"Another sorte which hunteth the Foxe and the Badger or Grey only, whom we call Terrars, because they (after the manner and custom of Ferrets in searching for Connyes) creepe into the grounde, and by that means make afrayed, nyppe, and byte the Fox and the badger in such sort, that eyther they teare them in peeces with thayre teeth beying in the bosome of the earth, or else hayle and pupll them perforce out of their lurking angles, dark dungeons and close caves" (Johannes Caius, in his De Canibus Britainicis, 1576).

Early terriers seldom received the adulation given dogs more often associated with nobility. But Terriers played a vital role by ridding farms and homes of vermin and eventually providing sport for commoners..

Terriers flourished in the British Isles, partly because the Forest Laws, some dating to the eleventh century, forbade serfs to own dogs capable of hunting large game. But without dogs, serfs' crops and homes might be overrun with vermin and their kettles meatless. The Forest Laws allowed serfs to won smaller dogs that could pass through a 7-inch hoop. Not just any small dog would serve. It had to be one that could follow and dispatch vermin in tight places and be easily carried for poaching. It had to be quick enough to chase rabbits and tough enough to face rats. That it might also entertain the family, warm a child's bed, or provide bragging rights for its hunting abilities were bonuses that eventually shaped the terrier's future. Puppies from exceptional hunters populated various villages, eventually creating separate strains in different villages.

The Industrial Revolution of the early 1800s further shaped these strains into breeds. Urbanization kindled the need for organized amusement when little entertainment was available to commoners. Affordable entertainment usually involved gambling, especially on animals. Taverns would set up a small pit, fill it with rats, throw in a dog, encourage some wagering, and provide inexpensive entertainment. Owners boasting of their terriers' rat killing prowess could test their dogs, perhaps winning wagers and cultivating a market for puppies or stud fees. Travelers accounts of the best dogs they had seen elsewhere enhanced the reputation of certain strains.

One such strain, the Waterside Terrier, was already in the northern England shire of York by the late 1700s. Weighing about 10 and sporting a long or rough, often grayish, coat, the Waterside Terrier excelled at ratting in the pits and along the docks.

Another prominent strain, the Roseneath Terrier, hailed from Roseneath in the Isle of Butte. Weighing between 10 and 16 pounds, and colored fawn or silver gray, the Roseneath terrier  gave rise to the Skye, Paisley, and Clydesdale Terriers. The latter two, sometimes considered the same breed, were small dogs with prick ears and long, straight, silky coats that sometimes trailed the ground. The Paisley was blue and silver, while the Clydesdale was blue and tan. Both breeds varnished by the early 1900s, but not before their strains--including probably the Yorkshire Terrier.

England's Industrial Revolution brought an influx of workers from abroad, including many Scottish weavers who worked in Yorkshire's textile mills. They brought their Paisley, Clydale, and old style of Skye terriers with them to help rid the mills of rats. Their Scotch terriers soon interbred with native English Terriers, including the Waterside Terrier. The ingredients needed for awaiting a few fortuitous matings.

Those matings involved a crossbred Scotch terrier named Swift's Old Crab, a small dog of about 9 pounds, with a medium length coat and tan points; a Skye or Paisley Terrier named Kershaw's Kitty, a drop eared dog with a long solid blue coat; and an Old English Terrier whose name has been lost but is described as having tan points, with a grayish back coat. These dogs are considered the foundation of the Yorkshire Terrier.

By the 1870's fancy terriers not only were vogue in Europe, but were gracing the finer American parlors. The first recorded birth of an American-born Yorkshire Terrier, a dog named Jack, was in 1872. American dog shows first offered classes specifically for Yorkshire Terriers in 1878, divided into categories of under and over 5 pounds. That same year Yorkshire Terriers were first shown at the Westminster Kennel Club. The thirty-three entries were about equally divided between the two weight divisions. Early Yorkies ranged in size from about 3 to 13 pounds, but during the next two decades size became more uniformly petite. 

This is an excerpt from the Yorkshire Terrier Handbook written by D. Caroline Coile, PH.D. This book can be acquired at your local Borders Book store. It contains almost anything you might want to know about a Yorkshire Terrier and gives great tips on raising your new puppy.