[SnowWa]

I can't find the thread that was asking this question.

But - after a little research - I think the best answer is:

*** When the little Yorkie was first bred and developed - most of the people involved in the development of this breed were illerate -- so no good or written records were kept. This will leave the exact history of the Yorkshire Terrier confusing forever.

Nevertheless, most of the historys that we do have list some of the same breeds that were probably breed to develop the Yorkie.

The Maltese is often mentioned as a possibility. Following are some excerpts I got from different histories (each of these came from a different source.)

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1) A cross-breeding with the Maltese resulted in the smaller dogs we have today.

2) It is believed that Yorkies have in their lineage the Manchester Terrier, the Maltese, the Skye, Dandie Dinmont and the Paisley terriers

3) English contributions to the bloodline of the Yorkshire Terrier may have included, according to many sources, the Manchester Terrier, the Maltese, and the Dandie Dinmont Terrier.

4) It is guessed that the Yorkshire county miners crossed the Black and Tan English Terrier, this dog was rough-coated, and the long-coated, blue-gray Waterside Terrier breeds were infused in the Scottish Terriers. The Maltese and Skye Terrier are also possibilities.
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I also read many other articles - and two facts have become apparent...

1) We will never know the exact history of the Yorkshire Terrier - as
no early written records were kept.

2) There is a high probability that the "Maltese" is a part of the Yorkie's history. But, again, there is no positive documentation for this.

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My opinion is that the Maltese is probably a part of the Yorkie's origin -- but we will never know for sure.

And - anyone who says differently -- is only guessing!


Carol Jean