The modern Yorkshire Terrier with its cute face, lively character and incredibly beautiful long silk wool is the result of centuries of selection and a happy occasion at the same time. The history of the Yorkshire Terrier breed dates back several centuries ago, when their ancestors looked a bit different.
History of the breed
Information about the origin of York, thoroughly overgrown with legends, is confused and ambiguous. And to briefly describe the history of the breed, the Yorkshire Terrier will hardly succeed, since the selection has been conducted for several centuries and has many interesting points that I would like to cover.
At the very beginning of the creation of the breed, Old English Terriers were used, which greatly varied in type. Sometimes, by a lucky coincidence, the people who participated in the creation were able to introduce a very successful combination of inherited characters into the animal genotype.
It is not possible to trace the formation of modern Yorks, since in the distant centuries, simple and uneducated people were engaged in the selection of the best representatives.
In those days, the land, where in England it was possible to hunt, was forbidden for commoners. Then even a law was passed that allowed them to have only small dogs, with which, as expected, the peasants would not be able to go hunting. For example, such a not-so-large dog, like a spaniel, could be had only with special permission.
For all other peasant pets, there was a special measurement in the form of a loop, the diameter of which was about 17 cm. If the dog could climb through it, then the common man was allowed to keep the animal. Therefore, in Great Britain there are so many small breeds with which ordinary people went hunting in the fields for gophers, small birds and rabbits.
These small dogs guarded houses and destroyed small rodents. Cats in those days were considered animals "dirty", they were out of favor and massively burned at the stake.
Participation in the breeding of the Old English breed
In the history of the breed, the Yorkshire Terrier during the reign of King William IV, namely, in 1965-1835, a dog was seen who was called the waterside terrier. She was a small weight of 3-6 kg and a height at the withers of 27 cm with a fairly long gray-blue coat.
Then a very popular event among the commoners was the conduct of the fighting of these dogs with rats. For some amount of time the waterside terrier had to kill some rats. Winners were worth their weight in gold. A documentary confirmation of the existence of such dogs can be considered an article in a newspaper of those times, which described in detail an animal named Polly, which was the winner, as well as the name of its owner, Mr. John Richardson.
Participation in the breed of the Australian Terrier
Another man who had a hand in the history of the Yorkshire Terrier was a certain Mr. Spink, who brought an Australian Terrier male named Punch from Australia. This dog at that time won 13 shows in Australia.
The breeder Mr. Spink, through the mating of female waterside terriers with Punch, received offspring, characterized by silky hair, very small size and a wonderful color. One of the descendants of Punch was the famous Hadersfield Ben, who is considered the father of the Yorkshire Terrier.
Participation in the Scottish Scotch Terrier
When the industrial revolution began at the end of the 18th century, Scottish peasants reached for Yorkshire in search of work, taking with them their pets - little cute dogs. These were Scotch terriers that combined such breeds as Aberdeen, Highland, Skye, Paisley, Klesdeale, Scotch, and grades.
Then the names of the rocks were often assigned depending on the locality of their origin. All of these terriers were basically alike. However, Scotland is a country with a diverse landscape, and people living in mountainous and lowland areas rarely communicated with each other. Therefore, their dogs varied in appearance.
The standard of paisley terriers in 1884 determined the coat color of animals in different shades of blue for animals, the preference was given to the darker ones. The head and legs should have been painted lighter than the body. Unfortunately, the paisley terrier club was abolished, but some lovers of the breed organized another with the name Cladesdale Terrier. The breed's standard has changed a bit: blue and silver in paisley wool color became a treasury - blue with a golden-bronze tan.
The history of the Yorkshire Terrier breed, and the photos of those times show it, is eventful and diverse. Many dogs from different countries took part in the formation of modern Yorks.
Kitty and crab
In the history of the Yorkshire Terrier breed there is much more interesting. For example, Manchester also had its own little terriers from the category of Old English. In a book entitled The History of Manchester in 1771, they were described as shaggy little dogs on crooked paws with black-bronze coat.
However, Manchester Terriers are lost in history, superseded by more popular recognized breeds. In 1892, a certain Mr. Butman from Halifax wrote an article about the origin of the described breed, where he described two dogs: Old Crab and Kitty. The first was a hybrid scotch terrier, the second a sky terrier from Old English terriers.
