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Old 10-22-2014, 06:52 AM   #1
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Default Origins of the Breed; The Real History of the Yorkshire Terrier

At the request of some other posters, I decided to start a thread to discuss the history of the breed. I would like to encourage anyone to post historical data about the origins of the breed.


Some questions to consider:


-What were Yorkshire Terriers bred for originally?
- What breeding stock was used?
-Why did they become so popular?


A lot was covered in the Ideal Weight for Show Thread, this thread is a more focused continuation of a great conversation we were having on that thread.


Thanks Mike 1975 for the great idea, and your contributions to our historical knowledge.
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Old 10-22-2014, 10:47 AM   #2
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3 years ago I started to thoroughly study this wonderful breed.
One of the first books that came to my hands and kept like a treasure, was "The Complete Yorkshire Terrier" written by Joan Gordon.
This book inspired me to search as much as possible, gathering information about yorkies origination and original function.
What surprised me most, was that despite the facts and historical data provided by Mrs Gordon, many modern authors claim that there is a great deal of mystery concerning the origin of the Yorkshire Terrier. Many claim that "the Yorkshire Terrier's original function was to hunt and kill rats and other rodents in the mines and cotton mills in county Yorkshire in northern England."
Even though the yorkies temperament and capabilities have shown that he can be a great ratter, none of the sources of that time I have found, mention that this was the purpose for which it was originally bred.

Today we have the privilege to read books and historical documents using the advantages of modern technology. Books of the late 19th and early 20th century are available to all of us online through university libraries.


One of the first authors to put an opinion to paper was John Henry Walsh, who wrote under the alias of “Stonehenge". In his 1878 work "The dogs of the British Islands: being a series of articles on the points of their various breeds, and the treatment of the diseases to which they are subject"

https://archive.org/stream/dogsofbri...arch/yorkshire

wrote of the Yorkshire Terrier:

Quote:
"This terrier is a genuine product of the county from which he takes his name. Undoubtedly a manufactured article, and the most recent addition to our varieties, he may be described as the newest goods of this class from the Yorkshire looms; with the greater propriety that his distinctive character is in his coat—well carded, soft, and-long as it is, and beautifully tinted with "cunning Huddersfield dyes," and free from even a suspicion of "shoddy."

Visitors to our dog shows who look out for the beautiful as well as the useful cannot fail to be attracted by this little exquisite, as he reclines on his cushion of silk or velvet, in the centre of his little palace of crystal and mahogany, or struts round his mansion with the consequential airs of the dandy that he is; yet, with all his self-assertion of dignity, his beard of approved cut and colour, faultless whiskers of Dundreary type, and coat of absolute perfection, without one hair awry, one cannot help feeling that he is but a dandy after all. . . .whilst, in striking contrast, those every-day drudges, the Irish terriers and the Scotch terriers, with their coarse, ragged, unkempt coats, will be exhibited as the " bog trotters " and " stock o' duds" sects of the doggy family.

Although so very modern, it is difficult to trace satisfactorily the pedigree of this breed; indeed, pedigree he may be said at present to have none, and it is hard to say out of what materials he was manufactured; but the warp and woof of him appear to have been the common long-coated black and tan, and the lighter-coloured specimens of what is known as the Glasgow or Paisley Skye terrier, the former of no certain purity, and the latter an admitted mongrel; and from which I think the Yorkshire gets the softness and length of coat due to Maltese blood. In shape this dog is in the proportion of height to length between the Skye and English terrier—rather nearer to the latter. . . . coat and colour; the coat must be abundant over the whole body, head, legs, and tail, and artificial means are used to encourage its growth; length and straightness, freedom from curl and waviness, being sought for; the body colour should be clear, soft, silvery blue, of course varying in shade; with this is preferred a golden tan head, with darker tan about the ears, and rich tan legs. . . . When the pups are born they are black in colour, as are pepper Dandie Dinmonts and others.

Of the oldest dogs of note of this breed were Walshaw's Sandy, Ramsden's Bounce, Inman's Don, Burgess's Batty, and the celebrated Huddersfield Ben. . . . and he, sharing the blood of three of the above, proved the best of his day, and there is now scarcely a dog exhibited that is not a descendant of Ben. . . . The classification of these dogs at shows and in the Kennel Club Stud Book is confusing and absurd, as shown by the fact that some of the above, all being of the same breed and blood, are classed as Yorkshire terriers; others as rough or broken-haired toy terriers. It would be much better to divide them by weight, and classify them as large and small Yorkshire terriers."

