its name, it is believed that the Yorkshire terrier originated in Scotland in the 1800s and was bred to hunt and kill rats. Although differences of opinion exist, it is generally thought that larger terrier dogs with different colors and textures of coats were used to develop the Yorkies breed. This mix of coat colors and textures may account for the difference in coat types and colors that we have today in the breed. Among the original dogs breed include the Waterside Terrier, the Paisley Terrier and the Clydesdale Terrier, a rough-coated Black and Tan English Terrier and Skye terrier. Most resources, however, site three dogs as being the primary ancestors to the modern Yorkie, namely the Waterside Terrier, the Paisley Terrier, and the Clydesdale Terrier. It is difficult to determine just which terriers were used because the breeders were most interested in breeding a dog that was the best rat catcher or mouser and thus spent little time keeping records. The dog was originally brought to England to an area known as Yorkshire, an area in Northern England, when Scottish weavers migrated there in the mid-19th Century at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
problem in the clothing industry in England at the time and the Yorkshire terrier with its courage and tenacity, was perfectly designed to catch rats. This may also be the reason why they tend to have an aggressive nature to them, as they were originally trained to hunt and kill. The original Yorkshire terrier (Yorkie), known as the "Broken- Haired Scotch Terrier,” grew to a size of 12-to-14 pound dog, and had wirehair. The breed was renamed the Yorkshire terrier, after the county of Yorkshire, England In 1870. The father of the breed is considered to be Huddersfield Ben, who was born in 1865 and died in 1871 and was the offspring of an inbreeding of mother and son. This, Huddersfield Ben was a remarkable stud dog, having the characteristics of the more popular Paisley type Yorkshire terrier. A woman living in Yorkshire, Mary Ann Foster, who was seen at dog shows throughout Great Britain, and eventually defined the breed type for the Yorkshire terrier, owned him.
Club in 1878. It was one of the first twenty-five breeds registered. These dogs were very popular during the Victorian era, although their popularity dipped during the 1940s. In 2006, the American Kennel Club listed the Yorkie as the second most popular dog breed in America. By 2011, the breed has slipped to fifth place. There are several differences in the dogs of today compared to those of traditional Yorkshire Terriers. Originally, the Yorkies was bred from rough haired terriers, making their hair similar to today’s rough hair terrier breeds. Since today’s Yorkies has smooth, silky hair, it is thought that breeders may have introduced Maltese traits into the bloodline to produce the long silky hair that is a standard for the breed. Conversely, the introduction of the Paisley terrier, which is a smaller version of the Skye terrier, may have also added to the smoother hair. In addition, traditional Yorkshire terriers also weighed roughly thirty pounds. According to regulations set forth by the AKC, Show Yorkshire terriers should weigh no more than seven pounds. Many modern Yorkies do weigh more than the standard, though. In traditional Yorkshire terrier history, the dog's tail would have been docked, but in more recent European dog shows, un-docked tails are being accepted. In the United States, docking the tail is the norm. |
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History of the Yorkshire Terrier
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