Yorkshire Terrier
The Yorkshire Terrier was bred by mill workers in the West Riding in the nineteenth century as a ratter, from Scottish terriers brought south by weavers, and its long silk coat…
About the Yorkshire Terrier
The Yorkshire Terrier was bred by mill workers in the West Riding in the nineteenth century as a ratter, from Scottish terriers brought south by weavers, and its long silk coat was the show fanciers' addition. Under the glamour it is still a terrier, and a Yorkie will take on a dog many times its size without a second thought.
The standard asks for a weight of up to 3.2 kg, with a steel-blue and tan coat that grows to floor length if left; most pet Yorkies are clipped short. Because the breed has been bred tiny for a long time, sturdiness varies, and a stud at a sound weight with a correct mouth and a closed skull is a better prospect than the smallest available. Temperament should be bold and cheerful.
Ask a Yorkshire Terrier stud owner for patella examination and a current eye certificate, and about portosystemic liver shunt in the line, which the breed carries more than most and which no DNA test detects. Tracheal collapse and Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease are worth a question, and so is dental health, which can be poor in a small mouth.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Health testing
Health tests for the Yorkshire Terrier
We haven’t published a health-test panel for this breed yet. That is a gap in our guidance, not a statement about the breed — many breeds have well-established screening schemes and DNA tests. Ask the breeder what testing applies, and see how verification works for how we check declared results.
Breed hip median
Too few dogs of this breed have been scored (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years: 1 dog) to give a meaningful breed median. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Yorkshire Terrier stud dogs
No Yorkshire Terrier studs are listed right now
When a Yorkshire Terrier on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Yorkshire Terrier litters
No Yorkshire Terrier litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