Old Crab had a long body, his legs and muzzle were painted in bronze color, the hair on his body was long and straight. Kitty is a different type of dog. She had hanging ears and a large volume of blue wool without a bronze tan. Like Crab, she did not have a pedigree. Until 1851, Kitty brought 6 litters from Crab, then, changing her owner, she brought 44 more puppies.
There was another dog from Scotland whose name was lost. Its owner was Mr. Whitam, who also used this bitch to breed. All three of these dogs are described in great detail. The descendants of these three dogs were used to improve the breed, mixing their blood with others that had the necessary qualities.
Where did the name of the breed come from
So, the history of the Yorkshire Terrier breed and the origin of modern beautiful dogs no longer look so mysterious. In 1873, several gentlemen organized the English Kennel Club, where pedigrees were recorded and descriptions of dogs and breeds were compiled.
The majority of terrier breeders who were influenced by an unsportsmanlike dog group lived in or near Yorkshire. Therefore, it was decided to assign the breed the name Yorkshire Terrier.
For the first time, the son of Huddersfield Ben - Mozart, who won the first prize at the 1870 exhibition, was named the Yorkshire Terrier.
Huddersfield Ben - father of the breed
In the history of the breed, the Yorkshire Terrier has one dog, which is considered the father of all Yorks. This is, without a doubt, the famous Huddersfield Ben - dog breeder Joan Foster from Bradford, Yorkshire.
This baby was born in 1865. His mistress, Mrs. Foster, was the first female judge of the Kennel Club exhibition in 1889. Huddersfield Ben won 74 prizes with his owner and was the father of a huge number of breed champions. He died under the wheels of a keb in 1871.
Huddersfield Ben's son, Ted, also owned by Mrs. Foster, another famous representative of the Yorkshire Terrier, was described as follows: he had a short back and weighed 5 pounds, with a height at the withers of 9 inches. Ted has been the best in the breed for 6 years.
Modern description and character of York
In the history of the breed, the Yorkshire Terrier character was formed along with external data. Yorkies are very brave dogs, despite their miniature size. This trait was formed in them not for years, but for centuries. After all, cowardly hunters do not exist. Only a brave dog without a doubt will rush into the hole for prey or will crush rats one by one until it destroys the entire brood, despite the fact that the rat can be the size of the hunter himself.
In the character of these dogs there is such a feature as indefatigable activity. York is ready to chase the ball all day, as if wound up, until the owner surrenders and gets tired of playing with him. Along with these qualities, the breed possesses intelligence, poise, incredible quick wits and devotion to its owner.
Although he is small, he is a terrier with all the ensuing consequences. Namely: York needs long walks, games and training, with a lack of which he will get bored and begin to pour out his energy for the demolition of the apartment, for example.
These dogs are very sensitive to the mood of their master, and this trait, coupled with an extraordinary mind, allows them to be excellent manipulators. Therefore, the owner will have to be persistent in raising his Yorkshire Terrier. But it's worth it.
Breed standard
There are some criteria by which a dog is evaluated at exhibitions, and qualities inherent in certain breeds that should be inherited. In the history of the breed, the Yorkshire Terrier standard was determined gradually. In modern Yorks, according to the standard, the physique is compact and the back is straight, while the height at the withers should not be higher than 23 cm, and the weight should not exceed 3.17 kg.
The head is small with erect small ears, with shiny and dark grazami and scissor bite. Paws straight with good golden-red hair and black claws. The tail is raised above the back with a color darker than that of the body.
The coat is silky, straight and long, from the back of the head to the base of the tail of the tail it is of a bluish-steel color, on the tail it is dark blue. Head and breast are golden brown. Puppies are always black with golden spots on their faces and paws.
Species deficiencies and common diseases
The history of the Yorkshire Terrier mini-breed has generated some health flaws. Yorkies live for about 15 years.
They differ in fairly good health and even psyche. Most often, these dogs have problems of the following nature:
- Ears hurt, but only with poor maintenance with hypothermia.
- Tartar, due to the special composition of saliva.
- Slow change of primary teeth. They can climb new with dairy products that have not been drunk.
- Digestive disorders, which can be either due to tartar, or because of a shortened intestine.
- Frequent injuries of limbs during unsuccessful jumps from a height (sofa, armchairs, beds).
- Umbilical hernia.
- Hydrocephalus. Fluid accumulates in the skull.
- Excess weight.
Yorkshire Terrier is a wonderful pet with a wonderful character and outstanding external data. Wool will require careful care, but otherwise it is a fairly problem-free breed.