In 1881, Vero Shaw wrote the book "The Illustrated Book of the Dog".
https://archive.org/stream/illustrat...arch/yorkshire

There he writes about yorkshire terrier :

Quote:
"The origin of the breed is most obscure, for its originators Yorkshire like were discreet enough to hold their own counsel, and kept their secrets to themselves. Whether this reticence on their part has had the effect of stifling the inquiries of curious persons, or whether the merits of the breed have hitherto been sufficiently unappreciated by the public, we can not pretend to say; but we are aware of no correspondence or particular interest having been taken on the subject of the Yorkshire Terrier's origin.

In certain works on the dog, however, deductions have been drawn which no doubt are more or less worthy of respect. The Black and Tan Terrier, the Skye, and the Maltese are all credited with the paternity of the Yorkshire Terrier. That the breed in question resembles the Skye in certain details is evident, but in many important points the two varieties vary widely. For instance, the back of the Yorkshire Terrier must be short and the back of a Skye Terrier long; so as regards shape, at least, the Yorkshire man can not be accused of a great resemblance to his northern neighbor. In our eyes the breed much more closely resembles the Maltese dog, save in color; but there is no doubt that some of our more typical breeds of 'Terriers have been also drawn upon for his production. Many persons who are ignorant on "doggy" subjects persistently confuse the Yorkshire with what they term the "Scotch Terrier," thereby meaning the Skye, we presume. There is, however, no visible ground or reason ever given for their opinions, which are certainly based on error, and ignorance of the subject.

Before leaving the subject of the Yorkshire Terrier's origin, it may be remarked that the puppies are born black in color, as are Dandy Dinmonts, and do not obtain their proper shade of coat until they are some months old. Searchers after the truth may here discover some connection, which we ourselves confess we do not, between the Yorkshire and Dandy Dininont Terriers, in consequence of this peculiarity in the young of both varieties."

In 1879 Hugh Dalziel wrote "British dogs; their varieties, history, characteristics, breeding, management and exhibition"

https://archive.org/stream/britishdo...arch/yorkshire

Quote:
"This dog long went by the name of Rough or Scotch Terrier, and many dog-show committees in issuing their schedules still include them under that heading; but to call them Scotch is quite a misnomer, the true Scotch Terrier being a much rougher, shorter, and harder coated dog, of greater size and hardiness, and altogether a rough-and-tumble vermin dog. with no pretensions to the beauty and elegance of the little "Yorkshire swell," so that it is rather startling to find this petit exquisite still called a Scotch terrier in the catalogue of such an important and excellently managed show as that of Darlington.

The Kennel Club, and others who have followed them, in making a class for these dogs, and naming it Yorkshire terriers, have yielded to the persistence of the " Country " in pointing out the absurdity of the misnomer in general use.

That the Yorkshire Terrier should have been called Scotch by those who, although they may have the credit of producing this dog, probably did not know of the existence of the real Scotch Terrier as a breed, suggests that at least a Terrier of Scotland has had something to do with his manufacture.
Now, among Terriers recognized as Scotch, if not now peculiar to the country, we have the old hard, short coated Scotch Terrier par excellence ; the short-legged and mixed-coated Dandie; the Skyes, with long, weasel-like bodies, and long, hard coat ; and the perky little prick-eared, hard and short coated Aberdonian ; and, in addition, the Glasgow or Paisley Skye, a more toyish dog, shorter in back, and comparatively soft and silky in coat, which it probably inherits from a Maltese Terrier cross. My theory, then, respecting the origin of the Yorkshire Terriers (and I admit it is only a theory, for the most diligent and repeated inquiries on my part in all likely or promising quarters have failed in elucidating reliable facts, and none, certainly, contradictory to my views) is that the dog was what gardeners call "a sport " from some lucky combination of one of the Scotch Terriers either the genuine Skye or Paisley Toy and one of the old soft and longish coated black-and-tan English Terriers, at one time common enough, and probably a dash of Maltese blood in it."
to be continued
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Old 10-22-2014, 10:52 AM   #3
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Rawdon B. Lee in 1894 wrote the book "A history and description of the modern dogs of Great Britain and Ireland - The terriers"
https://archive.org/stream/moderndog.../n385/mode/2up

Quote:
"The charming, aristocratic little dog we now know as the Yorkshire terrier has been identified as such for but a comparatively short period, the Kennel Club adopting this nomenclature in their Stud Book for 1886. Prior to this date the name had been hanging about him for some few years, because the names of rough, broken-haired, or Scotch terrier, under which he was first known, were most misleading. During the early days of dog shows the classes in which he competed included terriers of almost any variety, from the cross-bred mongrel to the Dandie Dinmont, the Skye terrier, and the Bedlington. Indeed, twenty years since it was no uncommon sight to see wire-haired fox terriers figuring with others of a silkier coat under the one common head of "rough or broken-haired terriers." As a fact, a broken-haired terrier should have been altogether a short-coated dog the Yorkshire is long-coated to a greater extent than any other variety of the terrier; nor was the title Scotch terrier, by which he was most frequently known, at all adaptable to him.

