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History of Yorkshire Terriers

Historically the Yorkshire terrier was bred as a ratter due to its small stature it could catch and kill vermin in small places. Some historians also claim that Yorkie were used commonly in hunting. The Yorkshire terrier was developed in the early 19th Century and were popular for there ability to kill vermin and they didn’t eat a great deal. The Yorkies were also used for sport due to there rat catching abilities, they were put in a pit of rats and which ever terrier killed the most rats in the least time was considered the winner and bets were placed. Yorkshire terriers are deemed as courageous as they would willingly pursue vermin that lived down burrows or dens that were themselves ferocious, especially those protecting their young. This meant that terriers were bred for quality particularly their small stature.

Ancestry

Yorkshire terriers gained they name simply because they originated in Yorkshire. The Yorkshire terriers of those times were introduced and bred with different varieties of small long coated terriers which were known as Broken Haired Scotch terriers who were brought from Scotland with workers from Scotland brought with them while looking for work in the mining and mill industry during the industrial revolution in the mid 19 century. Therefore the details of the specific breeds that created the Yorkshire terrier we see today is unknown as breeders of that time did not record details such as bloodlines. There are some breeds that are thought to be the main ancestors of the modern day Yorkie due to the familiar characteristics. The likelihood is the Scottish terriers who were brought down from Scotland and contributed to the Yorkie includes Clydesdale, Skye, Waterside and Paisley terriers which all produced the small stature, blue coloured long haired coat that is so common today. These breeds were all working dogs mainly used to catch and kill vermin to control the level in the coal mines and mills which their owners worked in. It is also widely suggested by many experts that the Maltese could also be in the Yorkshire terrier’s background despite originating in Asia. This breed really appeared in the early part of 1861 in a bench show and was introduced as a broken haired Scotch terrier due to its ancestry. Yorkshire terriers were then referred to simply as Toy terriers due to their small stature and had both rough haired and broken haired varieties. The name Yorkshire terrier was finally given and bred by the name in 1874.