The Yorkshire Terrier dates back to the 18th century when, during the Industrial Revolution in England, many Scotsmen left their country and headed south, looking for work in the mills in England. Not only did these men bring their families but also brought their dogs, which inculded Skye Terriers, Paisley Terriers and Clydesdale Terriers. Although these breeds ranged in size from 6 pounds to nearly 20 pounds, all were fairly heavily coated, some with silky texture, and all carried blue-tan or gray coat colors.

 A common breed in Yorkshire, England at the time was the Waterside Terrier, a blue-gray dog with a long coat whose size was anywhere between 6 and 20 pounds. It was a combination of these four breeds that form the present-day Yorkshire Terrier, the beautiful long-coated dog with the silky steel blue and tan coat, prized as one of the smallest dogs in the world and the most popular toy breed on the planet.

 The breeders of these dogs, mostly weavers who worked in the mills, liked to have a tough dog that could kill a rat as quickly as a terrier, but one that was small enough to carry in thier pockets when they took their dogs to the pit for rat-killing competitions. Thus they desired not only the small size of the breed but also the toughness and intelligence of the terrier.

 By the early 1850s, Yorkies were being shown in England in classes of broken-haired Scotch, then Scotch Terriers, Blue and Fawn Terriers, or Yorkshire Terriers. The weight for these dogs fell anywhere between 5 and 18 pounds. The English Kennel Club divided the breeds that they had approved at the time into two groups---the sporting group and non-sporting group. The Yorkshire breed found it place in the non-sporting group, but the dogs were still shown in the various classes of Scotch Terriers, Blue and Fawn Terriers and whatever classes the dog seemed to fit. By 1886, the English Kennel Club recognized the breed as the Yorkshire Terrier and placed it in the newly formed toy group. The breed was able to win the challenge certificates that were required for the dogs to become English champions. In 1898 the Yorkshire Terrier Club (of England) was formed and the breed continued to climb in popularity. Currently the Yorkie reigns in the top ten breeds in popularity in Britain.

 The first Yorkie whelped in the United States was recored in 1872, only about a decade later than the breed's introduction to show ring in England. Classes were first offered for the Yorkshire Terrier at American shows in 1887. The breed classes were divided by weight: under 5 pounds and over 5 pounds. It was soon decided, since the larger weight class had few entries, to have one weight class for all Yorkies, specifying weight range between 3 and 7 pounds. Today, the American Kennel Club breed standard limits Yorkies at 7 pounds.

 The Yorksire Terrier Club of America was formed in 1951. Among the club's many ativities, it publishes a quarterly magazine and maintains a web site that offers a substantial amount of information on the breed and the club itself. The club's purpose is to safeguard and promote the Yorkshire Terrier in the US through ethical breeding practices and responsible ownership.

 At the present time, the breed places in top ten breeds in popularity of the AKC breeds and it has held steadfast in its ranking as number-one toy dog in America. 

 This tiny dog is big when it comes to snuggling!! 

Additional

The Yorkshire Terrier traces to the Waterside Terrier, a small longish-coated dog, bluish-gray in color, weighing between 6 and 20 pounds (most commonly 10 pounds). The Waterside Terrier was a breed formed by the crossing of the old rough-coated Black-and-Tan English Terrier (common in the Manchester area) and the Paisley and Clydesdale Terriers. It was brought to Yorkshire by weavers who migrated from Scotland to England in the mid-19th century.

The Yorkshire Terrier made its first appearance at a bench show in England in 1861 as a "broken-haired Scotch Terrier". It became known as a Yorkshire Terrier in 1870 when, after the Westmoreland show, Angus Sutherland reported in The Field magazine that "they ought no longer be called Scotch Terriers, but Yorkshire Terriers for having been so improved there."

The earliest record of a Yorkshire Terrier born in the United States dates to 1872. Classes for the breed have been offered at all shows since 1878. Early shows divided the classes by weight - under 5 pounds and 5 pounds and over. Size, however, soon settled down to an average of between 3 and 7 pounds, resulting in only one class being offered in later shows.

While a Toy, and at various times a greatly pampered one, the Yorkshire is a spirited dog that definitely shows its terrier strain. The show dog's length of coat makes constant care necessary to protect it from damage, but the breed is glad to engage in all the roistering activities of the larger terrier breeds.

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