How the name of Scotch terrier became attached to a dog which so thoroughly had its home in Yorkshire and Lancashire is somewhat difficult to determine, if it can be determined at all, but a very old breeder of the variety told me that the first of them originally came from Scotland, where they had been accidentally produced from a cross between the silky-coated Skye terrier (the Clydesdale) and the black and tan terrier. One could scarcely expect that a pretty dog, partaking in a degree after both its parents, could be produced from a first cross between a smooth-coated dog, and a long-coated bitch or vice versa. Maybe, two or three dogs so bred had been brought by some of the Paisley weavers into Yorkshire, and there, suitably admired, pains were taken to perpetuate the strain. There appears to be something feasible and practical in this story, and I am sorry that when the information was given me, nearly a quarter of a century since, by a Yorkshire weaver then sixty years old and since dead, I did not obtain more particulars about what was in his day called the Scotch terrier."
There is great deal of information in the book "The American Book of the Dog" written in 1891.

https://archive.org/stream/americanb...arch/yorkshire

There, P.H. Coombs who was an American pioneer of the breed, provides us with some answers gathering the story from the last of the generation who knew the yorkie's beginning. He is quoting various writers and their research about the origin of the breed including Shaw, Dalziel and Stonehenge.

There he quotes a 1887 article for the magazine "English Stock-Keeper", written by author G.H. Wilkinson

https://archive.org/stream/americanb...arch/yorkshire

Quote:
"In commencing an article on the Yorkshire Terrier, it is necessary to trace back its origin as far as possible. With this object in view, I have been at some trouble in looking up several old fanciers, one of whom, John Richardson, of Halifax, is now in his sixty-seventh year. And very interesting it was to hear this aged man go back to the "good old days" of over half a century ago. I regret, however, that, although we can find men who have been in the fancy so long, the origin of the Yorkshire Terrier is somewhat obscure.
Fifty years ago, there was in Halifax, and the immediate neighborhood, a type of dog called at that time (and even within these last twenty years) a " Waterside Terrier; " a little game dog, varying in weight from six to twenty pounds, mostly about ten pounds weight a dog resembling very much the present Welsh and Airedale Terrier on a small scale. At this period, these dogs were bred for the purpose of hunting and killing rats. They would go into the river and work with a ferret, and were just in their element when put into a rat-pit. An almost daily occurrence, at that time, was to back them to kill a given number of rats in a given time. It seems almost a pity that such a breed should have become extinct.
Mr. Richardson himself owned a little bitch called Polly, who weighed six pounds, and she was frequently put into a rat-pit with a dozen rats, the whole of which she would speedily kill against time. She would also swim the river and hunt with the ferret. This little bitch, I am told, had four or five inches of coat on each side of her body, with a white or silver head. At that time, however, the average specimen was a shorter-coated dog, with grizzle-gray, hardish coat. It however seems to me, and is also the opinion of many old fanciers whom I have consulted, that they were the ancestors for the present breed. There is no doubt, also, that the blood of the Skye Terrier was introduced at some remote period, which may account for the longer coat and long body that existed some ten or fifteen years later. No care or definite object, however, seems to have been aimed at in breeding, at this time, beyond getting a dog thoroughly game. It seems that it was more by good luck than management that, about twenty or thirty years ago, a longer and softer coated dog became known. It must also be borne in mind that at this time their coats were not cultivated as they were later on. Dog shows were almost unknown in those days, and even later were scarce."

He also mentions Mr. James Watson's article, published in the Century Magazine of 1886 :

https://archive.org/stream/americanb...arch/yorkshire

Quote:
"Some of our authorities have attempted to throw a great deal of mystery about the origin of the Yorkshire Terrier, where none really exists. If we consider that the mill operatives who originated the breed by careful selection of the best long-coated small Terriers they could find were nearly all ignorant men, unaccustomed to imparting information for public use, we may see some reason why reliable facts have not been easily attained. These early writers show but little knowledge of the possibilities of selection. Stonehenge, (referring to John Henry Walsh) for instance, in his early editions, speaks of its being impossible for a dog with a three-inch coat and seven-inch beard to be a descendant of the soft-coated Scotch Terrier, without a cross of some kind. The absurdity of this is seen when we remember that within a few years of the date of his history, Yorkshire Terriers were shown with twelve inches of coat.

