The Yorkshire Terrier is one of the most delightful breeds to own, and it isn't unusual for people to have two. It seems that one is not enough, the woman of the house wants a small lap dog, and who ends up with the dog at his side, the better half. So the "his" and "her" sweaters are back in style by way of the Yorkshire Terrier.
Appearance
The Yorkshire Terrier breed standards specifies that the dog should have a compact, athletic build suitable for an active lifestyle, and hold itself in an upright and confident manner. It is a short toy dog and weighs next to nothing but still needs daily excercise.
Coat and color
Yorkshire Terriers are a long-haired breed with no undercoat, which means that they do not shed as much as their short haired friends. Rather, their hair is like human hair in that it grows continuously and falls out rarely (only when brushed or broken). Additionally, since Yorkies carry less dander on their coat, they generally do not have the unpleasant "wet dog" odor when wet, and they may not affect as many people who suffer from dog-related allergies. This breed has little to no shedding
Yorkie puppies are born with a black and tan coat and normally have a smart coat filled with puffy exteriors until they mature. The breed stand for adult Yorkies places prime importance on coat color, quality and texture. The hair must be glossy, fine and silky. However, some have very fine hair, making it feel a bit different and are harder to care for. From the back of the neck to the base of the tail, the coat should be a dark steel-blue (not silver-blue)- never mingled with fawn, bronze or black hairs. Hair on the tail should be a darker blue. On the head, chest and legs, hair should be a bright, rich tan, and darker at the roots than in the middle, shading to still lighter tan at the tips. Some Yorkies never turn the usual tan and continue to be gray. There should be no dark hairs intermingled with any of the tan in adult dogs. Many Yorkies do not conform to the standard for coat color; the tan may range from a very light blonde to a darker brown, while the body may be black or silvery gray. Many pet-quality Yorkies have "wooley" coats which are completely black across the back. The hair never "breaks" into the dark steel blue that is preferred in the breed because the coat texture is not a pure silk - the favorable coat texture. The Yorkie’s nose, lips, eye-rims, paw-pads and nails should be darkly pigmented. The breed standard requires that the Yorkshire Terrier's hair be perfectly straight (not wavy). If the coat is the correct silky texture, maintenance for it is relatively easy, requiring a daily brushing and a bath every few weeks. For show purposes, the coat is grown-out long and is parted down the middle of the back, but may be trimmed to floor length to give ease of movement and a neater appearance. Hair on the feet and the tips of ears can also be trimmed. The traditional long, show length coat is extremely high maintenance, requiring hours of daily brushing. To maintain the long coats of show dogs (between exhibitions), the hair may be wrapped in rice paper, tissue paper or plastic, after a light oiling with a coat oil made for show coats, which prevents the hairs from being broken easily and keeps the coat in condition. The oil has to be washed out once a week and the wraps must be fixed periodically during the week to prevent them from sliding down and breaking the hair. As a more practical alternative, many Yorkie-owners opt to keep the dog's coat trimmed to a shorter all-over length.
Build and proportion
The Yorkshire Terrier head should be rather flat and not too round. The teeth should have either a “scissors bite” or a “level bite” (no underbite or overbite). The Yorkie’s dark eyes are not too prominent, but should be sparkling, with sharp intelligent expression, and placed to look directly forward. The small, V-shaped ears are set high on the head, not too far apart, and should be carried erect. In some kennel clubs, ears that do not stand up are cause for automatic disqualification.The breed standard dictates that a Yorkshire Terrier must weigh no more than seven pounds for the AKC show ring. A Yorkshire Terrier of this weight is typically between 8 and 9 inches tall. There is no distinction made in the standard between Yorkies of various sizes (i.e. there is no "teacup" or "standard" within the breed standard). The compact body of a Yorkie is well proportioned with a level back that is the same height at the base of the neck than at the base of the tail. The tail is carried slightly higher than the level of the back. In a standing position, the Yorkie’s front legs should be straight. The back legs should be straight when viewed from behind, but moderately bent when viewed from the side.
Temperament
Although a toy breed, the Yorkie still retains much of its terrier ancestry in terms of personality. Individual dogs will differ, but they are generally intelligent, independent and courageous. Yorkshire Terriers are quick to determine where they fit in a household's "pack." Their behavior towards outsiders will vary - they often will be inclined to bark at strangers, but some Yorkies are outgoing and friendly towards new people while others are withdrawn and aloof. The differences in behavior in this regard are largely based on how the owner trains or conditions (and socializes) the Yorkie. A few individual Yorkshire Terriers may be timid or nervous, rather than bold, but the vast majority do seem to meet the breed standard for a confident, vigorous and self-important personality.
Intelligence
Yorkshire Terriers as a breed are intelligent dogs. According to Dr. Stanley Coren, an expert on animal intelligence, the Yorkshire Terrier is an above average working dog, ranking 27th (32nd including ties) out of the 132 breeds tested. His research found that an average Yorkshire Terrier could understand a new command after approximately 15 repetitions and would obey a command the first time it was given 70% of the time or better.This capacity as working dogs enables Yorkies to excel in sports like obedience and agility, which require the dog to understand communication from the handler and carry out a complex series of commands. Additionally, Yorkies learn to recognize numerous words and can be taught to distinguish and fetch separate toys in a box by their names.
Available Yorkshire Terrier Puppies for Sale
