black yorkies?

[Mimic]

Hi guys

I'm not sure if this is a US based forum or any UK folks here too?

I am in Yorkshire, UK and would like to know if there are any breeders in UK that get puppies that stay mostly black?

When I googled I have seen photo's of some Yorkies black with bit of white on chest or just black all over but it wasn't clear whether all of them were crossbreeds or some were pure bred yorkies where the breeder had bred dogs that stayed very black in adulthood together?

Been born and bred in Yorkshire I'd love a little dog that came from my home county but tend to favour darker dogs so just thought I'd enquire whether it was possible that some puppies stayed very dark if I chose a predominantly black puppy?

Also are males or females more likely to be black and stay dark?.. as if possible would prefer female. Thinking of calling her Heidi!

Thanks

Mimi

[rylariaizmik]

My baby was black and gold until his first hair cut when we discovered his silver coat underneath. That was about when he was 4 month old. He's been silver and gold ever since.

[BobbiB]

I'm sure they are out there, but I don't think I've ever seen an adult Yorkie that was black.

[Mimic]

Originally Posted by rylariaizmik

My baby was black and gold until his first hair cut when we discovered his silver coat underneath. That was about when he was 4 month old. He's been silver and gold ever since.

Is it cos you cut his coat then? If only trim ends.. will the new growth of the black hairs stay black?

[bjh]

Hello and welcome to Yorkie Talk. I live in the USA so I don't know any breeders in the UK. I just want to point out some things that might be helpful.

Most all yorkies are born black and tan except for the other colors such as parti, golden and chocolate. It is impossible to tell what color the puppy will be until it reaches adulthood.

Most all yorkies that stay black are cottony coated or soft coated. The body hair will stay black and the head will sometimes clear to gold or it could stay a suety color (black and gold mixed in).

You can look at the parents to get a good idea about how the pup will look but that still is not a guarantee the pup will take after the parents. Silky coated dogs can still produce cottony coated pups and vice versa.

Don't just focus on color. Finding a sound healthy pup should be your first priority. Check out some breeder websites in your area. Preferably look for a reputable breeder. I have seen many pictures of the darker yorkies in the UK. I have seen pictures of completely black yorkies but I really doubt they were purebred.

Best of luck on your search and please keep us posted when you find your new baby. We will looking forward to see pictures.

[Harrysmum]

Good morning, and welcome from a fellow UK-er!

Well, Harry was quite dark when we got him at 12 weeks, but got paler and paler over time....(+ bigger and bigger....!!!)

One of our members here, Oddsock, also lives in Yorkshire with her 2 adorable pups - it might be worth messaging her to see if she could help at all?

But if you definitely want a small, dark dog - I personally would look into other options just to be absolutely sure Good luck!

[matese]

Hi, in the past I had 2 females, their body remained pure black, my last girl had a tuft of white hair on her chest, a very very small amount. Their face and legs color was auburn, hair texture was beautiful. Their AKC paper stated color as BLUE. I LOVE the black body and auburn face, and would prefer those colors, but a yorkie is a yorkie, charm, personality silliness, is the same regardless of color. Every one I knew that had yorkies insisted their color would change to the silver grey, but that never happened. My other girls were the blond / tan face and silver grey bodies, my adopted boy is blond face & legs and 2 tone grey body. All black bodies are out there, I have not seen a lot, I use to work in NYC and saw thousands of dogs daily, all black body yorkies were far and few between. Good luck on your quest to find that pure black body pup, I will say, the body will be black, but face and legs will be blond, tan or auburn.

[Mimic]

Thanks for answering guys.

The pup doesn't have to be completely black, but I just wondered if I had chose the pup in the litter with the most black on, whether it would stay the darkest puppy as an adult (compared to its siblings and the shades it COULD potentially fade to)

Black and auburn sounds nice! I know their faces do tend to change to the brown colour and the back lightens to a silvery grey. I was just wondering if the back would stay darker in a puppy that was very dark to start with?

As it would be a pet rather than showing it, it would probably be kept trimmed in a puppy cut. I'd learn to do it myself and just trim it as it grows to save having to cut huge amounts off at once.

Does whether the coat is trimmed and how it's cut make a difference to the colour? ..For example if you grew the puppies coat right out as if for showing with the long silky hair do they tend to go lighter? As I don't believe I've ever seen a darker coat in the dogs with really long coats. All the pics I've found of yorkies with a darker coat seem to be in a 'puppy cut'. I wasn't sure how much of that was the dogs age at the time of the photo? ..or keeping it short keeps the darker hair in for longer?

Does anyone have a photo of their adult dog that has stayed 'darker than average' ..the black/auburn one sounded really nice too?

Thanks very much for your advice.

Mimi

[bjh]

It is not easy to tell on a young puppy how light or dark it will be. You best bet with be to get with a breeder that does not sell their pups to young. If a puppy starts breaking to a light color on their head at a early age, say around 8 to 12 weeks then that is a sign that they may go light. Also, on older pups, say around 12 weeks, if they are showing signs of turning grey on their shoulder hair at the roots or on the belly hair then you know they won't stay black.

