Quote:
Originally Posted by Woogie Man  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. |
Here's a few more early opinions:
Toy dogs: the history, points and standards of English toy spaniels, Japanese spaniels, pomeranians, toy terriers, pugs, pekinese, griffon bruxellois, maltese and Italian greyhounds, with instructive chapters on breeding, rearing, feeding, training and showing ; and valuable information and treatment in sickness by Lillian C. Raymond-Mallock, 1907
Http://books.google.com/books?id=Mzg...errier&f=false
The American book of the dog: The origin, development, special characteristics, utility, breeding, training, points of judging, diseases, and kennel management of all breeds of dogs by George O. Shields, 1891
Http://books.google.com/books?id=14J...errier&f=false
American farming and stock raising: with useful facts for the household, devoted to farming in all its departments, Volume 3 by Charles Louis Flint, 1892
Http://books.google.com/books?id=tk7...errier&f=false
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 by John Henry Walsh, 1882
The dogs of the British Islands ... - Google Books
The illustrated book of the dog by Shaw, Vero Kemball, 1881
Http://www.archive.org/stream/illust...e/154/mode/2up
In addition, the KC club says that the Maltese were probably used too. So how did we go from the early writers saying the Maltese was used in the makeup of the breed, to the present day thinking that the Maltese were not used?
The YTCA says the Clydesdale or Paisley were used for the length and texture of the coat but how readily available were those dogs to the average breeder? Possibly the Maltese was an easier dog to obtain in order to improve the length of coat.