|
|
Yorkshire Terrier
The
Yorkshire Terrier is a breed of toy dog bred in Lancashire
and Yorkshire, England, from a number of other terriers, principally the Skye
and the Manchester terriers. It has a blue and tan coat which 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 Yorkie is best known for its
full flowing mane of a texture quite similar to human hair. They need to socialize
with children and humans of both sexes and generally encourage good manners.
People often complain that Yorkies cannot be train which is not true. As long
as their master sticks to the same rules that would apply to a large dog, a
Yorkie will learn to eliminate according to a human’s preferences.
Temperament
The Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog with a big attitude. This is a dog that
will one minute happily snuggle on grandma’s knee, delicately eating digestives
and the next minute leap through the air and tear after the neighbor’s
Rottweiler, promising to show it who is boss.
Size Category
Tiny
Height/Weight
Weights in between 2 - 3 kg and stands no taller than 20.5 cm.
Living Conditions
The Yorkshire will do best in an indoor pet for their small size and structure
as a toy dog.
Exercise and Activities
Puppy play sessions are probably a good idea for any Yorkie as they will teach
the dog to respect the size and strength of larger dogs. They need to exercise
very often for at least 40 minutes of play and dog walking.
Life Expectancy
9 - 15 years
Grooming
The coat needs to be brushed daily to ensure all tangles are removed.
The topknot especially should be taken down, brushed out and redone. Leaving
an elastic band in for days will destroy the coat. Hair under and around the
tail should be checked regularly for feces. The teeth should also be brushed
daily, as the small mouth leads to overcrowding and a tendency to teeth decay.
Once mastered, the daily grooming should take no longer than 15 minutes. Bathing
should not be done more than once a month.
Health Problems
Ear infection and irregular shredding are the common ailments to this kind of
breed.
Origin
British born and bred, the Yorkshire Terrier is a man-made dog of fairly recent
origin. It is believed that Scottish weavers brought a small terrier with them
during a period of immigration from Scotland to Yorkshire and Lancanshire during
the 1850s. These ‘Scotch Terriers,’ sometimes also known as “Halifax
Terriers” interbred with local small terriers. It is believed that Yorkies
have in their ancestry the Manchester Terrier, the Maltese, the Skye, Dandie
Dinmont and the Paisley terriers. Shown as the Scotch Terrier in 1861, the dog
later became known as the Yorkshire Terrier and was recognized as such by the
Kennel Club in 1886. It is during that decade that the Yorkie was transported
to the United States and was established as a breed over there as well. Thus
the Yorkie is considered a breed of “the working classes” and was
primarily known as a ratter. Popular belief states that the Yorkie was bred
to guard small children from rat bites at night, one Yorkie on guard at the
head of the bed and one at the foot, rather like furry guardian angels, though
somewhat less kind.
|
|
|
Click here to subscribe to our newsletter for FREE!
Thank you for visiting FamousDogBreeds.com!
