THE YORKSHIRE TERRIER
by Lee Weston
The old saying that, "big surprises lay
in small packages", certainly does apply to the Yorkshire Terrier.
This toy breed of dog, commonly known as a "Yorkie", is definitely not
the usual lap dog one associates with this group. The Yorkie is the
hardiest and most disease resistant of all the toy breeds. It possesses
a sturdy, shortish body with a straight back, and exhibits the same characteristics
that it's ancestors had, even though it is reduced from the original size.
Originally, this breed weighed on average between 12 and 14 pounds.
Now the Yorkie that is shown in conformation, weighs between 3 and 7 pounds.
One of the characteristics
of the Yorkie that causes it to end up being abandoned by an owner is the
amount of time that must be spent grooming this dog. It is very high
maintenance. So if you are not committed to at least one half
hour of grooming per day, this breed of dog probably should not be on your
list of desires. This is assuming you take your Yorkie on a regular basis
to a grooming shop to have its coat trimmed and shaped.
The Yorkie is highly intelligent, and
therefore, independent. Sometimes it seems stubborn and not particularly
interested in pleasing its owner. Remember that due to this intelligence,
the fact that it is a terrier and it was a working man's dog originally,
it thinks on its own. These dogs were used in the coalmines to get
rid of the rats, so they do have not only the aura, but in fact are, self
confident and possess a good deal of self importance.
If you have a multiple-dog home, and
you bring a Yorkie into it, the Yorkie will take over as boss. This
bossy-ness is a terrier trait. The Yorkie is feisty, courageous and
high energy. They do not rest for long, usually tearing around the
house or yard, being small it doesn't need large spaces, it gets its exercise
just from being at home.
This bossy-ness has
also been responsible for Yorkie's getting hurt or killed. The Yorkie
tends towards aggression when around, near or in the general area, of another
dog it doesn't know. It doesn't matter to the Yorkie the size of
the dog it is taking on. It could be a Doberman, St. Bernard, Great
Dane whatever. If the Yorkie is taken from the home, it must be on
a leash, and kept under control and a watchful eye at all times.
The yard it plays in must be fenced and protected from stray animals getting
inside.
The Yorkie is very alert, his dark eyes fairly
sparkle with the intelligence this breed possesses. It is a very
loyal and depending how it is trained and the environment it lives in,
will have a very sweet disposition.
When trained with consistency and firmness,
the Yorkie is a very quick learner. Yorkies in conformation show
coat rarely compete in obedience or agility due to the problems of grooming
- but if you are not into conformation, Yorkies are tremendous candidates
for the performance events due to this high degree of intelligence.
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