Some yorkies do stay black, even into adulthood. Over the years I have had very few yorkies that stayed black. I have one female that stayed black and I have posted a picture of her. She was around a year old when that picture was taken. She ended up with a cottony coat. She is now 8 years old and she is still black. Her head did clear more. When I shave her, her coat is still black. Most of your silky coated yorkies that change from black to steel blue will look a lot lighter when they are cut down.

I don't think their sex really has anything to do with if they go light or stay dark. It is all in their genetics.

You most likely won't see any black yorkies in the show ring because it is considered a fault here in the USA. In Europe some of the dogs do tend to be darker.

[Hugodollymummy]

My Hugo had a black coat until he around a year old. Now he is dark grey/grey blue colour. His fur on his head turned grey first then the rest of him. His sister has a black coat but is just a pup so she will turn grey later on. I've never seen an adult with a black coat, very dark grey but not the black that they are when they are puppies. I have a question, my baby girl has a white patch of fur on her chest, is this normal?

[bjh]

Originally Posted by Hugodollymummy

My Hugo had a black coat until he around a year old. Now he is dark grey/grey blue colour. His fur on his head turned grey first then the rest of him. His sister has a black coat but is just a pup so she will turn grey later on. I've never seen an adult with a black coat, very dark grey but not the black that they are when they are puppies. I have a question, my baby girl has a white patch of fur on her chest, is this normal?

A small white patch on the chest is normal. According to the YTCA yorkie standard, the white patch on the chest cannot be more than a inch in size or it would be considered a disqualification. I don't know what the UKC standard calls for.

[bjh]

Here is a copy of the UKC standard for the yorkshire terrier. It also states that a very small white patch on the chest is allowable.

Keep in mind that the standard is written as a guideline for breeders who wish to breed dogs for the betterment of the breed. Unfortunately there will always be breeders that breed for other reasons and they do not show their dogs or care what the standard calls for.

United Kennel Club: Yorkshire Terrier

[Mimic]

Originally Posted by bjh

It is not easy to tell on a young puppy how light or dark it will be. You best bet with be to get with a breeder that does not sell their pups to young. If a puppy starts breaking to a light color on their head at a early age, say around 8 to 12 weeks then that is a sign that they may go light. Also, on older pups, say around 12 weeks, if they are showing signs of turning grey on their shoulder hair at the roots or on the belly hair then you know they won't stay black.

Some yorkies do stay black, even into adulthood. Over the years I have had very few yorkies that stayed black. I have one female that stayed black and I have posted a picture of her. She was around a year old when that picture was taken. She ended up with a cottony coat. She is now 8 years old and she is still black. Her head did clear more. When I shave her, her coat is still black. Most of your silky coated yorkies that change from black to steel blue will look a lot lighter when they are cut down.

I don't think their sex really has anything to do with if they go light or stay dark. It is all in their genetics.

You most likely won't see any black yorkies in the show ring because it is considered a fault here in the USA. In Europe some of the dogs do tend to be darker.

yes the pic in your attached thumbnail is more what I looking for and the one below (I hope) if possible where you can see the dog still has the brown but is over all a darker shade than some with very light caramel coloured faces and silvery-grey backs.

I have looked at some other similar breeds as someone mentioned I did originally look at Border Terriers that can also be very black as puppies but always tend to go a lighter brown in age.

I looked at Lancashire Heelers also a (black/tan combo) ..I think they tend to keep their colour however they are a native endangered breed and so not as many breeders. I think I'd have difficulty securing a female particuarly if I was not intending to breed to boost the popularity of the breed in the UK.

I did also see a photo of a very cute yorkie x pom that was all black. (see pic below).

I've had a couple of mostly black dogs with either just white or tri. I do like the black-tan after my inlaws had a rottie, however they are way too big for me. I'm looking for a much smaller sized companion for my later years!.. so starting looking at black-tan small breeds!

I'd like to support a British breed so been from Yorkshire I had to check out Yorkshire Terriers!!!

Also can someone tell me what is the size difference in these I see advertised as 'teacup' Yorkies and how big I'd expect a 'regular' Yorkie to be?

Thanks

Mimi

[Hugodollymummy]

Originally Posted by bjh

Here is a copy of the UKC standard for the yorkshire terrier. It also states that a very small white patch on the chest is allowable.

Keep in mind that the standard is written as a guideline for breeders who wish to breed dogs for the betterment of the breed. Unfortunately there will always be breeders that breed for other reasons and they do not show their dogs or care what the standard calls for.

United Kennel Club: Yorkshire Terrier

Thanks for your reply! It is a very small patch, I've never seen one with it before until I got her but it must be quite common then if it's mentioned in the standard.

[bjh]

Originally Posted by Hugodollymummy

Thanks for your reply! It is a very small patch, I've never seen one with it before until I got her but it must be quite common then if it's mentioned in the standard.

It is fairly common in newborn puppies. Sometimes I will have a litter where they all have a little white on the chest and sometimes I have litters with no white on the chest. Most of the time it is just a mixture, some with white and some without white. Most of the time the white not even noticeable once the yorkie is grown.