In the 19th century, a group of Scottish weavers migrated to England, bringing along different types of terriers to hunt rats. Dogs were bred for their useful qualities, let alone their looks and purity. The terriers that belonged to the group of immigrants were eventually crossed, resulting in terriers with “broken hairs.”
In 1870, a “broken-haired Scotch terrier” was named as a Yorkshire terrier because these types were bred in a town called Yorkshire. Soon enough, word was getting around that a sire named Huddersfield Ben, who was born in 1865 that great quality dogs were coming from Huddersfield Ben. He was considered an ideal dog, who was a champion ratter with charming looks and personality.
These Yorkshire breeders kept their breeding methods a secret from their competitors, assuring them buyers. Therefore there aren’t enough accurate records of their breeding methods. These breeds were officially called Yorkshire Terriers, where this breed was perfected.
Yorkshire Terriers were originally bred to be specialists in killing rats. In fact, they were, and still are thought to be more reliable than cats. They were even bred to bark when they found their prey, letting their masters know where they are. Shortly, the mining industry had a high demand for Yorkshire at the time, because the mines were full of rats.
Back then, you would always find a dog next their to their master. A Yorkshire Terrier would go to work in the mines to kill rats and then come home with his master to the family. Yorkies began to be great companions and excellent watchdogs as well. Even their coats became shiner and silkier from the maintenance they’d receive from home. The minors would eventually go to work without the dogs, and the dogs became pampered the family.
It is thought that the sire Huddersfield Ben originally weighed about thirty pounds. As the need for working dogs decreased through time, the demand for small dogs increased and became more domesticated.
The Yorkshire Terrier became increasingly smaller and smaller through time. In the late Victorian era, they became fashionable pets in England. Yorkies were then brought to the United States in 1972 and became the country’s favorite pet. The trend was to have the Yorkie to get even smaller, with adults scaling at a mere three pounds. The newer breeds needed very little exercise, looked spectacular and was very trainable.
The Yorkshire Terrier, as of 2006, is the second most popular purebred dog in America.
Yorkies are very eager to please their owners. They especially love to receive praise and attention!
They are easy to train however require consistency or they will quickly learn bad habits. They have natural intelligence which allows them to figure out ways to get around following commands if not consistently trained.
It is important to socialize your Yorkie as early as possible, to prevent them from becoming anxious in new places. Socialization also helps your Yorkie understand that not all strangers or other animals are dangerous.
Yorkies benefit from crate training (for housetraining) as it gives them a safe place to go that is similar to a den. This is a good idea if you have lots of visitors and the Yorkie is upset or requires a bit of relaxation.
It is also an excellent way to travel with your Yorkie, as they become accustomed to the crate while in the car, train or airplane. It gives them a real sense of security and is not a cruel way to carry your dog at all!
Here are some tips that you might want to consider when training your Yorkie:
- Work with your dog every day. Yorkies have a short memory and attention span, similar to that of a small child. If you skip a day of training she will forget what she has already learned.
- Use treats as a reward when your Yorkie does what you are trying to teach her to do. That way she will know what is expected of her and be motivated to please you.
- Speak in a firm tone when reprimanding her. She will know by the tone of your voice that she has done something that is not acceptable.
- Allow for lots of playtime between training sessions. Your Yorkie will learn faster if she is allowed to stretch her legs and play in between sessions.
- Train your Yorkie when it is just the two of you. Other people or animals are too much of a distraction. Allow her to focus on you and your voice.
- Teach only one command at a time. Wait until she has mastered a command completely before beginning to teach her a new one.
- Use the same exact wording for each command you teach. If you want your Yorkie to sit, then only use the word sit. If you say sit down or anything else she will become confused and not know what to do. Think back to when you were trying to learn a new language. One word can change the meaning of a sentence and you may have difficulty figuring out what is the correct way to say something. It is the same for your Yorkie. She will try to figure out what you want, so keep it simple with one word or a short phrase.
Sources: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Connie_Ragen_Green ; http://www.myyorkiesecrets.com/
Yorkshire Terriers are very unique dogs because they’re tiny dogs with big personalities.
Yorkies come in two sizes: toy and full grown. But they normally don’t weigh over seven pounds. Either way, they are great pets for those who want a dog, but don’t have a big enough space to get a bigger dog.
Sure they’re small, but don’t let that mislead you. They are great watch dogs and have they act like they’re a full-sized dog when they feel like they need to protect their territory or their loved ones.
A Yorkie is a Terrier…and terriers are naturally hunters. Being a terrier by blood, they have great intelligence and are able to work their way around obstacles. They have great hunting abilities…which can be useful if you have rats and other vermin’s running around. They’re great for protecting the house, yards and other things…and sure will bark loudly at any strangers around their territories. They do a great job letting their owners know about strangers and animals that are lingering around.
These dogs are big at heart and sure are mighty for their size.