Yorkshire Terrier

The Yorkshire Terrier, or Yorkie, is a small breed of terrier that originated in Yorkshire, England around the nineteenth century to catch mice in clothing mills. It is a small breed of dog that weighs around 3.2 kilograms (7.1 lb) and is known for its silky blue and tan coat.

Adult Yorkshire Coat

Adult Yorkshire Terriers are most renowned for their coat; specifically its texture, quality and color. Their hair is fine, glossy, straight and silky. Usually their coat is grown-out long and parted down the middle.

Yorkies grow two types of coats: silky and soft. The silky coats are possessed more so by show dogs while Yorkies with soft coats are easier to groom and more suited for domestic life. The Yorkie’s coat from the back of its neck down to the base of its tail can range from dark gray to steel blue. Its tail is a darker blue while its legs, chest and head are usually a bright, rich tan.

Puppy Coats

Newborn Yorkshire Terrier puppies are usually black with tiny little tan dots marking their faces, ears, tails and legs. Sometimes Yorkies are born with a white star on their chest or one or more toes. This star does fade and can be gone within a few months. Generally, it’s said that Yorkie puppies born without stars are more preferred in dog shows and might have a finer coats.

It takes about an average of 3 years for a Yorkie’s coat to develop into its permanent color.

Coat Care

Yorkie puppies with silky coats are relatively easy to groom. Just a daily brushing and monthly bath is needed. Usually many owners prefer their Yorkies to have long, floor-length coats. They’re common for show dogs and dogs in cooler weather. Although, long, silky coats are beautiful, and actually preferred in show dogs, it’s very important to remember to trim these coats when they get longer than floor length. It’s easy for long hair to impede a puppies ease of movement and to make everyday tasks very uncomfortable so trimming is sometimes a must. An added plus is that regular trimming makes overall care and maintenance of the Yorkie a lot easier.

To prevent breakage of long coats, try wrapping the Yorkie’s torso in rice paper, plastic or tissue paper after applying coat oil. These wraps, applied monthly, help in keeping a Yorkie’s long coat extra strong and smooth.

Rare Yorkies

Yorkies come in blue and tan, black and tan, blue and gold, black and gold and the multi-colored. One of the rarest Yorkies bred are those with multi-colored coats. These Yorkies are commonly sold at premium prices because of how unique they are. Despite this desirability, however, the parti-colored Yorkie is not actually on par with breed standards and problems can arise if breeding is attempted with more common colored Yorkies.

Characteristic

Thanks to their terrier roots, Yorkies are active, love attention, and are very over protective. They do not show the fragile temperament seen in most lap dogs. They’re actually quite bold and brave, behavior not usually seen in such small dogs. They’re also extremely loyal and affectionate so it’s easy to see why they’re so loved by pet owners.