The Yorkshire Terriers originated in Britain in the mid-18^th century. They originally worked in mills and factories to catch mice and vermin. We usually think of Yorkies as pampered house pets but that wasn’t the case before. Since they hunted long ago they still carry those characteristics.

Yorkies may be toy-sized dogs, but they are considered terriers. When they are full grown they usually don’t weigh more than seven pounds. If you have a Yorkie that does weigh more than that it is not uncommon. Some Yorkies are larger than others.

Yorkshire Terriers are born with long tails. But when Yorkies are very young the owner has a choice to get its tail docked. This is done when they are three to five days old. It is your choice to get this done although it isn’t necessary to have this done for your dog to be purebred.

The official color of the Yorkshire Terrier is steel blue with tan points. The “steel blue” is more of a very light gray not actually blue. To achieve this color they get half of their genes from their mom and half from their dad. Some Yorkies though have a black coat with darker brown points.

Yorkies have a great personality. They are always friendly and alert. These dogs always want to be with people and know what’s going on. When going out for the day your Yorkie will want to come with you. If you have a Yorkie you know that you’ll never be bored around these curious, high-energy dogs.

These dogs are very unique. They have a small head and the top is flat. Their eyes and nose are black. They also have a dark eye rim which means around their eyes there is a dark outlining. The ears of Yorkies are V-shaped, too. Now if you see a dog that you think might be a Yorkshire Terrier you’ll know what characteristics to look for.