Yorkshire terrier

The Yorkshire Terrier, or Yorkie, is a toy dog breed from Britain, belonging to the terrier group. It ranks among the tiniest terriers and one of the smallest dog breeds overall, weighing no more than 3.2 kilograms (7 pounds). This breed emerged during the 1800s in the English county of Yorkshire, which gives it its name. Its coat features tan on the head and a dark steel-grey on the body; both The Kennel Club and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale accept no other color. Known for being playful and energetic, the Yorkie is typically kept as a companion. It has helped create other breeds, like the Silky Terrier, and cross-breeds such as the Yorkipoo.

The breed’s history begins in Yorkshire. In the mid-1800s, Scottish workers moved to Yorkshire for jobs, bringing various terrier types with them. The breeding of Yorkshire Terriers was mainly carried out by laborers in cotton and wool mills across Yorkshire and Lancashire. During the 1800s, miners aiming for a ratting terrier crossed Black-and-Tan Terriers with Paisley and Clydesdale Terriers. Reliable details are scarce. In 1886, Mrs. A. Foster noted that the mill workers who created the breed were mostly uneducated and not used to sharing information publicly, which explains why solid facts are hard to find. The breed stems from two specific dogs: a male named Old Crab, a female named Kitty, and another unnamed female. The Paisley Terrier, a smaller version of the Skye Terrier bred for its long, silky coat, also contributed to early dogs. Some experts believe the Maltese was involved too. All were originally bred from Scotch Terriers (dogs from Scotland, not the modern Scottish Terrier) and were shown as such, but the name Yorkshire Terrier was given because the breed was greatly improved in Yorkshire.

At dog shows, Yorkshire Terriers were placed in a category called "Rough and Broken-coated, Broken-haired Scotch and Yorkshire Terriers." In 1878, Hugh Dalziel criticized this classification as confusing and absurd for lumping together such different types. In the breed’s early days, almost any long-coated terrier with blue on the body, fawn or silver on the head and legs, a docked tail, and trimmed ears was accepted as a Yorkshire Terrier. However, in the late 1860s, a popular show dog named Huddersfield Ben, owned by Mary Ann Foster of Yorkshire, appeared at shows across Great Britain and set the breed standard. By 1903, show Yorkshire Terriers were defined by a neat, compact body with a level back and loins, perfectly straight hair as fine and soft as silk, and a deep steel-blue color free from other hairs.

Huddersfield Ben was a Yorkshire Terrier painted by George Earl. In 1891, a breed authority called him the best stud dog of his breed in his lifetime and one of the most remarkable pet dogs ever, noting that most show dogs of the time had his blood in their pedigrees. Through his puppies, this show winner helped define the breed and is still known as the "father of the breed."

The Yorkshire Terrier arrived in North America in 1872, and the first one was registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1885. During the Victorian era, it was a popular pet and show dog in England, and Americans, embracing Victorian customs, took to the breed as well. Its popularity dropped in the 1940s, when small breed registrations fell to just 18% of total AKC registrations. Smoky, a Yorkshire Terrier famous as a war dog in World War II, sparked renewed interest. The AKC ranked the Yorkie as the 6th most popular purebred in the United States in 2012 and 2013, but by 2024 it had slipped to 11th out of 202.

For adult Yorkshire Terriers, the AKC emphasizes coat color, quality, and texture. The Kennel Club (UK) requires the hair to be glossy, fine, straight, and silky. Traditionally, the coat is grown very long and parted down the middle of the back, but it must never hinder movement. The hair can also be used to measure metal content in the dog’s body. From the back of the neck to the tail base, the coat should be dark grey to black, with the tail hair a darker black. On the head, high chest, and legs, the hair should be a bright, rich tan, darker at the roots and shading to lighter tan at the tips, though not for all dogs. In adults, no black hairs should mix with the tan fur. This fine, straight, silky coat is considered hypoallergenic.

Adult Yorkshire Terriers with coat colors outside the standard, or with woolly or extra fine coats, are still Yorkies. The only difference is that breeding such atypical dogs is not recommended. Care may be harder for "woolly" or "cottony" textures or overly fine coats. Coat colors can vary; for instance, a mature Yorkie might have silver-blue with light brown, while another could be black and creamy.