Description

The?Yorkshire Terrier?is a small?dog breed?of?terrier?type, developed in the 19th century in the county of?Yorkshire,?England,?to catch rats in clothing mills, also used for?rat-baiting?The defining features of the breed are its maximum size of 7 pounds (3.2?kg)?and its gray, black, and tan coat. The breed is nicknamed?Yorkie?and is placed in the Toy Terrier section of the Terrier Group by the?F?d?ration Cynologique Internationale?and in the Toy Group or Companion Group?by other kennel clubs, including the?American Kennel Club,?although all agree that the breed is a terrier. A popular?companion dog, the Yorkshire Terrier has also been part of the development of other breeds, such as the?Australian Silky Terrier.

The Yorkshire Terrier (also called a ?Yorkie?) originated in?Yorkshire?(and the adjoining?Lancashire), a rugged region in northern England.?In the mid-19th century, workers from Scotland came to Yorkshire in search of work and brought with them several different varieties of small terriers. Breeding of the Yorkshire Terrier was ?principally accomplished by the people?mostly operatives in cotton and woolen mills?in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire.??Details are scarce. Mrs. A. Foster is quoted as saying in 1886, ?If we consider that the mill operatives who originated the breed?were nearly all ignorant men, unaccustomed to imparting information for public use, we may see some reason why reliable facts have not been easily attained.?