A non shedding dog – The Yorkshire Terrier

A breed of dog that has enduring popularity is the Yorkshire Terrier. Originating from northern England, Yorkies (as they are known) are friendly, full of life and quite clever. They are considered a toy breed, due to the fact that at maturity they typically weigh between four and seven pounds. It is widely thought there to be some variations of Yorkshire terriers, known as teacup or miniature, they are smaller, growing to about 3 pounds at maturity. But this is NOT true, there is no such thing. Smaller Yorkies as these, are merely the smaller puppies of a litter. Any Yorkie puppies regardless of their size is to be admired.

But with their hunting background and strong loyalty to their owners, there is nothing diminutive about them. Yorkies were originally bred to hunt rats in the clothing mills of northern England. They were owned by the workers at the mill, who found their reliability and drive made for a wonderful companion. At first considered a breed for every day workers, their beauty and personality soon made them fashionable with the upper crust in England. The breed is still known for its loyalty, and a Yorkie can be known to be fiercely protective of its owner. The Yorkshire Terrier bonds quickly, and loves nothing else than to end the day in the lap of its master.

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Yorkshire terriers are known for their elongated, splendid coat. As a puppy, the yorkie puppies coat is brown and black, but as the dog grows, the coat becomes brown and a beautiful bluish grey. The hair is like human hair, and will keep growing unless trimmed. Their hair can obscure their eyes, and its common to see a Yorkie with a bow on top of its head to keep the hair out of the way. Because of the silky hair on a Yorkie, regular brushing is an absolute necessity. But with proper care, the Yorkshire terriers coat can be the most striking feature of the dog.

Teaching of the Yorkshire terrier can be simple, due to the breeds cleverness. The Yorkie craves attention from the owner because of its devotion, so training must involve lots of praise and positive reinforcement. A good time for Yorkies to be trained is at younger ages, to give the puppy an outlet for its creative energy.

Because of the Yorkshire terriers intelligence, they also make incredible show dogs. Their long, silky coat is a show stopper in the ring, and their intelligence and desire to please makes for a handlers dream. Yorkies also do well in obedience and agility. There is a community of breeders of show dogs in the United States. These types of breeders are truly the best source for buying a pet Yorkie puppy, as show breeders contribute vast amounts of time and work on researching and striving for those perfect Yorkies, that not only look great but that are healthy and will live long lives. One such outfit is Artistry Yorkshire Terriers.

These breeders have grown to love raising Yorkshire terrier puppies, as the Yorkies commitment to their family unit becomes a breeders dream.

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Find healthy Yorkshire Terrier puppies

With so many dog breeders its very easy to find a Yorkshire Terrier, but to find a healthy one that represents the breed the way it should, you should choose your Yorkie breeder carefully. To do this, you will have to be able to tell a good Yorkshire Terrier from a bad Yorkshire Terrier, also you will have to be able to tell a good breeder from a average breeder. We all want a great looking healthy pet. Looks and certainly health is vital and partly heritable.

No breeder can ensure a dog will live a lengthy and healthy life, but you can undoubtedly increase the likelihood of this by choosing a good breeder. Ask about your Yorkie puppies pedigree which would include your puppies ancestors. With yorkshire terriers there seems to be conditions that they are predisposed to Legg-Calve-Perthes, patellar luxation, portosystemic shunts, tracheal collapse and bladder stones. Preferred breeders have their dogs tested for these conditions before breeding them. No line of dogs is perfect, so dont ignore a line with some problems further back, besides a lot of breeders may not be as honest in disclosing problems.

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Lets not forget about the importance of good disposition. You want a Yorkie Puppie because of the devoted and very confident, self assurance they posses, which is part of what makes them such a great companion. Extremely shy Yorkies may come for genetically shy stock or from socially isolated environments, both of which can make them more challenging to form into confident adults. Yorkie puppies from parents with excellent temperaments and a outgoing personality increases the fact that your Yorkie puppy with also have these traits. Also look for how much time is spent on puppy socialization from the yorkies puppies breeder.

And last but surely not at all least is looks! Part of the attraction of the Yorkie is the little size, glorious coat, intriguing color, and alluring expression on such an adorable face. Show breeders concerned with breeding for conformation competition are the most likely to produce Yorkie puppies with the appearance that drew you to the breed! Examine your potential Yorkie puppies pedigree to check to be sure that close relatives have confirmation championships from AKC (American Kennel Club). The closer these relatives with AKC championships are to your puppy the better (the closest being the puppy’s sire and dam). Get to know the Yorkshire Terrier standard and look up AKC champion Yorkies online to look at them. Show exhibitor breeders always have pet quality puppies available that are not quite show quality, but nonetheless are often so close to being show quality that only an expert could tell. Such dogs have the advantage of being raised with the best of knowledge and care as far as yorkie breeders along with great looks.

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Tips to to breed your Yorkshire Terrier

There may come a point in time when you decide that you want to breed your Yorkshire Terriers. Hopefully, before you start breeding in a helter skelter fashion, you’ve taken the time to learn as much as possible about the breed, and you have also had mentoring from a successful breeder.

If this is the case, you obviously need a male and female Yorkshire Terrier. Before you breed these dogs, you will have them checked out thoroughly by your veterinarian, and there will be numerous medical tests performed to determine if these dogs have any genetic defects that may be passed on to their litter. With a clean bill of health, there are other factors that you must consider.

Ideally, good breeders breed Yorkies that have matched temperaments, and those temperaments are pleasant. You should avoid breeding Yorkies that are nervous, shy, or aggressive, as these traits can be passed onto the litter as surely as a genetic defect can be passed on. Finally, the male and the female must actually get along well together, or you will most likely not be successful.

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Not every Yorkshire Terrier should be bred, and not all can legally be bred. When you purchase your Yorkshire Terriers, they may already be spayed or neutered. A good breeder will alter Yorkies who are not championship quality. They will also alter Yorkies for which the new owner has not purchased the breeding rights. The breeders who use these practices are not trying to corner the market on Yorkies. The fact is that a responsible breeder will not give breeding rights to just anyone, or to just any Yorkie.

You may think that your Yorkies can be bred – or should be bred – simply because they are registered, and they do have a pedigree. While these are necessary for breeding purebred Yorkshire Terriers, it does not mean that the dogs should be bred. Just because a dog has a pedigree, it does not mean that he has the qualities that are absolutely sought in the breed. Expert breeders breed their dogs in an attempt to improve the breed.

Many people mistakenly think that there is money to be made in breeding Yorkshire Terriers. These dogs do have a high price tag, but in reality, there isn’t any money being made by responsible breeders. The high quality breeding stock will cost a pretty penny, and taking care of them and their litters will also eat into those expected profits. A good breeder keeps the puppies for about three months of their lives, and during that time, these puppies will have veterinarian care, vaccinations, may be spayed or neutered, and will often be microchipped – all at the expense of the breeder.

Breeding also takes up a great deal of time, and a good breeder must be absolutely dedicated to the Yorkshire Terrier breed. The dogs and puppies must be cared for and cleaned up after, but they must also have love and attention from humans for the purpose of socialization. When the puppies are ready to be sold, a good breeder will actually interview prospective families to place the puppies in good homes.

As you can see, there is a great deal more to breeding than putting a male and female together and then running an ad to sell the puppies. Don’t fall into this trap. Take the time to get mentoring from a successful Yorkshire Terrier breeder first.

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