Then, again, he speaks of the King Charles Spaniel as being employed to give the blue and tan, than which a more ridiculous statement could not have been penned. To get a blue-and-tan, long, straight, silky coat, breeders were not likely to employ a black-and-tan dog with a wide chest, tucked-up loin, a round, bullet head, large, protruding eyes, and heavy Spaniel ears. The idea is too absurd to be entertained for a moment. As arrayed against all the conjectures of theorists, I have in my possession a letter from Mrs. M. A. Foster, of Bradford, England, who in writing of the dog Bradford Hero, the winner of ninety-seven first prizes, says: " The pedigree of Bradford Hero includes all the best dogs for thirty-five years back, and they were all originally bred from Scotch Terriers, and shown as such until a few years back. The name of Yorkshire Terrier was given to them on account of their being improved so much in Yorkshire."
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Old 10-22-2014, 10:53 AM   #4
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One year after Watson’s article in Century Magazine, Mr. Ed. Bootman, of Halifax wrote an article for the English Stock-Keeper which claimed to know not only the types of dogs used to create the Yorkie, but also their names:

https://archive.org/stream/americanb...arch/yorkshire

Quote:
"Swift's Old Crab, a cross-bred Scotch Terrier, Kershaw's Kitty, a Skye, and an old English Terrier bitch kept by J. Whittam, then residing in Hatter's Fold, Halifax, were the progenitors of the present race of Yorkshire Terriers.

These dogs were in the zenith of their fame forty years ago. The owner of Old Crab was a native of Halifax, and a joiner by trade. He worked at Oldham for some time as a journeyman, and then removed to Manchester, where he kept a public house. Whether he got Crab at Oldham or Manchester I have not been able to ascertain. He had him when in Manchester, and from there sent him several times to Halifax on a visit to Kitty. The last visit would be about 1850.

Crab was a dog of about eight or nine pounds weight, with a good Terrier head and eye, but with a long body, resembling the Scotch Terrier. The legs and muzzle only were tanned, and the hair on the body would be about three or four inches in length. He has stood for years in a case in a room of the Westgate Hotel, a public house which h]s owner kept when he returned to his native town, where, I believe, the dog may be seen to-day.

Kitty was a bitch different in type from Crab. She was a drop-eared Skye, with plenty of coat of a blue shade, but destitute of tan on any part of the body. Like Crab, she had no pedigree. She was originally stolen from Manchester and sent to a man named Jackson, a saddler in Huddersfield, who, when it became known that a five-pound reward was offered in Manchester for her recovery, sent her to a person named Harrison, then a waiter at the White Swan Hotel, Halifax, to escape detection; and from Harrison she passed into the hands of Mr. J. Kershaw, of Beshop Blaise, a public house which once stood on the Old North Bridge, Halifax. Prior to 1851 Kitty had six litters, all of which, I believe, were by Crab. In these six litters she had thirty-six puppies, Twenty-eight of which were dogs, and served to stock the district with rising sires. After 1851, when she passed into the possession of Mr. F. Jaggar, she had forty-four puppies, making a total of eighty.
Mr. Whittam's bitch, whose name I can not get to know, was an old English Terrier, with tanned head, ears, and legs, and a sort of grizzle back. She was built on the lines of speed. Like the others, she had no pedigree. She was sent when a puppy to the late Bernard Hartley, of Allen Gate, Halifax, by a friend residing in Scotland. When Mr. Hartley had got tired of her, he gave her to his coachman, Mason, who in turn gave her to his friend Whittam, and Whittam used her years for breeding purposes. Although this bitch came from Scotland, it is believed the parents were from this district.

The last-named writer has so fully identified the three dogs first employed to manufacture the breed, together with their names, ownership, characteristics, and other facts concerning them, that there can be no doubt as to the authenticity of the history of the origin of the breed. His history, although published in the Stock-Keeper in 1887, has never been publicly contradicted, and it is evident that there can now be no grounds for following the reasoning of writers who claim that the origin is a mystery.
The development since that time judging from an examination of the pedigrees of the most prominent dogs of the breed has been the result of judicious selection from and breeding with dogs that most nearly approached what fanciers and breeders thought ought to be the type; and it is probable that so long as a dog of this breed was known to have some of the blood of the original Old Crab, Kershaw's Kitty, and Whittam's bitch the sole progenitors of the breed former breeders did not inquire too curiously into the pedigree of all the dogs used. This seems to be a reasonable supposition, and should fully account, in the case of some prominent dogs, for the lack of a complete pedigree running back to the three dogs above named. It is a well-established fact that the principal strains have been most jealously guarded by the people in the north of England. "
According to Joan Gordon, Old Crab was most likely a Waterside Terrier or Clydesdale Terrier, Kitty was no doubt a Paisley Terrier, Whittam's bitch was likely to have been out of Old English Terriers from the Manchester area.


