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Yorkshire Terriers
Yorkshire Terriers
The Yorkshire Terrier is a small breed dog which falls into the terrier category. Often they are referred to as a Yorkie. The have a long-haired coat with distinctive markings and colors of blue and tan. The Yorkshire Terrier usually does not weight more than seven pounds and in the United States is the second most popular breed of dog.
The Yorkshire Terrier has a compact but athletic build and carries himself proudly with a distinctive gait. Both the head and the tail are held high and just because they are small and dainty does not mean they are frail.
Yorkshire Terrier puppies are born black with only a slight hint of brown around their face. At the age of four months the Yorkshire Terrier puppies start to display signs of their black and steel coat which is trimmed with tan.
Yorkshire Terriers have a long coat with no undercoat and hair that compares to humans. The shed very little and must be brushed daily to keep down mats and tangles. There is great importance placed on coat color and quality. The coat should be glossy and silky, and from the back of the neck and down the back should be steel blue. Hair on the tail should be darker blue with the head, chest, and legs being a rich tan color. The coat must be perfectly straight and never wavy or curly.
It has been a tradition to dock the tail of the Yorkshire Terrier but recent years have seen a movement to ban this practice because many feel it is painful and inhumane. This practice has only been done for cosmetic purposes.
Even though the Yorkshire Terrier is considered to be a small, or toy, breed, it still falls into the terrier category, especially in terms of personality. Normally they are intelligent, independent, and have a lively personality with lots of courage. They tend to bark at strangers in their territory but they are generally friendly and lovable with humans. Normally they will get along with other dogs but they seem to be unaware of their small size and will often take on dog much larger than they are. They also do not tend to make good pets in households with small children because of their bold and aggressive personality.
Even though the Yorkshire Terrier is preferred by movie stars as lap dogs, they were actually bred for searching out and killing rats. They are perfectly happy being either in their owner's lap or at their feet but they are also very lively and energetic with enough self-confidence to go after their prey with gusto. Because of their fierce independence, many people believe they are the hardest dog to housebreak of any of the dog breeds.
If you have purchased a Yorkshire Terrier for sale or Yorkshire Terrier puppies for sale be careful as they are prone to bronchitis, cataracts, and often will have a delicate stomach. They are picky eaters and will usually not eat anything they do not like, regardless of how hungry they get. Often they will have sensitive skin that is prone to dog allergies. They have a life span of 8 to 15 years for the larger ones and the smaller ones have a life span which is somewhat less.
Because of their small size, Yorkshire Terrier puppies may tend to have hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. This occurs when there is too long of time lapse between feedings. If a puppy experiences this they will become lethargic and inactive. By getting some sugar into them immediately this problem will go away. By the time they reach adulthood most are no longer plagued with a low sugar problem.
Because of their popularity, many people use the Yorkie for cross breeding with other breeds. While this can often produce some beautiful dogs, there is no guarantee that they will be non-shedding or hypo-allergenic once they have mixed blood.
MIKO 
