Dogs

Yorkshire terrier

Introduction

The Yorkshire Terrier, also known as the Broken-Haired Scotch Terrier, the Halifax Blue-and-Tan Terrier, the Yorkshire Blue-and-Tan Terrier and the Yorkie, became best known as a fashionable tiny accessory in the mid-1800s. However, its true origins lie with England’s working class, particularly with miners and weavers who immigrated to England from Scotland in the mid-19th century, where it was a prized ratter. Today’s Yorkie is exclusively a charming companion and a competitive show dog and is one of the world’s most popular of all breeds. It has been described as being fearless, bossy, dynamic, intelligent and lively. When gaiting, a Yorkie gives the impression of being “mounted on wheels,” because its feet typically are not visible under its extremely long, flowing coat. Too much coddling can lead to neurotic behaviors, such as barking and aggression, and Yorkies can be somewhat difficult to housetrain.

One particular account involving a Yorkshire Terrier helped to endear the breed to millions of people. During World War II, an American soldier named William Wynne reportedly found a tiny Yorkie bitch in a shell hole near the Japanese line in New Guinea. Wynne named her “Smokey.” Smokey apparently rode in Wynne’s backpack and accompanied him on 150 air raids and 12 air-sea rescue missions before the war ended. According to one author: “Yorkshire Terriers have occupied almost every environment with style and moxy, from the mine shafts of northern England to the trenches of World War II to the halls of the White House in the United States, where Richard Nixon’s Yorkie, Pasha, was a regular visitor.” The Yorkshire Terrier was admitted to the American Kennel Club’s Toy Group in 1885.

History

The Yorkshire Terrier’s original function was to hunt and kill rats and other rodents in the mines and cotton mills in county Yorkshire in northern England. It is thought to trace back to a small, fairly long-coated, bluish-gray dog that typically weighed about 10 pounds, called the Waterside Terrier. The Waterside Terrier was common in the Yorkshire region and was popular with miners in the West Riding area. In the middle of the 19th century, at the height of the Industrial Revolution, Scottish weavers and other laborers migrated south to England in search of work. They brought with them their small Scottish terriers of non-descript heritage. In Yorkshire, these dogs were crossed with local terriers to create the Broken-Haired Scotch Terrier, which became well-known as a superb ratter in local textile factories and coal mines. Over time, other crosses undoubtedly occurred. Although experts cannot agree on the Yorkie’s precise ancestors, the following breeds have been suggested: the Maltese Terrier, the Skye Terrier, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, the Waterside Terrier, the old rough-coated Black-and-Tan English Terrier, the Manchester Terrier, the Paisley Terrier, the now-extinct long-haired Leeds Terrier and the Clydesdale Terrier. The end result of whatever crosses took place eventually was called the Yorkshire Terrier. It was larger than today’s Yorkie and was tenacious enough to tackle even the largest and fiercest of rodents.

The Yorkie first appeared at a benched dog show in England in 1861, entered as a “Broken-Haired Scotch Terrier.” In 1865, a dog named Huddersfeld Ben was born and eventually became known as the foundation sire of the Yorkshire Terrier breed, which The Kennel Club (Kennel Club (England) recognized in 1886. In 1870, after the Westmoreland show, the breed officially became known as the Yorkshire Terrier, based on the following comment in an article written by Angus Sutherland, a reporter for The Field: “They ought no longer to be called Scotch Terriers, but Yorkshire Terriers for having been so improved there.” For a time, the breed was shown as the Scotch Terrier and the Yorkshire Terrier, without distinction.

Yorkies quickly became prized as fashionable companion dogs, particularly for high society ladies, as they were pretty, playful, personable and portable. Yorkies were selectively bred down in size, but their coat apparently did not shrink with their bodies. The result was the Yorkie we know today: a diminutive companion dog with a dramatic and abnormally long, metallic blue and rich golden coat. In the show ring, the Yorkie’s coat usually flows (drags) along the ground and must be tied up in a number of “pony tails” to keep it tidy while waiting to enter the ring.