In 2006, Yorkshire Terriers became the second most popular purebred dog in America. The year before, they had been number three. Although it seems hard to think that any breed of dog would topple the long reigning Labrador Retriever from the top spot, the tiny Yorkshire Terrier seems poised to do just that. Wondering if you have ever seen a Yorkshire Terrier (most commonly called Yorkies)? Chances are, you have seen a lot of them.

One of the advantages of getting purebred dogs is that their physical and personality temperaments can (for the most part) be predicted. You will also be aware of the needs for the dog in order to happy and healthy.

They are most commonly in blue and gold coats, although a there are slight variations in color the blue and gold dominate. These coats naturally grow long and silky, getting to be almost twice the length of the dog, requiring that tiny red bow in top so the dog can see.

A Yorkshire Terrier is often identified by the incredibly long show coat. The show champions are usually the ones pictured in dog breed books and in magazines. If you are familiar with guinea pigs, the Yorkshire Terrier is the one who looks a lot like a Peruvian show guinea pig (and some Yorkies aren’t much heavier than a guinea pig!) However, this show coat is only seen on show dogs. The majority of Yorkies spend their lives in a closely clipped coat.

In general, Yorkshire Terriers are lively, bright-eyed toy sized dogs that weigh an average of six to seven pounds. For the most part, their ears are pointed, but sometimes they are floppy in adults. Puppies almost always look to be black and tan, and lighten to the distinctive steel blue and tan as they mature. The spine is level, the muzzle pointed and the tail is usually, sadly, docked. Very rarely will you find a Yorkie with a long tail.

Other distinctive features of the Yorkshire Terrier include a black nose, a yappy voice and a bold personality. Unlike a sloping spine of, say, a German Shepherd, Yorkies have even spines with the shoulder in line with the rump.

Their noses are black and their muzzles pointed. They have big, bright eyes and their teeth should meet in a scissors or an even bite.

Another fault is if they are over seven pounds, which happens often, even in purebreds, since the Yorkshire Terrier ancestor was well over seven pounds. Another fault is if they don’t have the right color.