The Yorkshire Terrier had its beginnings as a breed in the Yorkshire, Manchester and Leeds counties in the northern part of England.  The weavers of Scotland brought their families and dogs with them when they left their homeland.  The Industrial Revolution had forced them out of work.  The time was the mid 19th century, 1860’s and 1870’s.  The dogs that accompanied these families were for the most part the sturdy Scottish Terrier.  The Paisley and Clydesdale Terrier’s bloodlines were probably also included in the bloodlines.  These were all working men’s dogs, used to keep the vermin under control in the textile mills and coal mines.  What bloodlines were used to establish the Yorkshire Terrier is subject to much  speculation, due to the fact that the breeders of these dogs did not write down who was bred to whom.  If they liked the spirit and looks of the dogs, they mated them.  It was chancey at best.
     It is guessed that the Yorkshire county miners crossed the Black and Tan English Terrier, this dog was rough-coated, and the long-coated, blue-gray Waterside Terrier breeds were infused in the Scottish Terriers.  The Maltese and Skye Terrier are also possibilities.
     In 1865, the foundation sire of the Yorkshire Terrier breed, was born.  Huddersfield Ben was owned by M.A. Foster, and he enjoyed a very public life, to popularize the breed in England.  He demonstrated that he was very successful in the rat killing contests (these were quite popular in the 19th century), and he won more than 70 prizes as a show dog as well.
     In 1872, the Yorkshire Terrier was introduced into the United States, and was recognized by the AKC in 1878.  But it wasn’t until the 1930’s that the Yorkshire Terrier took on its modern look.  It is important to note that the Yorkshire Terrier up until the 1930’s usually weighed approximately 30 pounds, not the 3 to 7 pounds it does today.

Return to Yorkshire Terrier Directory

Return to Bark Bytes Home