[dezertblu]

I don't doubt Yorkshire Terrier Club of America knows quite a bit about American Strain Yorkshire Terriers, but when looking into the actual origins or the breed you would need to look to Scotland and the border regions, the Yorkie as it is now known by was named so due to it's further development and breeding being done in Yorkshire(50 miles from me) But when someone asks about a larger sized Yorkshire terrier you must also look at ALL lineage as there is always a chance for the older genes to shine through , and the FACTS in UK documents(where the breed originated) states some were KNOWN to be up to 30 pounds in weight, this is not saying that this was the average or common weight, only that it wasn't un heard of.The average and more common weight of the breed BEFORE Yorkshire took over it's gene pool, was 12 to 20 pounds.Then durring the victorian age the ladies decided to make it a fashion item, therefore to make it easier they were bred smaller at that time.Any Terrier originating from Northern England and Scotland HAD to be tough and robust, simply to survive the natural climate to these areas,not to mention the rough terrain a dainty lil frufru would never have lasted very long doing the jobs the Ancient Yorkshire terrier type dog had to do....yes Durring the Victorian age there would most likely have NOT been a 30 pound Yorkie around....but this breed is much older than that and sadly it's down to poor record keeping very few have access to the actual facts of this beautiful creatures past, but in Scotland and the borders some records and accounts of the ORIGINAL dog does exist.