Yorkshire Terrier

The Yorkie is today the world’s most popular toy or lapdog. While show individuals sport lustrous coats that are strikingly dramatic, even in the world of the show ring, pet Yorkies are likely to have more manageable hair, although it mats easily and needs routine trimming. Yorkshire Terriers were not always as compact as they are now. Their ancestors were black-and-tan terriers from the Paisley and Clyde regions of Scotland, brought to Yorkshire when Scottish weavers migrated to the newly opened cotton mills in the West Riding of that northern English county. In the early 1800s, Yorkies acquired their present name and were used both as household vermin catchers and in organized, public rat-catching events. Until the 1950s their size varied enormously. While large dogs are now uncommon, individuals who grow to 8kg (18lb) are still produced on occasion by their very small mothers. Selective breeding for small size exacerbated three problems: collapsing windpipes, slipping kneecaps, and gum disease. Nervousness has also crept into the breed, a trait that early socializing can diminish. The Yorkshire Terrier still has the inclination and the will to behave as it evolved to do. Tenacious and stubborn, it is a big personality in a small package. While some Dobermanns and German Shepherds secretly desire (and try) to live on their owner’s laps, Yorkies that are given free reign are fearless canine dynamos. Bursting with energy, and seemingly unaware of its small size, the Yorkie makes a good guard and sparky pet.