Yorkie Information

The Yorkshire terrier is best known for his beautiful coat and spunky, confident character. Yorkies are fearless watchdogs, sometimes a little too fearless. They stand up to big dogs and other animals and don’t know what they are getting themselves into. They have an excellent source of hearing, they can usually hear people before they get to the door.

They are very devoted to their owners. They like to be with you and would prefer your bed if it is allowed. I have heard of a story where an elderly lady was attacked by a pit bull. Her pet Yorkie got outside and distracted the pit bull enough for the woman to get away. Unfortunately the dog was killed but he saved his owner.

Most Yorkies still have hunting instincts as do all animals. They still stalk, hunt, and maybe even kill a mouse. My dog Payday loves to sit in the yard and chase birds away, he would do it for hours if allowed. They are also known to catch and kill bugs, snakes, frogs, and just about anything considered fair game. All of my Yorkies are experts at killing the pesky house fly!

Yorkies are typically good with traveling although the occasional few might become car sick. It is best to start traveling with them at a very young age to get them accustomed to it.

All in all the Yorkshire terrier is a very lively and outgoing dog. They are loving, affectionate, and make a great pet.

American Kennel Club

Yorkshire Terrier Breed Standard
Toy Group

General Appearance
That of a long-haired toy terrier whose blue and tan coat is parted on the face and from the base of the skull to the end of the tail and hangs evenly and quite straight down each side of body. The body is neat, compact and well proportioned. The dog's high head carriage and confident manner should give the appearance of vigor and self-importance.

Head
Small and rather flat on top, the skull not too prominent or round, the muzzle not too long, with the bite neither undershot nor overshot and teeth sound. Either scissors bite or level bite is acceptable. The nose is black. Eyes are medium in size and not too prominent; dark in color and sparkling with a sharp, intelligent expression. Eye rims are dark. Ears are small, V-shaped, carried erect and set not too far apart.

Body
Well proportioned and very compact. The back is rather short, the back line level, with height at shoulder the same as at the rump.

Legs and Feet
Forelegs should be straight, elbows neither in nor out. Hind legs straight when viewed from behind, but stifles are moderately bent when viewed from the sides. Feet are round with black toenails. Dewclaws, if any, are generally removed from the hind legs. Dewclaws on the forelegs may be removed.

Tail
Docked to a medium length and carried slightly higher than the level of the back.

Coat
Quality, texture and quantity of coat are of prime importance. Hair is glossy, fine and silky in texture. Coat on the body is moderately long and perfectly straight (not wavy). It may be trimmed to floor length to give ease of movement and a neater appearance, if desired. The fall on the head is long, tied with one bow in center of head or parted in the middle and tied with two bows. Hair on muzzle is very long. Hair should be trimmed short on tips of ears and may be trimmed on feet to give them a neat appearance.

Colors
Puppies are born black and tan and are normally darker in body color, showing an intermingling of black hair in the tan until they are matured. Color of hair on body and richness of tan on head and legs are of prime importance in adult dogs, to which the following color requirements apply:

Blue: Is a dark steel-blue, not a silver-blue and not mingled with fawn, bronzy or black hairs.

Tan: All tan hair is darker at the roots than in the middle, shading to still lighter tan at the tips. There should be no sooty or black hair intermingled with any of the tan.

Color on Body
The blue extends over the body from back of neck to root of tail. Hair on tail is a darker blue, especially at end of tail.

Headfall
A rich golden tan, deeper in color at sides of head, at ear roots and on the muzzle, with ears a deep rich tan. Tan color should not extend down on back of neck.

Chest and Legs
A bright, rich tan, not extending above the elbow on the forelegs nor above the stifle on the hind legs.

Weight
Must not exceed seven pounds.

Approved April 12, 1966

Many people I have spoken with ask me if my Yorkies are teacup size. There is no such thing as a teacup Yorkie, they simply range in size. The American Kennel Club breed standard simply states that Yorkies are seven pounds and below. Many pet stores and puppy mills will sell their Yorkies as “Teacup Yorkies”. This is because they are looking to get more money out of you or they are very inexperienced about the breed. Beware of anyone selling “Teacup Yorkies”!

Yorkies are very small and can fit into tight places. Many Yorkshire Terrier parents have developed a new kind of walk since they have had a little one running around. Instead of walking as normal you shuffle your feet for the dogs safety. It is very easy to step on such a little thing! With time the Yorkies learn to stay away from your feet.

