BAby Doll Face
 

Is this a standard for the breed?

In the Illustrated Discussion of the Yorkshire Terrier by YTCA ut states that the muzzle should be medium in length and never very short that it creates what some people call a "doll face" or "pussy cat" face, because that Yorkie usually has a round, apple head with too deep a stop, both of which are improper. With a baby doll face you will usually see a round, more prominent eye as well when the standard calls for a medium sized eye and an oval shape is preferred. YTCA members are forbidden to use the term baby doll faced in their advertising as well.

Interesting that baby doll isn't the correct look but so many are trying to breed for it, and so many buyers trying to find it. So this look DOESN'T go over in the show ring?

Tami you are so right. To me it's a bit concerning that this is a 'look' that has not only been categorized and labeled to make it seem 'appealing,' but that it seems to be in high demand, not within the standard, and breeders are selectively breeding to try to achieve the flatter look.

It makes me wonder if over time (or even just with one breeding) the resulting dogs are not being put more at risk for some of the health issues more common with brachycepalic breeds. It's a personal theory and one area of interest that I plan to do research on in the near future as soon as I can find the time. (HA!)

about 11 years ago we purchased a Boston Terrier from what we thought was a good breeder. They sold him to me for more than any other pup in the litter because he was the smallest and apparently they thought that was better :thumbdown Being young and not educated about Bostons at ALL, I took their word for it and thought I had one fine Boston. His head was tiny compared to any other boston I had seen, but large for his body, he was about the size of a large Chi. The breeders made me feel like I got this awesome dog, but what I ended up with was a dog with hydrocephalus that walked sideways and his back legs would come off of the ground when he was eating :( All because the breeders were trying to make them smaller and daintier. I didnt even know what a real Boston was supposed to look like until I did my homework. We ended up having to rehome him to someone who could take care of him better because we were young, just married, and broke. :(

A short muzzle, round head and prominent eyes are an incorrect look for a yorkie and should not do well in the ring. It is popular amongst pet breeders as is smaller dogs. After a while yorkies will end up looking like Chi's dripping in coat! Yorkies are terriers and should retain the terrier look and attitude. I was imformed this weekend by a member of an international handling team that in other countries that yorkies aren't shown in the toy class but in the terrrier class.

Interesting thread! I, personally, like the shorter muzzle...but not the flat faced that I have seen on some champions.

Like with anything else, I think there are different degrees. I see long muzzles, terrier muzzles (which is more a medium length), short muzzles (what I call baby doll) and extreme baby doll face (or flat faced).

My little Molly has the round eyes with a small head but she doesn't have a smushy nose, her mother has round eyes but a longer nose. I guess she would have a baby doll face but not the extreme one I'd say...very pleasing since her nose isn't long like her momma's. It's not correct the round eyes but Cammie won alot with her eyes. Molly is just more prettier LOL..
I do prefer the almond shaped eyes which are correct but since Molly doesn't have the longer nose like momma she's prettier :)

I see, thank you!

So is the dog in your avatar considered a shorter muzzle?

Sounds like there are some differences in opinion. So does it come down to the judge? All you guys dogs are beautys btw.

While the almond eyes are the correct eyes and that is what I prefer, I wouldn't take one out of my breeding program just because they have the round eye. While Cammie has more of a terrier face with a round eye, her daughter Molly has the round eyes but with a more baby doll face, no other way to call it I guess, but her daddy has a beautiful face with the almond eyes and I guess that's why Molly has a prettier face but has her momma's eyes...it's really what the judge likes and I don't think a judge really looks at the eyes in my opinion...Cammie done alot of winning with her round eyes she went #1 yorkie bitch in 05 so the eyes didn't matter LOL...
Currently there is a bitch special being shown that has the smushy face and is winning...

No...London does not have an extreme short muzzle nor is it long. To me, it is the perfect length (about 1 1/2 inches from stop to tip of nose) The angle of the shot gives the appearance of a long muzzle but she doesn't have it by any means. Also, London's muzzle is wider than her mother's and she has a wider eye set than her mother's.

I have often wondered why they aren't shown in the terrier group here. The silkies are. (I think). But it looks like anything with terrier in their name would be shown in that group.

Ceeby has thrown a lot of Baby Doll faces and some people call his baby doll but he looks a lot like the dog in your avatar. he has a button nose and big round eyes and I personally love that look as compared to the longer muzzle. I, too, have seen some really pretty Baby Doll face yorkies do well in the show ring so I guess it is up to the judge on what particular day you show:) Now, Frankie, in my avatar, does have the true babydoll face.

