Characteristics and Appearance

Yorkshire Terrier (also known as just Yorkie) are one of the most popular companion and show dogs, which is not the least bit surprising when one considers their tiny stature, playful nature and beautiful long coats.

They usually don’t weight more than 7 pounds, minimal weight or height are not prescribed by show standards. Yorkies have small, compact bodies, and seeing that they were originally bred as work dogs supposed to catch rats, they are much tougher than their appearance might indicate.


Yorkshire Terrier>
Yorkshire Terrier

They have long, straight hair and no undercoat, meaning that they don’t shed as much as most dogs, in fact their hair is constantly growing and only falls out when broken or vigorously brushed, this is just one of their features that makes them ideal house pets. Their hair is also famous for being hypoallergenic, meaning that they less often provoke allergic reactions in people who are usually sensitive to dog hair. Their coat on the back is dark grey to steel blue, while the fur covering their head, chest and legs is somewhat lighter tan. Yorkies can have various other coat colors and still be considered purebred, but it is not recommendable to breed these dogs as their different colors might be an indication of genetic defects that can have adverse effects on the puppy’s health. Similarly, their coats needn’t be straight; Yorkies with wooly fur are not uncommon, and aside from being more difficult to care for, their wooly fur is a similarly negative sign as the different fur color.



Yorkshire Terries have a small, flat head with teeth that are forming a scissors or level bite, overbite or underbite are considered to be irregularities. Their eyes are not too large but usually seem intelligent and full of life. They have small ears which are constantly erect; any other position will probably disqualify the terrier from competition. If they are to take part in a show, they mustn’t weigh more than 7 pounds. They are usually 8 or 9 nine inches tall. Their tails have traditionally been docked, but this practice is constantly encountering growing level of opposition and is no longer universally practiced.



Yorkshire Terrier


They are usually friendly and playful dogs, but this can, as is universally the case, depend on their training and the type of attention they have been getting from their master. Sometimes they will be accepting of strangers and other dogs, but at times they can also be surly and unwelcoming. It is, however, generally true that they are independent, intelligent and quite brave. These features, especially the independence and (sometimes even careless) bravery stem from their terrier ancestry. They at times seem to forget their size and initiate a confrontation with a significantly larger dog, often putting themselves at considerable risks. A series of trials has determined that they are quite intelligent, out of 132 breeds that were tested in these trials they occupy 27th place. They have also been shown to quickly understand and adopt new commands, which makes them easy to train and adapt to living indoors.

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