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It was one thing when I read where a member (non-breeder) posted about Yorkshire Terriers being descendants or crossed with a Maltese back when the breed was being established, that was oen thing because she probably just hasn't educated herself about the ancestry of her dogs, which is fine, as most people don't.
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I have spent the last 2 hours educating myself on the Yorkshire Terrier breed history, as I had never thought about it before.. everything I read through suggested that there was Maltese in the Yorkie bloodline dating back to the 19th century. I'm slightly confused, because LvMyYorki is abhorred by the "misinformation" about Maltese in the Yorkie bloodline... but, isn't there? There can't be two sides to solid history.
An excerpt:
Yorkshire Terrier
Family: terrier
Place of Origin: England
Date of Origin: 1800s
Avg Size of Male: Height: 8-9 inches Weight: <7 pounds
Avg Size of Female: Height: 8-9 inches Weight: <7 pounds
Original Function: small vermin-hunting
Primary Current Function: companion
Other Name: none
History of the Breed
The Yorkshire Terrier is a breed that is a
purposeful mix of other terriers most likely including the Waterside Terrier, Clydesdale Terrier, Paisley Terrier, rough-coated English Black and Tan Terrier, and perhaps even the Skye Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, and
Maltese. The Waterside Terrier a small, longhaired dog that is blue-gray in color is the most prominent breed in the modern Yorkie. This elegant-looking dog is a product of the working class and was originally bred to catch rats. Initially it was looked down upon by the upper class, however its obvious beauty soon swayed the skeptics. Soon the tiny dogs were appearing in dog shows and on the laps of affluent mistresses. In 1872, the first Yorkshire Terrier was born in America, however by the 1880s the breed varied in size from 7 to as much as 14 pounds. Breeders and fanciers in both America and over seas decided that the smaller size with longer hair was preferred, and soon the Yorkie grew into the tiny dog with the lavishly long coat that it is today.
Another excerpt:
The breed is only 100 years old or so, but its origins are not entirely certain - probably because the working men of north England, who developed the Yorkshire Terrier for catching the terrible rats that infested the mine shafts and as a hunting dog that could penetrate into badger and fox burrows, avoided divulging the secret of their success to those who might have cashed in on a lucrative side line. However, it seems likely that Scotsmen seeking work in the woolen mills of Yorkshire brought with them various types of terrier, including the Skye and the now extinct Clydesdale. These were then crossed with local types, such as the long- haired Leeds Terrier. The
Maltese, Black & Tan Manchester, and Dandie Dinmont Terriers may also have contributed blood lines. At first, the Yorkie was a much bigger animal than the one we see today, but by selectively breeding the smallest individuals, the dog was gradually miniaturized over the years. They were made into a fashion dog. Women carried these little dogs in their bags and under their arms. The first Yorkshire, with the characteristics demanded by its standard today, appeared in a dog show in 1870.