Of all the dogs in all the towns in all the world......

[RED-DOG]

Why the hell would I want a Yorkshire terrier?

Well despite being saddled with a pretty boy image, diminutive stature, and the stigma of generations spent sitting beribboned and coiffured on the lap of some doting old spinster, the Yorkshire terrier still retains all of the characteristics of the place and the people that spawned him.

In the early days of the industrial revolution, life in Yorkshire was incredibly hard for the common man. Small communities eked out a meagre living, the lives of the people at once sustained and blighted by the shadow of the coalmine, textile mill and factory. Hard work and poverty not withstanding, a roof and a wage were better than exposure and starvation, and job seekers came from all over the country. When they came, they brought their dogs with them.

The Scots brought a breed known as the Clydesdale, or Paisley terrier, these were big, tough, hard bitten working dogs that were used for hunting all types of small animals. Yorkshire men were impressed by the courage and tenacity of these terriers, but reluctant to feed and house such large creatures, especially when their primary function would be to kill rats and rabbits and alert the owner to the presence of intruders. These tasks could be accomplished by a much smaller, and therefore more economical animal, and so the process, almost the natural selection, that formed the Yorkshire terrier, began.

Selective breeding is a surprisingly simple process if you are single minded and ruthless. The Clydesdale/Paisley terriers were crossed with anything that had the characteristics required. The Black and Tan English Toy, the Skye, the Border, the Maltese, and anything else that seemed to fit the bill. Those offspring that exhibited the required traits were retained and bred from; those that did not were dispatched without ceremony or remorse.

The result is a terrier that gives much and asks little, he is high output, low maintenance. He is happy to walk 30 miles a day, or to run around in your flat. His coat doesn’t shed, so apart from a do it yourself haircut once in a while, he needs very little in the way of grooming. He is highly intelligent, eager to please, and easy to train, (provided you are at least as clever as he is).  He has all the best attributes of the Yorkshire people. Tough, determined, courageous and high spirited, but even-tempered and friendly, with a great sense of humour and a wickedly mischievous streak.

The Yorkie is a very big dog in a very small body. Loyal above and beyond, when called upon to protect his family, he is totally without fear, and would lay down his life in a heartbeat.

One other benefit of owning a Yorkie, especially one with a bad haircut, is the fact that it’s impossible to walk down the street without several women stopping you to chat about how gorgeous he is.

[tikay]

Brilliant Tom!, thank you, it's been ages since you gave us one of your in-depth stories.

Tom has a hankering for a dog, & you can guess what model he desires.

Now, a question Tom. Last week we disussed ther puppies you'd gone to visit (a would-be brithday pressie), & you mentioned the "shy-biter", the mother bitch that "nipped you" while your back was turned. That, apparently, is a bad trait in Yorkshire Terriers, or indeed the canine world as a whole.

I said "but it shows intelligence", but you insisted - & I bow to your all-seeing dog knowledge - it was quite the opposite.

This still troubles me. I'm sure "shy-biters" are a genetic trait to avoid, & a no-no - but it still seems to me that in the example you described, it suggested intelligence. You played with the pups, the mother watched, & when your back was turned, scurried across, gave you a nip, then scuttled away. I can think of many undesirable things in that, but it still seemed to me to be "bright dog". In most cases - though not you - the human would have hit or kicked the mother-bitch, so it did the wise thing, hit & run. No?

Now, moving swiftly on, I'm thinking of doing Luton tonight - are you? The value - Tighty - is usually there, & the super-value - Kev - may be open to persuasion.

[TightEnd]

Now, moving swiftly on, I'm thinking of doing Luton tonight - are you? The value - Tighty - is usually there, & the super-value - Kev - may be open to persuasion.

I will be sitting on my stool, coo-ing.


Tom is your Yorkie black and white?

[Colchester Kev]

No Luton for me tonight ... full of cold and snot.


whats the game ??

[Karabiner]

Now, moving swiftly on, I'm thinking of doing Luton tonight - are you? The value - Tighty - is usually there, & the super-value - Kev - may be open to persuasion.

I will be sitting on my stool, coo-ing.


Tom is your Yorkie black and white?

Yorkie puppies are black and tan for their first six months or so then they turn grey.

[tikay]

Now, moving swiftly on, I'm thinking of doing Luton tonight - are you? The value - Tighty - is usually there, & the super-value - Kev - may be open to persuasion.

I will be sitting on my stool, coo-ing.


Tom is your Yorkie black and white?

Where else would a stool pigeon be?

Tom does not have a yorkie - yet.......! Give him time, & he will, nowt's more certain.

