While the Industrial Revolution led most of the world toward pursuing the bigger and better, some brilliant engineers soughtsmaller and better. The Yorkshire Terrier is a remarkable man-made creation of the mid-19th century, at a time when British dog enthusiasts were crossing many types of terriers in order to develop dogs handsomely suited for their needs. In the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, the breed we now know as the Yorkshire Terrier emerged in its most recognizable form. The first shows for toy terriers in Great Britain began in 1860, and “Yorkshires” from these two textile counties were counted among the first ribbon holders.

The Yorkshire Terrier is a unique British creation and is counted among the world’s most popular dogs.

The Toy Manchester Terrier may have been in the family tree of the Yorkshire Terrier.

EARLY DEVELOPMENT

Which breeds contributed to the composition of the Yorkshire Terrier, however, is still a great debate. Among the contenders are the Toy Manchester Terrier, Maltese, Skye Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terrier and two extinct breeds known as the Paisley Terrier and the Clydesdale Terrier. The Paisley Terrier is described as smaller than the Skye Terrier and shorter in back, with gray coloration and a rougher coat. The Clydesdale Terrier also bore resemblance to the Skye Terrier of today, with the characteristic well-feathered prick ears, a floor-length coat in dark blue with tan markings on the face, legs and feet, and a long body. Both the Clydesdale and the Paisley were formidable ratters, used by miners down in the shafts to kill rats that interfered with their work. The Clydesdale, Paisley and Skye Terriers receive credit for the Yorkshire Terrier’s length of coat; the Maltese for coat and the diminutive size; and the Manchester for coloration. The silken texture of the Yorkie’s coat could have come from all of the longer coated dogs in the mixture, even though the Paisley and Clydesdale were usually rough-coated. Whenever silky-coated puppies occurred in a Paisley or Clydesdale litter, they were discarded until a fad for silky coats emerged. Both of these rough-coated terriers lost favor and their numbers began to diminish significantly.

The Skye Terrier, although significantly larger than the Yorkie, is thought to be in the breed’s bloodlines, possibly contributing its unique color genes.

The Maltese, with its long, flowing hair, may be a Yorkshire Terrier ancestor.

The smaller Manchester Terriers that were incorporated into the early stock were fierce ratters, working side by side with the miners, killing off the vermin, with neither