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.
Despite being named after a Northern county in England, the direct ancestor stock of today’s Yorkshire Terrier came from Scotland. When Scottish weavers lost work because of the rise of factory made clothing, they had to move south and brought their dogs with them. These dogs were Scottish Terriers, Paisley Terriers, Clydesdale (or Clyde) Terriers, the latter two breeds are now extinct. The Scottish dogs bred with the local terrier breeds, thought to have been Skye Terriers, Maltese and the now extinct breeds of Black and Tan English and Waterside. The eventual result was Huddersfield Ben, considered the fore sire of the entire Yorkshire Terrier breed.
Back in 1865 – the year of Huddersfield Ben’s birth – dogs were bred to exhibit useful qualities, not for their looks. There also was not much interest in keeping breeds pure. There are very few accurate records of dog breeding at this time. It is also thought that dog breeding was considered such a secret business that no records were kept for fear of the knowledge getting out to competitors. Yorkshire Terriers got their name because the breed was perfected in Yorkshire.
The Scottish dogs then inevitably wooed the blushing English roses of the local canine population. It is thought those breeds were the Black and Tan English Terrier (also now extinct), the Skye Terrier and the Waterside Terrier (which is – you guessed it – also extinct). According to the majority of Yorkshire Terrier information sources, the founding father of the breed, Huddersfield Ben, was born in Yorkshire in 1865. He became one of the most admired dogs of his day.
As time went on, the need for big working dogs decreased. People were living in smaller homes and needed smaller dogs they could physically control easily. The Yorkshire Terrier filled this niche admirably. They were a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. Not only did they make great guard dogs, but were affectionate and did not need a lot of exercise. They were introduced to America in 1872.
Over the last century, Yorkshire Terriers have become ever smaller. The original Yorkies were about thirty pounds and came in several colors. Today’s show Yorkies are not to exceed seven pounds and must be steel blue and tan (and have those colors in specific proportions).
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?
