If you took a trip back in time to 1870, you probably would have a hard time recognizing a Yorkshire Terrier. In about one hundred thirty years, the breed has gone through tremendous changes in their looks and in their functions. But the Yorkshire Terrier has adapted to the great changes that the Industrial Revolution brought to the economy and to family life. Yorkies back then weighed about thirty pounds and came in more colors than just blue and tan.
Back in the 1870's, word was getting around about the great pups from a sire named Huddersfield Ben, who was born in 1865. Huddersfield Ben was considered an ideal dog a champion ratter as well as being friendly and handsome. Any dog that resembled Huddersfield Ben had to have been from Yorkshire, where Ben lived. Yorkshire dog breeders kept their breeding methods secret so they could be assured of buyers. His puppies eventually became known as Yorkshire Terriers.
The Yorkshire Terrier did not originate in the English country of Yorkshire, despite their name. The breed became famous when they were perfected in Yorkshire. Huddersfield Ben's ancestors came from various tough little Scottish breeds of terriers, which are thought to have included the Scottish Terrier, the Clydesdale (or Clyde) Terrier and the Paisley Terrier. All of these breeds (except the Scottie) are no longer with us, but do live on in the form of Yorkshire Terriers.
The Scottish breeds inevitably bred with the terrier breeds already in Yorkshire, which experienced a great wave of Scottish immigrants in the late 1800's. The Scottish breeds were purposefully put to breeds that were known for killing rats. Yorkshire Terrier information sources guess that these breeds included the Maltese, the Skye and the now extinct breeds of Black and Tan English, Waterside and quite possibly the Manchester Terrier (which still survives, but is considered an extremely rare breed). The result was a rat-killing machine that was extremely friendly with people.
Back then, dogs went everywhere with their masters. A Yorkshire Terrier would go to work in the mines and come home with his master to the family. The family found the Yorkies to be great companions and excellent watchdogs. The coats became even softer and silkier. Eventually, the men went to work without the dogs and the dogs became pampered family members. The breed needed very little exercise, looked spectacular and was very trainable.
It is thought that the sire Huddersfield Ben weighed about thirty pounds. As the need for working dogs decreased, the demand for small dogs increased. The Yorkshire Terrier became increasingly smaller and smaller. Just one hundred years after Huddersfield Ben's birth, the breed standard listed the weight of a Yorkie to be "no more than seven pounds". The current trend is to breed them even smaller. Who knows how small the Yorkshire Terrier will be by 2065?
Yorkshire Terrier
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