Then she adds " the threads in the loom were set and the task of weaving ready to commence. Taking the offspring of these dogs, the early breeders began spinning their bloodlines. With interest in prize winning and competition growing in numbers, the shuttles' pace increased. The Yorkshire's complete development is so woven into the developing sport of showing dogs..."


Here I want to add another great book "Dog shows and doggy people" written on 1902 by C.H. Lane.

There you can read about the Fosters and of course the first dog shows.

https://archive.org/stream/dogshowsd...e/106/mode/2up

If you have any other information on the subject please share it with us
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Old 10-23-2014, 03:45 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by swan View Post
Why did they become so popular?

Rawdon B. Lee in his 1894 book, wrote on page 341:
https://archive.org/stream/moderndog...e/340/mode/2up

Quote:
"Still, since its first introduction the Yorkshire Terrier has not progressed in public estimation; indeed the contrary may be said to be more the case, the reasons for which will be plainly enough told before the conclusion of this chapter."
After analyzing what a yorkie needs to be in top condition, he adds :

Quote:
"From what I have written it will be seen that it is no joke to keep a Yorkshire terrier in healthy and suitable condition for exhibition purposes, and such is no doubt the reason why its popularity has not progressed with the times."
P.H. Coombs in his very interesting in all aspects article on yorkies writes:

https://archive.org/stream/americanb...arch/yorkshire

Quote:
"The Yorkshire, like other Terriers, is naturally remarkable for its sagacity, alertness, courage, and eagerness in the pursuit of vermin, although many of the small, weak, inbred specimens have, undoubtedly, lost much of the Terrier instinct.
The natural courage of the breed is such, however, that it will readily resist attacks from dogs much larger than itself, and, as a ratter, would quickly obey the natural instinct if allowed to do so; but wisdom on the part of the owner usually prevents a small, valuable dog from enjoying such recreation.

They are essentially toys, and, as a rule, are most interesting and cunning as companions and house-dogs; and the large number of ladies and children attracted to their cages wherever they are shown indicates, to some extent, their popularity."

According to Joan Gordon

http://www.theyorkshireterrierclubof...TCAHistory.pdf

Quote:
Since 1890 when there were 26 exhibitors and 1943 when only 33 dogs were registered for the year, our breed has climbed in registrations thus placing our breed high in the top ten of all breeds.
In a book written in 2009 by Caroline Coile "Yorkshire Terriers", there is a Yorkshire Terrier's "timeline", providing us some interesting data about registration numbers in US

1900 : The AKC registers a total of 11 new Yorkshire Terriers
1909 : The AKC registers a total of 30 new Yorkshire Terriers
1939 : The AKC registers a total of 69 new Yorkshire Terriers
1940 : The AKC registers a total of 91 new Yorkshire Terriers
1943 : The AKC registers a total of 33 new Yorkshire Terriers (WWII)
1949 : The AKC registers a total of 173 new Yorkshire Terriers

1960 : The AKC registers more than 1000 Yorkshire Terriers

1970 : The Yorkshire Terrier is the most popular breed in Britain. In America
more than 13000 are registered in one year.

1980 : The AKC registers almost 25000 new Yorkshire Terriers
2006 : The AKC registers almost 37000 new Yorkshire Terriers

According to Mrs Coile, in the 60's the breed began to attract celebrity owners and be regarded as a status symbol. The masses followed and thus began to climb steadily towards the top of the popularity list.



Some other links to read :

The Kennel Club Stud Book (U.K.) Volume I - 1874

https://archive.org/stream/TheKennel...ge/n9/mode/2up

History of the Yorkshire Terrier by Joan Gordon

http://www.theyorkshireterrierclubof...TCAHistory.pdf

A manual of toy dogs by Mrs. Leslie Williams, 1904, 3rd edition

A manual of toy dogs; how to breed, rear, and feed them

The dog in health and disease by Stonhenge, 1872 , 2nd edition

https://archive.org/stream/doginheal...ge/n5/mode/2up
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Old 10-23-2014, 04:14 AM   #6
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Of course there is a lot to talk about standard and breeding.

like this quote of Mr Coombs article in "The American Book of The Dog"

https://archive.org/stream/americanb...e/452/mode/2up

Quote:
"In connection with the subject of standard, should be mentioned some of the most common faults noticed in specimens of the breed exhibited at our shows.

