Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenwoodBiewer  |
Hi, I checked out the link on that website here:
Parti/Biewer Difference? - Quality Traditional and Parti Yorkshire Terriers
I found this paragraph:
IN the USA's demand for more Biewers there was possibly some mixing of breeds done in Germany to supply the demand for the Biewers, The BTCA says they are a mixed breed because they have had DNA tested on 100 Biewers, If this is true that they show up as not a Yorkshire Terrier then indeed some mixes were added which makes them not a true Biewer, The true Biewer (In name Only) tri colored yorkie in Germany came from 2 traditional colored Yorkshire Terriers , How can they be a separate breed? They came from 2 yorkies that carried the gene to produce tri colors. They were not mixes they were JR Champions and they were all Yorkshire Terrier.
If it is the case that the Germans may have been supplying mixed breed dogs to meet American demand for Biewers, then that muddies up the situation considerably! And as for the "
tri colored yorkie in Germany [that] came from 2 traditional colored Yorkshire Terriers," we only have their word for it, since there was no genetic testing at that time, and you had to take a breeder's word for it that he or she was working with pure lines. Believe me, the MARS test
IS scientific and it is the best test available at this time--it is used by veterinary researchers and veterinarians worldwide. Breed identification through DNA analysis will only improve with time, whether it is MARS that does it, or whether some other company starts doing it. Perhaps every Biewer should be tested--it would only add $80 or so to the price, which is a small price to pay for peace of mind, and it would also add to the scientific database of knowledge about this interesting and controversial dog.
Also, if people are breeding Biewers with standard color Yorkshire Terriers in order to increase their base of genetic diversity, of course the progeny will become more and more Yorkie-like over time in DNA tests. Personally, I would like to see Biewers maintained as their own separate line by crossing Biewers with Biewers--otherwise, you are going to start losing the personality differences that some people claim also make Biewers distinct from Yorkies (besides their color pattern).
BTW, I have no stake in this controversy other than providing the most scientific information (in my judgment) that is currently available.