These cuts are traditional and normally only for show dogs. Some people choose to have their yorkie cut into a short choppy look called a teddy bear cut. The look is low maintenance and very common with simple household yorkies. Yorkies can come in different colors. Puppies are born black and tan. But they’re coat will change. It may take up to 3 years for the final color to take full effect. They should be two different colors. On the back they should be somewhere between a blue to a dark, almost black, gray. The rest should be some shade of tan, depending on the color of its back. They are about 6 to 7 inches tall and weigh about 7 pounds. They live around 12 to 15 years, but can out live that.

Personality:

The Yorkshire Terrier is a spunky little dog. They are clever, smart and full of adventure. They are brave and loyal. They are full of energy and can be easy to train. But they can develop bad behavior f training is not started early. Don’t be slack with them. Try to stay the dominate one. If you don’t, they will go out of control. They can become stubborn and naughty. They may look cute but if not careful they can turn into trouble. They may become over-protective. They need to be socialized as a puppy. If not they won’t like strangers or guests. They may snap at other people or dogs. They can be good with children, but it really depends on the children. Children can be rough with small dogs. If your children are gentle then Yorkies will be good. But if you have rough children who love to pull hair then you may need to think about a different dog.

Origin:

Yorkshire Terriers come from Yorkshire, England. That is where they got their name. Originally they were much bigger than the modern day Yorkie.  Selective breeding have made them smaller. They were used to chasse rats out of textile mills, coal mines and factories. They were crossed with many different types of terriers.  They were first recognized by the AKC in 1885. They are considered a toy dog and a terrier. The first time Yorkshire terrier ever appeared in a dog show was in 1870. In 1984 a piebald Yorkshire Terrier was born. It was the result of a genetic recessive gene from two Yorkshire Terriers. That was the start of the Biewer Yorkie. Which is considered a different breed.

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 Yorkies are small fragile dogs, they weigh from 10 ounces – 7 pounds. They have good posture , which counts for their good stature. Their coat is really long,stick straight. Body is neat and well proportioned. Height of shoulder is the same as rump. Their nose is black, their eyes are medium sized, Yorkshire Terrier’s are born with tails, but are usually docked and dew claws, but they are normally removed.

Head-  Ears a small, and V-shaped. Eyes are medium and do not bulge out of head like Chihuahua’s do. Yorkie’s eyes are also always very dark in color.  The overall shape of the Yorkshire head is small, the top of it very leveled. The muzzle is neither too short or too long. They also usually NEVER have an overbite or underbite.

Body- They have good posture , which counts for their good stature. Their coat is really long,stick straight. Body is neat and well proportioned. Height of shoulder is the same as rump.

Tail- Is normally docked at an meduim length

Coat- Yorkshire Terrier coats are extremly straight, long , fine and silky. Hair around the muzzle is not weiry, but very long. Their coats normally touch the ground, but should be trimmed often. Hair on the head is long and often pulled up with a clip or bow.

Legs- very straight, not pigeon feeted or bow legged.  Although, the backlegs, it is normal for them to be slightly bent.

** note ** It IS illegal to dock dog tails in most of Europe.

PROS:

• Portable/easy to carry
• Lovable
• Lapdogs
• You can dress them up
• Great for lonely people
• Big personalities
• Great for apartments or places with little or no yard
• Easy to clean up their mess

CONS:

• Easy to trip over
• Fragile
• Destructive
• Easy prey for wild animals
• Can get into trouble
• Health concerns
• Not good for kids
• Difficult to train (Its hard to be stern with them)