Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Yorkshire Terrier 101: The AKC Yorkie Standard

The point of a breed standard is to have a goal for all breeders to aim for. When a dog is judged in the show ring, it is judged against the breed standard and not against the other dogs. Since the Yorkshire Terrier is the second most popular breed of dog in America, there are a lot of Yorkshire Terriers around that fall short of the breed standard goal.

A lot of Yorkshire Terriers are bought on impulse or as a gift that the receiver soon regrets. Although Yorkies are cute and need a bare minimum of exercise, they need money invested in their health and coat care. They also have very small bladders, making housetraining difficult. These dogs are also efficient bodyguards and will attack any one they think is threatening. So, most Yorkies are abandoned through no fault of their own. By knowing basic Yorkshire Terrier information, you can avoid this tragedy.
You can find the Yorkshire Terrier breed standard in a variety of places. All breed dog books are not very good if you are looking for a detailed description. They only give the most general descriptions of breed standards. You need to go the American Kennel Club or a Yorkshire Terrier rescue group website in order to find the most recent Yorkie breed standard (which can be updated occasionally). There are also books focusing on just the Yorkshire Terrier that may available in your local library.

In general, Yorkshire Terriers are lively, bright-eyed toy sized dogs that weigh an average of six to seven pounds. For the most part, their ears are pointed, but sometimes they are floppy in adults. Puppies almost always look to be black and tan, and lighten to the distinctive steel blue and tan as they mature. The spine is level, the muzzle pointed and the tail is usually, sadly, docked. Very rarely will you find a Yorkie with a long tail.
Other distinctive features of the Yorkshire Terrier include a black nose, a yappy voice and a bold personality. Unlike a sloping spine of, say, a German Shepherd, Yorkies have even spines with the shoulder in line with the rump. They should stand squarely. Although blue and tan is the official color, other colors or white markings have cropped up in pet quality animals.

Yorkshire Terriers are famous for their silky coats. In show champions, the coat is about twice as long as the dog. In the shelter, most likely the dog you are trying to identify has a clipped coat, making him or her look like a cross between a teddy bear and a ragamuffin. Another fault that disqualifies a Yorkie from a show ring is having black hairs mixed with the blue and tan. Also, if the blue of your Yorkie is silver blue instead of steel blue, he or she will also not be considered good enough for the show ring.

You can find many books on dog care, including care of the Yorkshire Terrier. Go to the library to find books that contain extensive Yorkshire Terrier information.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Yorkshire Terriers: A Small Apartment Dog

Yorkshire Terriers are known as Yorkies. These dogs are marked with their friendliness, cheerfulness and elegance. Belonging to the small dog breeds, Yorkshire Terriers are one of the popular and attractive toy dogs. If you live in a small home and prefer a soft, little, cute and sweet-natured dog, quite naturally the Yorkshire Terrier is a perfect choice for you. Although these dogs have a true fascination for long walks, they do not usually miss out the chances to run around the garden or home if they are allowed so. They possess a jovial mind, so it is better to arrange various toys for them to play.

Probably there is no one on the face of earth who does not get hypnotized while looking at a Yorkie's charismatic appearance blended with intelligent attitude. They can weigh less than six pounds typically, however they will never back down if they perceive anything threatening in the environment. Sensitiveness, loyalty and showing affection to the family members are its integral characteristics. They are true descendants of Terrier, so are their temperaments.
As said before, these dogs are very brave, despite of their smaller size they do not hesitate to become defensive when the time comes. They instinctually contribute enough to protect its land from the intruders. Blessed with a keen sense of hearing, Yorkshire Terriers typically alert their owners about any possible intrusion, even at the slightest sound. This leads them to become reactive and noisy frequently, hence you should think twice before getting one, especially if you are living in a congested neighborhood.

Truly Yorkshire Terriers are the pride of various shows. However, grooming them exclusive for this purpose demands strict dedication, enthusiasm and time. It is really difficult task since they have such a long and beautiful coat all over their bodies. If you are interested in taking extra care of the coat, you should contact a specialized breed club or professional breeders. The Yorkshire Terrier is absolutely not for you if you do not have much time to spend on its grooming.
If you can take care of Yorkshire Terriers' grooming, you can rest assured about these dogs' ability to mix well with other pets. If brought together, Yorkshire Terriers can mix very well with cats and other dogs without any apparent problem. However, since they carry all the instincts of Terriers, they are truly possessive about owners. So you must take enough care before introducing your Yorkshire Terriers to new animals belong to your family to avoid confrontations and altercations.

Quite obviously, you should take care if you have children since mishandling may harm Yorkshire Terriers badly due to their small size. However, they love to play with kids, if the kids are sensible enough. Yorkshire Terriers simply love to sleep on the owner's lap. House training for Yorkshire Terriers is very easy. In order to ensure their safety, crate training is very essential for them. Typically, Yorkshire Terriers are healthy breed with long life span.

The Yorkshire Terrier is a cute looking and good-manner small dog breed that needs extensive grooming. If you are looking for Yorkshire Terrier information, you will be able to learn the fundamentals of this breed in this article.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Kind And Gentle Yorkies

Yorkies are making their way into the homes and hearts of more and more people every year as many people are beginning to see what this entire breed has to offer. This animal is extremely fun loving and gets along well with other animals or pets that may be currently in the home or that you would bring home later. Beware that this fearless little, yet very sturdy dog, is able to win your heart no matter what.

Although this breed only grows to be about five or six pounds at full grown, they make up in personality what they do not have in size. And they certainly do love getting their attention from anyone willing to give it to them. Loving the pampered life, this dog makes an excellent addition into almost any home, or even purse for that matter as they are so small you can take them everywhere with you.
And with as much running and playing around that Yorkies like to do, it is no wonder that they require daily brushing as their silky long coat can easily get matted and can become a problem if it is not taken care of properly. Also, as with any pup that loves being pampered, the Yorkies generally enjoy being cleaned in baths and with teeth brushing. To the Yorkies, any type of attention is good attention.

And although they are not very big in size, these little ones can make for excellent guard dogs, as they will always alert the owners when someone is approaching their home. They are very protective over their home and their family, which means there is another reason to make this precious pup apart of your family. Their outgoing personality is what will help make sure that you do not regret your decision to bring one home.
Although Yorkies are generally extremely friendly and outgoing, it is important to watch small children around this breed, as they are not always suitable for homes that have small children in them. Yorkies are very small in size and they know it so the fast movements of the small children make them nervous. So therefore, they end up snapping at children, which can cause physical and emotional trauma, which a child could carry with them for a long time.

Yorkies are also sometimes hard to house train as that independent personality tends to come out. They seem to have a mind of their own at times and this can get in the way of a quick training, but that is not to say that they are not trainable at all. It just takes the Yorkies a little more time to get the hang of things. Yorkies also do not prefer to be in the rain or out in the cold so if heading outdoors, you may just want to grab their favorite sweater for comfort.

When thinking about Yorkies and whether you should bring one home, make sure you understand the typical personality of the Yorkshire Terrier. When looking at browsing some Yorkies, it is vital that you read up on lots of Yorkshire Terrier information to know exactly what type of personality you can expect.

Yorkshire Terrier Information