The most important of these are :

Too round skull (apple-head), pointed muzzle ;
silver-colored body instead of blue; fawn-colored head and legs instead of tan;
mixed-coated body (made of two or more colors);
curly or wavy coat;
lack of animation in expression;
natural drop instead of semi-erect ears;
roached back;
light or "dudley" nose;
uneven mouth;
long hair on ears;
hind legs heavily coated below hocks;
too prominent eyes, and crocked front legs.

All these, and some other faults, should be guarded against in breeding or selecting Yorkshire Terriers ; but to find a specimen technically up to the established standard is a practical impossibility. "
or the "bright steel blue" color which was in the first standard

or Mr. Wilkinson quote in the same book about colors

Quote:
Personally, I confess a weakness for color over quantity of coat, as I contend it is quite possible to produce a vast quantity of coat on a specimen otherwise indifferent.* From boyhood, I remember my father (now deceased) being a great breeder and fancier of Yorkshire Terriers, and he could not tolerate a dog without the rich, golden tan, and I certainly inherit his weakness, and think the points most difficult to obtain should be thought most highly of when they are produced. I am rather afraid that, of late years, too much thought has been given to length of coat in preference to good color and moderate coat combined. A lot of hair with dog attached does not constitute a perfect Yorkshire Terrier.

Anyway...
There is a lot to talk about
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Old 11-21-2014, 08:12 PM   #7
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Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I am working on my master's degree online and working full time so I just haven't had much time. Mike 1975 your research, writing, and incredible intellect have lead to some of the most substantive posts on Yorkie talk. I have enjoyed reading your writing immensely. I will post more soon.
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Old 11-22-2014, 01:30 AM   #8
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Thank you Swan for your kind comments!
Good luck on your master's degree, I am looking forward to discussing this very interesting subject.
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Old 12-06-2014, 09:32 AM   #9
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Hi Mike 1975,

Wow, I just went back through again and re-read everything. There is so much to talk about I don't even know where to start.

First, because I am curious to learn your opinion. What is your thesis? From the reading I looked at it appears that a compelling case can be made that the Yorkshire Terrier was really developed with an interest in creating prize winning dogs. That they could be sold to the upper class of England in order to make ends meet. Its seems like these dogs offered the original breeders in Yorkshire a chance at social mobility. People were willing to pay top dollar for these dogs.

It is clear that they do possess the ability to catch rats, even now, and they are certainly distant descendants of ratters. However you make some very well sourced points about how the breed was not only bred to show but actually attracted more people to show's and may have lead to the popularity of showing dogs for sport. This completely blew me away. It seems, through well cited historical data, that people immediately fell in love with the breed from the very beginning and that fascination attracted more people to Dog Shows.

This quote from "The dogs of the British Isles" I found very interesting. "It would be much better to divide them by weight, and classify them as large and small Yorkshire terriers."

Given the discussions between exhibitors and breeders today I found that quote to be quite illuminating. It appears we have always had size differences in the breed and some have wondered if they should be judged separately. Reading through the books it was clear to me that even at the very beginning size and weight were a big deal for breeders and exhibitors.

I would love for the YTCA to read this thread.

Mike 1975 I think you could write a book. A book that would be valuable to our understanding of the breed. Tremendous work Mike. I share your fascination with the breed, and I love learning anything I possibly can about Yorkies.

I would love to team up with you and create a documentary film. There is enough information to cover and I think people would want to see it.
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Old 12-07-2014, 12:34 AM   #10
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So does all of that debunk the AKC version of yorkie history or compliment it?

The Yorkshire Terrier traces to the Waterside Terrier, a small longish-coated dog, bluish-gray in color, weighing between 6 and 20 pounds (most commonly 10 pounds). The Waterside Terrier was a breed formed by the crossing of the old rough-coated Black-and-Tan English Terrier (common in the Manchester area) and the Paisley and Clydesdale Terriers. It was brought to Yorkshire by weavers who migrated from Scotland to England in the mid-19th century.

The Yorkshire Terrier made its first appearance at a bench show in England in 1861 as a "broken-haired Scotch Terrier". It became known as a Yorkshire Terrier in 1870 when, after the Westmoreland show, Angus Sutherland reported in The Field magazine that "they ought no longer be called Scotch Terriers, but Yorkshire Terriers for having been so improved there."

