- Dark steel blue (not silver blue), extending from occiput to root of tail, never mingled with fawn, bronze or dark hairs.
- Hair on chest rich, bright tan.
- All tan hair darker at the roots than in middle, shading to still lighter at tips
About the Yorkshire Terrier
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 12-16 years
- Size
- Small — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 1.8-3.2 kg
- Height
- 18-20 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Terriers
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Yorkshire Terrier?
Small toy terrier with long, silky steel blue and golden tan coat and confident, spirited personality. Despite their tiny size, these feisty dogs possess the bold terrier temperament in a compact package.
Yorkshire Terrier history and origins
Developed during the Industrial Revolution in Yorkshire and Lancashire by Scottish weavers and mill workers. Bred to catch rats in textile mills and mines, combining various terrier breeds including the now-extinct Paisley and Clydesdale Terriers.
Yorkshire Terrier appearance and size
Typically 1.8-3.2 kg and 18-20 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Companion Dog
- Behaviour and temperament
“Alert, intelligent toy terrier. Spirited with even disposition”
Quoted from FCI standard n°86. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Small
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Companion Dog” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 2 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Yorkshire Terrier
What you get with the Yorkshire Terrier
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Companion Dog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Alert, intelligent toy terrier. Spirited with even disposition”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “On body moderately long, perfectly straight (not wavy), glossy”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Yorkshire Terrier
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
On body moderately long, perfectly straight (not wavy), glossy
fine silky texture, not woolly, must never impede movement.
Fall on head long, rich golden tan, deeper in colour at sides of head, about ear roots and on muzzle where it should be very long.
Tan on head not to extend on to neck, nor must any sooty or dark hair intermingle with any of tan
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°86 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Weight: Up to 3,2 kgs”
- FCI gives a bound on one side only, so there is no range to state.
Quoted from FCI standard n°86. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Yorkshire Terrier in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Yorkshire Terrier
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Yorkshire Terrier on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Yorkshire Terrier owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Yorkshire Terrier breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.