9781422279410

Yorkshire Terrier

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Beagle Boxer Bulldog Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Chihuahua Cocker Spaniel Dachshund French Bulldog

German Shepherd Golden Retriever Labrador Retriever Miniature Schnauzer Poodle Pug Rottweiler Siberian Husky Shih Tzu Yorkshire Terrier

Yorkshire Terrier

By Michael James

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com © 2018 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval

system, without permission from the publisher. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3848-6 Hardback ISBN: 978-1-4222-3862-2 EBook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7941-0 First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Cover photograph by Carlos Restrepo/Dreamstime.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

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Contents

1 Introducing the Yorkshire Terrier. ...................... 6 2 What Should a Yorkie Look Like?...................... 14 3 What Do You Want from Your Yorkie?. .............. 22 4 Finding Your Puppy. ......................................... 34 5 A Yorkie-Friendly Home. ................................... 44 6 Caring for Your Yorkie........................................ 72 7 Training Your Yorkie. ........................................ 84 8 Keeping Your Yorkie Busy................................ 102 9 Health Care.......................................................108 Find Out More.......................................................................... 126 Series Glossary of Key Terms................................................. 127 Index. ...................................................................................... 128

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Chapter 1 Introducing the Yorkshire Terrier T he key to understanding the Yorkshire Terrier is in his name. He is first and foremost a terrier, and has all the character- istics of that canine family. The Yorkie has been bred down from larger terriers, and is still fearless and tenacious, and can have a surprisingly strong hunting instinct. Always on the alert, he is full of curiosity and likes to be where the action is. He is small in size but he has a big heart and is loving and loyal with his family. He is also widely recognized as one of the most dramatic breeds to watch in the show ring. If his coat is allowed to grow to full length, it reaches down to the floor, and the beautiful combination of blue- black and rich golden tan coloring is truly stunning. The coat texture is a very special Yorkie characteristic; it is fine and silky and is more like human hair than conventional dog hair. Keeping a Yorkshire Terrier in full coat is hugely demanding, so the majority of owners opt for a chic pet trim, which is easy to main- tain and allows the dog far greater freedom.

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Living with a Yorkie The Yorkshire Terrier is supremely adaptable. He is small enough to be content in a tiny apartment, but he is perfectly happy to play lord of the manor in a big country house. He will poke around in the yard, but will also be more than happy to go on long walks—in the woods on or the sidewalks of a big city. However, it is worth bearing in mind that some Yorkies bred from show lines are very small, and if you are looking for a more robust companion, you need to look for a larger dog. Family life can be hectic, but even though the Yorkshire Terrier is small, he can stand up to the hustle and bustle. Obviously children must be taught how to treat the family pet—he is definitely not a toy to be tugged and teased—but if mutual respect is established the Yorkie will be an outstanding companion and playmate. The Yorkshire Terrier has quite a strong prey drive, which can be traced back to his roots as a formidable ratter. Therefore, care

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must be taken if you have a cat in the family, or any oth- er small animals. Harmoni- ous coexistence is possible, but it should not be taken for granted. Time spent su- pervising initial interactions will be well advised. In terms of training, the Yorkshire Terrier is a high- ly intelligent dog and will respond with enthusiasm to training. A bored Yorkie may well become a destruc- tive Yorkie—you have been warned!

Health and longevity We are fortunate that the Yorkshire Terrier is a very healthy dog, and although he is prone to some inherited disorders that can be found in the breed, he has a very good life expectancy. The majority of Yorkies will reach their teens, with some making it to their mid- teens. In a few, exceptional cases, Yorkies will do even better than this, and there are records of dogs reaching their late teens. Yorkie ancestors Despite her name, the Yorkshire Terrier has her roots in Scotland, and even though she is universally recognized today as a compan- ion dog, her ancestors were tough, working terriers. A number of breeds are believed to have contributed to the make-up of the York- shire Terrier. While not everyone agrees on what those breeds were, they do agree that all were valued as top-class rat catchers.

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One contributor was the Skye Ter- rier. Taking her name from the Isle of Skye, this is one of Scotland’s oldest terrier breeds, and is still around to- day. Formerly used for vermin con- trol, the Skye Terrier is now a valued companion and show dog. The Clydesdale Terrier is no lon- ger in existence; this breed was found around Glasgow and in the Clyde Valley. She bore a strong resemblance to the Skye Terrier and had a bright, steel blue coat with tan markings, very similar to the Yorkshire Terrier’s

distinctive coloring. The Paisley Terrier came from the Paisley area of Glasgow and was kept in the weaving sheds to keep down vermin. This breed is also no longer around. She was a long, low dog with heavily fringed ears and a long, straight coat that was the texture of fine silk. The Black and Tan Terrier was a little dog, used for poaching rab- bits. She would be sent down a rabbit hole to bolt the prey into a net that was spread over the exit. The dog and rabbits would then be put into the poacher’s large pockets for a hasty retreat. Another possible ancestor, the Waterside Terrier, was a smaller version of what is known today as the Airedale Terrier. The Old En- glish Terrier is an intense, very active working terrier. She comes in smooth- and rough-coated varieties, and it is this rough coat (also known as broken-haired) that may have been a Yorkie ancestor. Creating the Yorkshire Terrier During the industrial revolution of the 19th century, workers from Scotland migrated to Yorkshire to work in the weaving mills.