Yorkies are also very good at hiding. One of my Yorkies (Payday) managed to get himself stuck in between the screen door and the front door . We looked for thirty minutes before we found him! I was so embarrassed! Our neighbors probably thought we were abusing our dog! We always double check before we close any doors, we have learned our lesson.

Yorkshire Terrier puppies or smaller yorkies also find it very easy to walk through chain link fences, go under privacy fences, or even walk right through lattice. You can not leave them outside unattended.

Although the Yorkshire Terrier is usually a tolerant breed I would suggest that you wait a few years if you have small children. The Yorkie is very small and children love hugging and cuddling them. Too much rough play could result in injury of your Yorkie. They are very fragile animals.
 

Food

I feed all my Yorkies Royal Canin. You can get it from your local Petsmart. I previously used Iams and I noticed that it was drying out the dogs' hair. The Royal Canin brand keeps their hair shinny, They like the flavor, and they get all the nutrients they need.

Dog Toxins

Dogs are allergic to all kinds of plants and household items. The list below is not complete, this just gives you a general idea.

• Apples
• Apricot
• Azalea Plants
• Baby’s Breath
• Buckeyes
• Bulbs
• Cherry
• Daffodils
• Daisies
• Day lily
• Eggplant
• Evergreen
• Ferns
• Holly
• Macadamia Nuts
• Mushrooms
• Peaches
• Plums
• Tulips
• Walnuts
• Baking Chocolates
• Chocolate
• Nail Polish

When to vaccinate

• 6-8 weeks old
• 9-11 weeks old
• 12-14 weeks old
• Booster shot at 1 year
Subsequent boosters every three years unless there are risk factors that require you to vaccinate more or less often.

In order for healthy skin and coat I would suggest bathing the Yorkie once a week. The Yorkie coat is very similar to human hair. A longer coat is more maintenance but it is fairly easy to keep free of tangles.

Most show dogs are not trained to “toilet” in the grass but on a deck instead. This is because the owners do not wish to dirty the coat. Yorkies are so close to the ground that even morning due will soak their coat.

I use a dog shampoo to bathe them however some human shampoos will do just fine on their coat. If you notice the dogs hair breaking easily I would suggest changing shampoos.

Sometimes the dog is perfectly clean but just has a few knots in his hair. Many people make the mistake of just brushing the dog. This damages the coat and causes split ends. If he needs brushed use a spray bottle filled with water and some conditioner and just sprits him. The knots should comb right out.

When towel drying the Yorkie make sure that you don’t rub but pat the water off. Rubbing just causes more knots which you are trying to avoid. Drying with a blow dryer is the best method to dry the dogs hair.

A short coat on the Yorkie is just as cute but not as difficult to take care of for a hectic life style like mine.

Although many people think that Yorkshire Terriers originate from England, this is not true. Yorkies actually began in Scotland. Workers were not allowed to have big dogs to keep them from poaching with the dogs on hunting lands, so Miners and weavers used Yorkies (called broken-haired Scotch Terriers back then) to help with the rat problems. The miners preferred lighter colored Yorkies so they could see them better in caves. The workers eventually moved to England to find work. While in England a Yorkie named Mozart won first place in a variety class. One of the judges suggested that since yorkies became known in Yorkshire, England that they change the name to a more desirable Yorkshire Terrier.

In the 1800’s Yorkshire Terriers fetched a high price from ten to twenty-five dollars! An adult male could sell for as much as $150. Now the Yorkie can sell as much as a whopping $10,000!!!

In 1872 the first recorded Yorkie litter was born in the U.S. The kennel club was founded only a year later. Included among the original forty breeds were the broken-haired scotch and Yorkshire Terriers. The Yorkshire name definitely stuck after that. Yorkies were not a fancied dog in the beginning of the 20th century. They actually nearly vanished from the U.S. during the world wars. The Yorkie population began growing again in 1950, and by 1995 they made AKC’s top ten list! Now the Yorkie is the most popular toy dog in Britain, and are the preferred pet for countless men and women around the world!

Why dock their tales?

As you now know Yorkies were originally bred for killing vermin. That required going down through small holes and tunnels in the ground. It made it much easier to pull them out of the hole with a shorter tail so their tales were not broken. I have also heard that the tails were docked to avoid taxation. For a dog was not considered a dog without a tail.