Yorkshire Terrier Breed Information Puppies and Breeders Australia

Breed Group Toy / Terrier
Country of Origin: England
Common Names : Yorkie
Oringally bred as: A Ratter – now mjore commonly kept as a family pet
Size: Small, Weight  - Average about 3 kg Height Average 18cm
Average life Span: 15 Years
Grooming Requirements:  High – long non shedding hair like coat
Exercise Requirements:  Low – uncommon in a terrier.

The Yorkshire terrier the is a small toy sized terrier which was developed in and gained its name from Yorkshire in England. In the 19th century they were created from a number of different small breed terriers native to this region in order to create a small, tenacious rat Hunter, that would be economical to feed an extremely tough.

These days we control rats more often than not with mechanical traps will poison and so the job of a canine ratter has been devalued. Regardless they have been left out of a job the character of a ratter combined with its beautiful silky coat was soon found to be desirable by many as a pet and the Yorkshire terrier is now one of the world's most favourite toy dogs.

Appearance
small in size averaging only 3 kg in weight and standing 18 cm tall at the Withers they are large in personality. Yorkshire terrier puppies are born black and tan leather changing to 10 and blue as they reach adulthood. Most often they have 10 colouring around their head and legs with a blue body. Some individuals will have a solid colour and even rarer some individuals will have a black and tan coat or even blue and gold.

Their fur is is fine and hairlike unlike human hair it continues to grow. Most often it is cut to floorlength and is very dramatic in appearance as is so shiny and straight. When cut in this manner the Yorkshire I terriers coat will require constant brushing and grooming. Show dog owners go to great lengths to ensure when their  charge and is the arena their coat is perfect. Some owners who are keeping their Yorkie simply as a pet because of their beautiful natures will instead keep their fur trimmed much closer to the body. This makes for a less dramatic appearance but it certainly makes a less brushing and grooming – failure to do so will lead to knotting and matting which in such a small dog will be very painful to fix.

You'll see many photos of Yorkie is sporting a hair bow - this is done to practical and cosmetic reasons as it keeps fur and their rise preventing irritation. Because they are a non-shedding dog many people believe they are an excellent choice for a family where one or more members suffer from a dog allergy.

Temperament
Though now retired from the job is a ratter, it is not possible or desirable to take the ratter out of the Yorkshire terrier. They have a cheeky nature, a heightened sense of the letters and fun. They generally little bundles of energy always reefer a game. As with many other small terriers they tend to be vocal especially when playing though this can be managed through proper training when they are young.

They make excellent lapdogs and companion animals regardless of their high energy levels as the desire for closeness with their own surpasses the desire to run around.

Health and Exercise requirements
As a small dog they have very small food requirements and many owners feed them solely on expensive small dog canned food. Whilst there is nothing inherently bad with this food - the Yorkshire terrier will do better if it's diet is more varied. Canned food is nothing to help clean their teeth to ensure they are given a high quality small dog dried food, chew toys and/or small raw bones (not chicken) to chew on.

Whilst they will certainly enjoy a walk around the block many will receive all the exercise they need racing around your home or apartment.

Generally a very healthy breed there are a number of genetic problems that are known to the breed including skeletal, eye and nervous system disorders.  The incidence of these in Australia within registered breeder circles is very small, so always seek out a registered breeder  and discuss with them the health of the parents and grand parents of your potential Yorkshire Terrier puppy.  There is unfortunately an element of puppy milling and designer dog crossbreeding with Yorkshire terriers throughout the world and in Australia. Whilst you may be able to obtain a cheaper puppy through this means, keep in mind the likely cruel way the parents were kept and that you run the risk of spending far more down the track on vet bills.

They are generally very excitable and active from an early age as their playground is your home, things like chairs and couches tend to become part of their indoor obstacle course. Be aware, allowing them to jump from heights is likely to lead to hit an elbow problems such as patella luxation as the joints can be damaged from this kind of activity especially when they are still growing.

Expect your Yorkie to live for 15 years or more