Yorkshire Terrier dog breed characteristics and facts

The Yorkshire Terrier are small dogs with big personalities. They are feisty, affectionate dogs who are excellent companions for people of all ages. The Yorkshire Terrier, the most popular toy dog breed in the United States, has endeared itself to many people because of its devotion to its master, its regal carriage, and its suitability to apartment living.

Yorkies are quite yappy and may not be the best breed for apartment dwellers with thin walls. They are also a lot of work, especially when it comes to their oral hygiene. Nonetheless, if you are willing to put in the effort, a Yorkie makes a great pet. In short, Yorkies are playful and full of energy, but they are still small and could get hurt by kids. Therefore, when playing with your small kids, ensure that you are supervising your "baby" to avoid any injury.

Yorkshire Terrier Facts

• Origin: England
• Size: 4 to 7 pounds
• Breed Group: Toy Group
• Lifespan: 11 to 15 years
• Coat: Silky, Long and fine-textured coat
• Temperament: Affectionate, spirited, and often a bit feisty
• Exercise Needs: Moderate
• Training: Intelligent and trainable
• Grooming: High maintenance
• Health: patellar luxation, dental issues and eye problems

Yorkshire Terrier Overview

The Yorkshire Terrier, nicknamed the Yorkie, may look quite full of himself, but why not? The long silky coat and perky topknot give a glamorous look to one of the most attractive representatives of the dog world, and his attitude is perfection: small dogs always find an excited admiring following. It also means that he could excel at being toted around in a special dog purse by his parent.

Certainly, the long steel-blue and tan coat is a Yorkie’s crowning glory, but it is the terrier’s personality that makes him endearing to his family. While Yorkshire Terrier averages only seven pounds, the little dog does not realize it; rather, it’s a big dog in miniature stature. He’s keen for adventures and maybe a little mischief.

One might assume that Yorkshire Terriers are loving to their people because they are considered a companion dog. However, owing to their terrier roots, they are often leery of outsiders and frequently bark at unfamiliar noises and visitors. It is essential to keep their perforated barking in check and inform them when to bark and when not to.

Otherwise, they can be aggressive to other people’s dogs, and no squirrel is invulnerable. But Yorkies have a gentle side despite their claims. They must be noticed and spent a lot of time with their relatives. If you’re gone most of the day, that’s not for them. However, you shouldn’t be too careful with your Yorkie; they will quickly sense your fear, and if you present the impression that the globe is a dangerous environment for them, they will be neurotic.

Any children you share with this little pup should be taught to treat them respectfully. Excited children should always be monitored for the danger of playing rough, but the odds of your Yorkie becoming snappish are considerably lower. They are apartment dogs because they sleep a lot and take a walk around the block. However, they are not entirely sedentary.

Regardless of the space they live, they’ll at least get together with the other resident dogs and cats as long as they were brought up together. Already living Yorkies can become attached to their owners if a new pet is brought into the house. Being terriers, Yorkies may want to “pick a fight” with an “intruder,” and if blood spills, the terrier spirit is to fight to the death. So it would be a good idea to exercise a lot of care when introducing a Yorkie to a new animal.

Yorkshire Terrier History

Scottish workers, drawn to Yorkshire in England by the promise of jobs in the region’s coal mines, textile mills, and factories, bought the Clydesdale Terrier or Paisley Terrier. These Yorkshire Terrier ancestors, however, were considerably larger than what is seen today. It is thought that these dogs were primarily employed to catch rats in mills.

The Clydesdale Terriers were most likely mixed with the black and tan toy terrier or the English Black and Tan Toy Terrier and was probably also crossed with the Skye Terrier. The Waterside Terrier is another breed that is also thought to have contributed to the Yorkie’s make-up. It was tiny and came in a variety of colors. In 1861, a dog known as the “broken-haired Scotch Terrier” was shown in a benched dog show.

The embodiment of these differences in a special tendency that is confirmed in any situation was a pooch named Huddersfield Ben who was born in 1865. Huddersfield Ben was a superb show canine and is often referred to as the father of the current Yorkshire Terrier. Yorkshire Terriers acquired their current name in 1870 simply that the majority of their development had occurred at that time in Yorkshire. The first registration of Yorkshire Terriers in the British Kennel Club Stud Book took place in 1874. The initial British Terrier breed club was formed in 1898.

The first Yorkshire Terrier born in the U.S. was registered in 1872. Yorkshire Terriers were first allowed to compete in dog shows in 1878. In the early shows, the classes for Yorkshire Terriers were divided according to their weights under 5 pounds and over 5 pounds. Finally, exhibitors adopted one class for average Yorkshire weight of between 3 to 7 pounds.

Yorkshire Terrier Size

Yorkshire Terriers height is 8-9 inches at the shoulder and weigh less than seven pounds, with four to six pounds preferred. However, they may not be uniform in size. Be wary of breeders who give “tea cup” Yorkshire Terriers. Dogs that small standard are prone to genetic disorders. In general, their health is precarious.

Yorkshire Terrier Personality

The Yorkshire Terrier is both a tiny sweetheart and an adventurous terrier. These two are marks of intelligence and self-assuredness. However, the breed varies in personality. Some are over-affectionate lovebugs who want to be with their owners all day, every day. Others are very active and interested in life.

Training must begin when they are puppies, and you will have much better luck if you start it right away than if you allow them to behave as they want and then try to retrain them. Yorkies, like all dogs, also need early socialization – early exposure and experience with a wide range of people, sights, sounds, and experiences. Making sure your Yorkie gets all he should as a puppy will make him a friendly, well-rounded puppy.

