9781422279410

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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