The earliest record of a Yorkshire Terrier born in the United States dates to 1872. Classes for the breed have been offered at all shows since 1878. Early shows divided the classes by weight - under 5 pounds and 5 pounds and over. Size, however, soon settled down to an average of between 3 and 7 pounds, resulting in only one class being offered in later shows.

While a Toy, and at various times a greatly pampered one, the Yorkshire is a spirited dog that definitely shows its terrier strain. The show dog's length of coat makes constant care necessary to protect it from damage, but the breed is glad to engage in all the roistering activities of the larger terrier breeds.
Yorkshire Terrier History | American Kennel Club
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Old 12-11-2014, 01:35 PM   #11
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First of all, I would like to thank you very much Swan for the kind words.

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Originally Posted by swan View Post
First, because I am curious to learn your opinion. What is your thesis?
I will start from the beginning...

Old Crab, Kitty and Whittam's nameless bitch.

Well, I must say that I still have unanswered questions.
I still have many "whys" in my mind.

For example, why did they choose to mix a Clydesdale or Waterside (Old Crab) with a Paisley Terrier (Kitty) for the first time?
Was this pairing a common practice of that time, resembling the contemporary Back Yard Breeders' way of earning money?
Was this pairing a small step to create something new?
Was it an accident?

And if it was an accident why did they repeat it for 6 times?

According to historical data, before 1851 Kitty had 6 litters (maybe all of them by Crab) and 28 dogs (males) from these litters were used to "stock" the area with "rising sires".

The fact that they repeated this mating means that they had potential buyers. The outcome of the first litter was so appealing that they wanted to repeat it.

In my opinion, these dogs were far from being the working man's choice because they already had the traditional hunting terrier breeds.
A mongrel who had not proved his skills genetically, was useless to them and they wouldn't pay for it. So they (the breeders) had to find another audience to sell their puppies.
Who was that audience?

Two different markets had already formed. The timing was perfect!
First the wealthy ladies in want of a small fancy dog and second the "gamblers" of the time who participated in rat-baiting contests, held in public houses.
The emerging dog shows gave them the opportunity to sell their new fancy creation like hot cookies! And then wealthy Victorians took matters into their own hands. They acquired the best specimens of the breed and turned the breed into something that its founders never dreamed of. A masterpiece of the dog show world, that caught everyone's attention.

This is a possible explanation of how the breed acquired the reputation of both an exceptional show dog and at the same time a vigorous ratter. In both cases you would be able to find potential buyers! For shows and for ratting.


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So does all of that debunk the AKC version of yorkie history or compliment it?
All these compliment the AKC yorkie History
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Old 12-11-2014, 02:49 PM   #12
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Given the dates, is it possible your question of "why" might have been related to Darwin and the developing theories of others at the time? Just a thought. Even though selective breeding has taken place for thousands of years, there seemed to be a lot of interest in it, how it works, in the 1800s.
Human Influence on Natural Selection | Newton's Apple.org.uk
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Old 12-12-2014, 10:46 AM   #13
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Mark, I don't know...
Considering the profile of both Kitty and Crab's owners, I think that they were probably unaware of Darwin's theory and unfamiliar to any scientific approach to this subject.

Old Crab's owner was a carpenter and kept a public house in Manchester and Kitty's last owner (Mr. J. Kershaw) kept a public house in Halifax named "Bishop Blaise".
So they were both publicans, of questionable educational background, whose main concern seemed to be to make a quick profit, as was the case with most publicans at the time.


Public houses were pubs that also had some other events for entertainment purposes including rat baiting, bull baiting and other blood sports of the time and also... dog "exhibitions". Unorganized of course, but this is how it all started...

According to many sources, the first organized dog Show took place at Newcastle upon Tyne in 1859.
History of the Kennel Club ? The Kennel Club

Prior that time the exhibiting of dogs took place at local public houses. Records of such dog exhibitions go back to 1844.
An example was the famous "BLUE ANCHOR", kept by Jemmy Shaw.
Artillery Arms | Londonist

In Joan Gordon's book "The New Complete Yorkshire Terrier" there is an advertisement of a 1849 show :

Quote:
"The Toy Dog Club holds their meeting every Thursday evening at Mr. J. Shaw's, Blue Anchor Tavern, Dunhill Row, Finsbury, London.
Grand Show next Sunday evening May 27th, Terriers, Spaniels, and Small Toy Dogs, when nearly every fancier in London, as well as several provincials now in town, will attend with their little beauties
"
In the same public house rat baiting contests were also held.
The photo is from the London Museum and it reads :

Quote:
" Rat-Catching at the Blue Anchor Tavern, Bunhill Row, Finsbury. A Manchester terrier called Tiny the Wonder is shown attempting to kill 200 rats in under an hour at a tavern in Bunhill Row, Finsbury. He achieved this feat twice, on 28 March 1848 and 27 March 1849, "having on both occasions time to spare". Jimmy Shaw, owner of Tiny and the Blue Anchor Tavern, could store up to 2000 rats at his establishment.

