Yorkshire Terrier

This breed was born mid-last century in the English county of Yorkshire. Its main occupation consisted in exterminating rats and mice in the workers' and artisans' cabins that lived in the worst health conditions. Long-haired small terriers, the Skye Terrier, the Dandie Dinmont terrier and the Maltese participated in the creation of this breed. The Yorkshire is a small dog full of life, it is very brave and a good guardian. Its long and silky hair needs regular care. When the puppies are born, they have short and black hair with pinkish patches. Until they are two or three years old they will get their typical long pretty hair, but the color appears sooner, when they are a year old. Few dogs of three years old get the type of hair that allows them to participate in exhibitions.

The Yorkshire has contributed to the selection of two interesting Australian breeds. One of them is the silky terrier, also called Sydney silky. The dog was born at the turn of the century in Australia, but it was not recognized until 1959. Besides the Yorkshire terrier, the ancestors of this breed are the Skye terrier, the Scottish terrier and the Maltese. The Australian terrier comes from the cross between a Yorkshire terrier, the Yandie Dinmont and the cairn. This breed is still developing. Although its first standard was established in 1921, the dogs that come from different breeders lack of homogeneity. The Australian terrier was much appreciated in Asia and it is easily found, for example, in India as a pet dog.

Yorkshire terrier (1). Size: 20-24 cm. Weight: 1.5-3 kg. Colors: dark steel blue, from the occipital protuberance up to the beginning of the tail; golden on the head, the chest and the legs; the two sides of the head, the snout and the ears are darker. The tail is cut short.

Silky terrier (2). Size: 20-25 cm. Weight: 3-4.5 kg. Colors: blue or gray-blue with dark reddish patches. The upper part of the head is silver, the other parts and the ears are golden red, the legs are golden red turning to tan, the back and the sides are bluish. The tail is intense blue. The distribution of the color is important.

Australian Terrier (3). Size: 24-25 cm. Weight: 4-5 kg. The preferred color is blue, but black, gray, sandy and even red are authorized, tan color is as dark as possible and it is accepted on the head and legs. The tuft is blue, sandy or tan.