Yorkshire Terrier

What is a Yorkshire Terrier?

A toy terrier of 2-3.2kg with a long, fine, steel-blue and tan coat. Bred in Victorian Yorkshire by mill and mine workers to kill rats, then miniaturised into a lap dog without anybody removing the terrier from it.

That mismatch - a working temperament in a two-kilogram body - is what makes them fun and what makes them go wrong.

History and origins

Scottish weavers moving south to the Yorkshire mills in the mid-nineteenth century brought small terriers with them, which were crossed with local types. The breed was recognised by the Kennel Club in 1886. A dog called Huddersfield Ben, born 1865, is behind most of the modern population.

Appearance and size

20-23cm. The show coat is long, straight and silky, parted along the spine and reaching the ground, in dark steel blue with rich tan. Most pet Yorkies are kept in a short "puppy clip", which is sensible. Puppies are born black and tan and the colour clears over the first two years.

"Teacup" is not a size or a type. It is a sales term for an undersized dog. Yorkies below about 1.8kg have more hypoglycaemia, more fragile bones, more anaesthetic risk and shorter lives.

Temperament and personality

Bold, busy and vocal. They will challenge dogs ten times their size and they mean it. Devoted to their own people and often reserved with strangers. They are alert to everything and they say so.

The breed's reputation for being snappy is largely an artefact of handling: a dog that is carried everywhere, never socialised, never asked to do anything and never allowed to solve a problem becomes fearful. Train a Yorkie exactly as you would train a Labrador and you get a different dog.

Intelligence and trainability

Clever, quick and perfectly capable. House training is slow and made slower by a genuine reluctance to go out in the rain; an indoor toilet area is often the pragmatic answer. Recall is achievable. Barking needs managing from the start.

Children and other pets

Better with older children. They are too easily injured for a household with toddlers, and they do not enjoy being handled roughly. Fine with other dogs if socialised, and dangerous to hamsters and birds.

Health problems

• Patellar luxation - very common. Parents should be patella graded.
• Dental disease - crowded small mouths, heavy tartar, early tooth loss. Brush daily. This is the main thing that determines whether an old Yorkie is comfortable.
• Tracheal collapse - a honking cough, worse on excitement. Use a harness, never a collar.
• Portosystemic (liver) shunt - a congenital blood-vessel abnormality that is notably common in the breed. Symptoms include poor growth, vomiting and disorientation after eating. A bile acid test screens for it, and good breeders test puppies before they leave.
• Primary lens luxation - DNA test available.
• Hypoglycaemia in very small puppies.
• Also: Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, and dry eye.

Daily care routine

Two 20-minute walks and some indoor play. Teeth brushed. Coat brushed or, if clipped, checked. Do not let them jump off furniture; put a step or a ramp at the sofa.

Grooming and coat care

A full coat needs daily brushing and a topknot to keep hair out of the eyes, plus a bath every one to two weeks. Almost all pet owners keep a short clip instead, trimmed every six to eight weeks at £35-£55, which is entirely reasonable and much kinder than a neglected long coat. The ears and the area around the eyes need trimming either way.

Exercise needs

30-45 minutes a day plus play. They will happily walk further, and a Yorkie that gets a proper walk is a considerably better-behaved Yorkie.

Feeding and diet

Two or three small measured meals - very small dogs can drop their blood sugar between meals. £12-£22 a month. Dry food helps a little with teeth but is not a substitute for brushing.

Price

£700-£1,500 from a breeder with patella grades and a liver shunt screen. Anything sold as "teacup" or "micro" should be avoided on principle, whatever the price. Setup £250-£400; ongoing £45-£90 a month, and budget separately for dental work.

Buying advice

Ask for patella grades, the PLL DNA result and whether the puppies have had a bile acid test. Refuse anything marketed on being tiny. Ask to see the puppy walking about on the floor rather than being held, and look for one that is interested in you.