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They brought their families with them, and also their pet dogs, who doubled as rat catchers. In their new home in the north of England, there was plenty of work for the Scottish-bred terriers, keeping down vermin in the mills and weaving sheds. Over time, these various working terriers interbred, producing a dog who became known as the Scotch or Broken-Haired or Toy Terrier. This is the direct ancestor of today’s Yorkshire Terrier. By the 1850s dogs were being exhibited at dog shows—which were mainly held in pubs. In 1874, the Yorkshire Terrier got her breed name. When the Yorkshire Terrier became a separate recognized breed, she also became the darling pet of Victorian ladies. Yorkies adorned with ribbons rode in carriages on satin pillows beside their owners. Father of the breed There is one single dog—Huddersfield Ben—

who had an outstanding influence on the breed, and it can be claimed that every Yorkshire Terrier today relates back to his bloodlines.Born in 1865, he was a fairly large dog and was shown in classes for dogs weighing over 7 pounds (3.2 kg) but under 12 pounds (5.4 kg). He was shown by Mary Foster, the wife of

a mill owner, who was an ardent pioneer of the new breed. Huddersfield Ben died at the age of six, but he was used exten- sively at stud and had a massive impact on the development of the breed.

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The first book written about the Yorkshire Terrier (written by Sam Jessop and published in 1902) said, “Huddersfield Ben has been given the title of father of the Broken Haired Scotch and Yorkshire Terriers and pedigrees of his progeny prove this point. He was no flyer, but the result of the manufacturers of the breed. He was total- ly in-bred and he passed his best factors to his children. His merits as a show dog found him at great request as a stud, and luckily he possessed the rare trait of transmitting his virtues to his progeny. He was a great sire, one of those animals who make the history of the breed and whose influence is apparent generations after the progen- itor has passed away.” American fame The fashion for Yorkies quickly crossed the ocean, and by the late 1870s Yorkies were being bred in 22 states. They probably arrived with the immigrants from Scotland and from the manufacturing towns of northern England.

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The first Yorkies to be regis- tered in the USA (in the Nation- al American Kennel Club, the predecessor of the AKC) were Butch, born in 1882, and Daisy, born two years later. Among the earliest breeders

were Henry and Lena Kisteman of New York City. They first showed at the Westminster Ken- nel Club show in 1877, where Dandy was entered as a Skye Terrier and Lucy was shown in the class for Toy Terriers not exceeding 5 pounds (2.2 kg). The following year Dandy was shown as a Toy Terrier, while Lucy was entered in the class for York- shire Terriers not exceeding 5 pounds (2.2 kg). The first American Champion was Bradford Harry, who was sold by Mary Foster to Peter Coombs of Bangor, Maine. Bradford Harry was born in 1885 and was a grandson of Huddersfield Ben on his dam’s side and great-grandson on his sire’s side. But his significance was as a sire; he produced top-quality offspring and put his stamp on the development of the breed in the USA. The Modern Era The dual charms of the Yorkshire Terrier—her loving, mischie- vous temperament combined with her stunning good looks—has ensured worldwide popularity. She is a brilliant companion dog, adapts to a variety of lifestyles, and remains one of the most spec- tacular show dogs. The Yorkie is consistently in the top 10 in AKC popularity, combining the best features of a toy dog companion and a big dog personality.

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Chapter 2 What Should a Yorkie Look Like? A Yorkshire Terrier in full sail, moving across the show ring with her coat streaming out, is a sight to behold. But there is more to a dog than her coat. The majority of Yorkshire Terri- ers are pet dogs and will never grow a full coat, let alone be exhibited in the show ring. However, it is important that breeders strive for perfection and try to produce dogs who adhere as closely as possible to the breed standard. The top priority is to breed dogs who are both typical of the breed and sound in mind and body. So what should the perfect Yorkie look like? If you speak to most owners of Yorkshire Terriers, they will tell you they have the perfect dog—and of course, they do. Pet owners are not looking for perfection the way it is interpreted in the show dog world; they are looking for the dog who is perfect for what they want.

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