[tikay]

No Luton for me tonight ... full of cold and snot.


whats the game ??

£50 Single rebuy, same as last week. Don't be late.

[RED-DOG]

Look at the natural world, virtualy all animals give fair warning before attacking, and there is a very good reason for this.

If they give fair warning, the chances are that the intended victim will take heed, and there will be no need for violence.

By biting me AFTER I had handled her pups, this bitch not only failed to protect her offspring, but put herself in danger needlessly into the bargain.

The intelegent thing to do would have been to accept the reasurances of her owner and allow me to handle the pups, or, if her protective instinct was too strong, warn me of her intentions BEFORE I do the damage. She didn't bark, she didn't growl. Imagine her guarding your home and silently nipping the burglars heel then running away as he makes off with the family silver.

A shy, timid dog is never, ever trustworthy.

I looked at another litter on Monday, but they, unfortunately, had not been socialised or allowed to be clean. After a certain age,  puppies that have not been well socialised tend to lack confedence, those that are allowed to soil their living area are very difficult to house-train.


I may seem picky, but owning a dog is a long term commitment, I want to at least try to avoid the most common pitfalls.

I bought a puppy last night, she is 7 weeks old. More info and piccys to follow.

Luton? I'll let you know.

[TightEnd]

£50 with one rebuy or add-on...same as last week, the deep-stack

[matt674]

He has all the best attributes of the Yorkshire people.

All the ones i know spend all day yapping and can't keep quiet for more than 30 seconds!!!























Not that fond of the dogs either!! 

[charmaine]

Only dog i ever loved was  Randy Brandy , he was a dirty little devil but we loved him 
Oh yeah , he was a yorkie 

[Rod Paradise]

Love the description Tom. Does that make the Scots less tight than the Yorkshiremen?

Re Terriers, met an old schoolmate a couple of weekends ago, he's got 2 fell terrier/border terrier crosses. Lovely dogs & I think if he breeds from them my Dad will want one. They were great natured, and he'd also trained them to lamping rabbits.

I like Yorkies, as long as they're a) not bred too small, b) not got that hair sweeping the ground making them look like a soft floorbrush. A decent sized yorkie with a properly trimmed coat is a fine wee dog.

Slightly off topic, I saw an advert for a victorian bulldog the other day, googled them & someones started breeding bulldogs back to what they were like before the Kennel Club *spits* allowed them to be bred so disfigured that they can't breathe, run, or even give birth properly. The Victorian bulldogs look like the bulldog in the Tom & Jerry films, not the malformed gargoyle shown at crufts. Well worth a wee google, even if just to see that some people think about the health of the dog, not just their conformation to a standard.

[RED-DOG]

Don't get me started Rod! Dogs bred for show/designed by committee and altered at the whim of fashion regardless of the suffering inflicted makes my blood boil.

Example, Working Labrador= slim, fast, athletic intelligent, almost a waterproof greyhound.

Show Labrador= fat, slow, Prone to hip displacia, dim, almost useless

[KingPoker]

Ive got 2 border collie and after them i will have border collies and then... well you can see a pattern!
Border Collies are friendly but are also great guard dogs, they are the most intelligent breed of dog (you can train them to do anything!), I was watching dog borstal on BBC 3 one night and one of the instructors on there taught a collie how to heel in around a minute, and said "you couldnt do that with any other breed of dog!".
They are fantastic company, so loyal and on times when my mum has been upset over something trivial (like my brother bumping the car!) the collie which is in the house goes up to her and puts her head on her lap to comfort her and really cheers her up! Its like they really pick up on the emotions of humans and we have one collie kept outside and when you got to take it for a walk, it is so thankful and excited to go that it is impossible not to be happy around them.
And they can be trained much better to attack than terriers, as when a terrier attacks it will not stop but a collie will. When my mate used to come around, she would bark at him and when i said 'kill' she would go for him but would be called off in a second. I dare not do it now as she is going deaf and might not hear the stop command lol.
And trust me, girls love sheep dogs!!!!
i remember my first full on snog with a girl at about 10 when taking my dog for a walk down by the river, which was obviously great fun, but i have always remeber the taste of onions in her mouth!!!!

[Rod Paradise]

Or the recommendation to dalmation breeders that the destroy any with a white mark on their nose - as they're no good for show. We'd one like that & she was the nicest dog we ever had - a demon for catching rabbits, crows, pheasants & even a seagull though.


Victorian
V

Kennel Club standard

The English Bull Terrier & the Boxer are another couple of dogs abused for fashion