Partial Quote
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhetts_mama  "I think the Yorkshire gets the softness and length of coat due to Maltese blood". British dogs, their points, selection, and show preparation, by William D. Drury, pg 582 published 1903, L. Upcott Gill, London, and Charles Scribner's Sons, New York (no ISBN) |
That is one person's opinion. You may want to check out Joan Gordon's history of the Yorkshire Terrier online to see a differing one.
There have been many who've said the Yorkie may have been bred to the Maltese for structure, but there was no need to do so for coat. The Paisley/ Clydesdale terrier had the silky coat and was blue and tan, to boot, so is a much more likely candidate. In many ways, the Yorkshire could be considered an improved Clydesdale.
If you look into Joan Gordon's book, you'll see from photos that the early 20th century Yorkshire champions really didn't resemble the Maltese in structure so that, too, discounts the theory of the book you cited. These are the dogs the author would have been seeing in making his reference.