Artist/Photographer/Maker
British School

Date
1850 AD - 1852 AD"
Rat-Catching at the Blue Anchor Tavern, Bunhill Row, Finsbury: 19th century by British School at Museum of London


An interesting approach about Yorkshire breeders and what they desired to achieve, is this of Robert Leighton in his book "The complete book of the Dog" written in 1922.

https://archive.org/stream/completeb...e/310/mode/2up

Quote:
The most devout lover of this little terrier would fail if he were to attempt to claim for him the distinction of descent from antiquity. Bradford, and not Babylon, was his earliest home, and he must be candidly acknowledged to be a very modern manufactured variety of the dog.

Yet it is important to remember that it was in Yorkshire that he was made. Yorkshire, where live the cleverest breeders of dogs that the world has known. What the Yorkshiremen of fifty years ago desired to make for themselves was a pygmy, prick-eared pet dog with a long, silky, silvery grey and tan coat. They already possessed the foundation in the old black-and-tan wire-haired terrier. To lengthen the coat of this working breed they might very well have had recourse to a cross with the Clydesdale, which was then assuming a fixed type. The original broken-haired Yorkshire Terrier was often called a Scotch Terrier, or even a Skye, and there are many persons who still confound the diminutive toy with the Clydesdale, whom he somewhat closely resembles.

At the present time he is classified as a toy dog, and exhibited solely as such. The terrier character has been bred out of him, and while he still retains a little of his former liveliness, yet most of his dogginess has been sacrificed to the desire of his breeders for diminutive size and inordinate length of coat.

Perhaps it would be an error to blame the breeders of Yorkshire Terriers for this departure from the original type as it appeared, say, about 1870. It is necessary to take into consideration the probability that what is now called the oldfashioned working variety was never regarded by the Yorkshiremen who made him as a complete and finished achievement.

It was possibly their idea at the very beginning to produce just such a diminutive dog as is now to be seen in its perfection at exhibitions, glorying in its flowing tresses of steel blue silk and ruddy gold ; and one must give them full credit for the patience and care with which during the past fifty years they have been steadily working to the fixed design of producing a dwarfed breed which should excel all other breeds in the length and silkiness of its robe. The extreme of cultivation in this particular quality was reached some years ago by Mrs. Troughcar, whose little dog Conqueror, weighing 5.5 lb., had a beautiful enveloping mantle of the uniform length of four-and-twenty inches !
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Old 12-12-2014, 02:14 PM   #14
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Searching for more information about yorkies and rat-baiting I came across this interesting quote from a book written in 1948 "THE BOOK OF THE DOG", Edited by Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald
Staffordshire Bull Terrier - Stoutheart - RATS...

"Staffords & baiting sports, by Phil Drabble"

Quote:
As time went on, however, rats became difficult to obtain in such numbers and it became fashionable to run handicaps. These were arranged so that the heavier the dog was the more rats he had to kill. Various handicaps were set ranging from one rat being added to a dog's quota for every 3 lbs additional weight over his rival to a rat for every pound. This was perhaps the favourite, and it was frequent to arrange a handicap where each dog had to kill as many rats as there were pounds in his weight, the dog disposing of his quota the quickest being the winner. For instance, a ten pound dog would only have to kill ten rats while Billy killed 27. This put rather a premium on small dogs and breeds were developed specially for this sport. The little smooth black-and-tan terriers of Manchester and the rough Yorkshire terriers were particularly good for this sport and a friend of mine owns a picture of three famous terriers ranging in weight from 5 1/4 lbs to 7 lbs. That dogs so small were game enough to kill large rats at all always surprises me. That they could kill 20 in less than 3 minutes seems nothing short of miraculous.
According to Joan Gordon, this sport also led to bring down the size of yorkies.
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Old 12-13-2014, 09:12 PM   #15
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Oh! That was a fun read! Killing rats en masse! 9 seconds per rat! Holy Crap!

Thanks!
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