Yorkshire Terrier Health

Yorkies are generally healthy, but like all other dog breeds, Yorkies’re prone to certain health conditions. They include patellar luxation and hypothyroidism or, in laymen’s terms, dislocated kneecaps and poorly functioning thyroids. If you’re buying a puppy, you should find a good breeder who will show you the health clearances for both your puppy’s parents. Health clearances prove that a dog has been tested for and hunted of a particular condition.

• Patellar Luxation
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
• Hypoglycemia
• Collapsed trachea
• Reverse sneezing
• Portosystemic Shunt (PSS)
• Syringomyelia (SM)

Yorkshire Terrier Care

Yorkshire Terriers love to go for a walk with you or spend their time outdoors, but since they are remarkably active while you’re inside, they don’t need to work out much. Yorkies are typically easy to train because if it gets them attention when they look lovely doing it, they are amenable to performing cute stunts or doing their best to compete in agility demonstrations or obedience trials.

On the other hand; however, they are difficult to housetrain as people tend to let an ‘accident” slide as it is so little and simple to clean up. That is a grave error. I prefer to show them what to do from the beginning and compensate them or praise them for focusing on their business in the suitable location. With time plus careful training, you may discover you have a well-trained Yorkie.

They most certainly are housedogs and not tolerant to excessive heat or cold. Indeed, many people paper train their Yorkshire Terrier so that they do not have to take them outside when the weather is either too hot or too cold. Yorkies enjoy toys, but be sure and your dog every few days to make sure they are not chewing them open and torn out the squeaker. Moreover, they enjoy fetching toys which you throw for them. If you are experienced in crocheting, crocket a small woolen ball –larger than a golf ball, but smaller than a tennis ball – and stuff it with used pantyhose. He will love it!

Yorkshire Terrier Grooming And Coat Color

The Yorkshire Terrier has a long silky coat that is perfectly straight and provides no indication of a wave. Show dogs have flowing hair that touches the ground. Their coat is made up of a single layer of hair and is non-shedding. They are colored black at birth, but the blue and tan coating grows slowly, usually after they’ve celebrated their initial birthday. Pups who begin to brighten up before the age of one frequently turn grey instead of blue. From the backside of the head to the tip of the tail, the coat is a dark steel-blue — frequently known as the color of a rifle barrel — with a bluish sheen when viewed in the sun.

The head is bright gold, not reddish, with tan hairs on the top, darker at the roots than at the end. The headfall is long, the same golden hue as the face. The hair is darker on the base of the ears and the muzzle. The tan doesn’t blow out past the fall of the ears, and no black hairs are mixed in with the tan. The legs are tan on the underside of the tail, but the hair is a darker shade of blue.

Interesting fact about Yorkies is that they typically become lighter in color with age and that color can change with hormonal variations. Particularly, females in heat go lighter, and then darken again after the season is over. Still, a long-haired Yorkshire Terrier with “soft” hair that tends to tangle is not for the faint of heart, even if his coat is always kept close to the skin rather than left full and flowing. Even so, even a T-cut Yorkie looks better when groomed regularly, such as daily. Small breeds, in general, have dental problems, and the Yorkie is no exception. Yorkshire Terriers, particularly, may develop offensive teeth tartar and lose teeth at a very young age. Regular brushing and veterinary cleaning at least once a year is the best preventive options. Check their ears during grooming. Look well inside them and sniff them—your vet if they appear Mr. Clean=d. If hair inside the canal, pull it out with your fingers, tweezers, or an ear powder. However, a groomer is the one to consult to do it.

Bathe your Yorkie once a week to keep his coat beautiful and shiny. You don’t need to rub the coat to wash it. After completely wetting the coat and applying the shampoo, all you need to do is run your fingers through it and lift the dirt out. Apply conditioner, then rinse completely. When you’re drying your Yorkie, spray the coat with a light conditioner. Never brush a dry or dirty coat, or you’ll break the hair. Trim his nails after each bathing. Dog toenails have blood vessels in them and if you cut too far, you’ll cause nail bleeding – and probably be uncomfortable for him the next time he sees the nail clippers.

So, if you’re not an expert at trimming dog nails, consult your vet or groomer. While caring for your yorkie, ensure you check the anal area, and if the hair is becoming too long, trim around it with scissors. Peter has found that trimming about a half inch of hair around the anal area is all that is needed. Once your yorkie has been brushed and is dried, coif his head. Pull the hair on top of his head, the hair that comes back from the outer corner of his eye at an angle backward to the center of his head, and then back down to the outer corner of the other eye. Brush the hair up and secure it with a rubber band, and then attach your favorite bow.

Get your Yorkie used to being washed and examined when he or she is a pup. When dogs are touchy about their feet, touch their paws regularly. Furthermore, look inside his mouth. When you use grooming as a positive experience that is accompanied by feedback and treats, you’ll be able to comfort your vet visits and other handling as an adult. Check for sores, rashes, or warning signs of infection regularly. Redness, soreness, or inflammation should be investigated on the skins, in the nose and mouth, and on the paws. There should be no redness in the eyes and no crusty residue. Your careful weekly examination will assist you in identifying potential health issues as soon as possible.

Yorkshire Terrier Children And Other Pets

Yorkies are compatible with other pets, including cats, provided they are properly socialized at an early age. Still, they are fearless, readily chasing strange dogs; indeed, it soon becomes second nature to protect them from themselves.