Silkies are shown in the toy group LOL...the reason they are in the toy group is the yorkie is considered a companion dog aka lap dog lol...

I like a slightly shorter muzzle myself - though certainly not too short; nor do I like a prominant eye. I like the length of my Kalina's muzzle and she has the face that I was looking for in my Yorkie, but that's just my opinion and I'm not a breeder.

you know, come to think of it, I did see both a Silky and a yorkie in a Eukanuba show on TV about a year ago. I remember now because my husband thought it was a yorkie and talked about how much prettier the other yorkie was:)

this was mentioned at the dog park the other day...how one of the yorkies has a longer nose and how it "didn't look right". It really bothered me since I know that in the history of the yorkies, they nose was longer and that the shorter nose is not really "standard" if you look down the lines. BUT they seem to be in higher demand. I have to say...when looking for my first yorkie that was my "pet", I wanted the shorter face...I thought they looked cute. and in maggie, i do have a shorter nose...but not too short.

as I did my research, I realized that there is a lot of differing opinions about this and there is kinda a fine line. you don't want the nose too long and too pointy, but if you want to breed show quality dogs, you "should" go for less of a "baby doll" face and stick with that 'in the middle' look. not too long and pointy, but not too short and pudgy. so again, I think it is a fine line. and it all depends on what you are wanting....

for a pet...many would probably prefer the "baby doll" look, but when breeding for show, you would probably not shoot for that to be the primary look.

and like others said..it's all up to the judge. you just never know.

My Molly has the round eyes but she doesn't have the smushy face that a baby doll face would have but she has a small head and I wouldn't say it was apple shaped either because her mother wasn't with the round eyes....
It's always what the judge will like in his/her ring...whether it be a terrier head or a smaller head. I don't like calling them baby doll faces just smaller lol

Head
Small and rather flat on top, the skull not too prominent or round, the muzzle not too long, with the bite neither undershot nor overshot and teeth sound. Either scissors bite or level bite is acceptable. The nose is black. Eyes are medium in size and not too prominent; dark in color and sparkling with a sharp, intelligent expression. Eye rims are dark. Ears are small, V-shaped, carried erect and set not too far apart.

I like a pretty head, I feel when you get a real true terrier look you get bigger ears and muzzle, and on a compact dog which a Yorkie is also suppose to be you can get a real funny look if you get too much terrier look going on.
And they are suppose to have small ears, so to get a nice appealing look, I like the medium to shorter muzzle not too short, small ears that balance out a nice look with the entire package of the dog. You will find judges that also interpert the look different and like the smaller dogs with the petite sweet faces then you will get the ones that like the middle of the look then the ones that like the real true terrier headed ones.

Deana
Prestigeous Yorkies

I like yorkies with smaller facial features My Jewels has them. I think it gives them more of a puppy apearance

I'm no exhibitor but have read that in England a 'hard terrier' look is preferred while in America a less pronounced snout is the preferred look. I have a female with the 'hard terrier' look; she reminds me of a fox a bit. She also seems to be the one that has more of the hunting instinct than my other dogs. I've also seen some people advertising that their Yorkies were from Irish import stock. Does anyone know if there are any particular characteristics among the Irish Yorkies? :aimeeyork :animal-pa :animal-pa :animal-pa :animal-pa :)

Well in the show ring when they are an adult you need the adult look LOL

Cammie has the sharper terrier look and again she did quite a bit of winning and then theirs Radar who has a beautiful face but not a baby doll face but a softer face, medium size muzzle, pretty almond eyes and finished quickly and then their daughter Molly with the round eyes like mom but a softer face like her daddy but her face is on the smaller side just not a smushy face lol
But I prefer Radar's face with the almond shaped eyes but Molly is very very cute lol

I wanna see Molly. :)
She sounds adorable.


Deana
Prestigeous Yorkies

For the ring I like a medium muzzle with a well balanced face and great ear set. I so have a gal with rounder eyes but she doesn't have what I would call a babydoll face, it seems to fit her personality. In the ring it is like a beauty contest and as we all know beauty is all in the eye of the beholder.

She is scrumptious!

Is there a preferred standard on the size of the head in proportion to the size of the body? For example, I've seen pictures of yorkies, especially those that have a short nuzzle, whose head looks to be about 1/3 size of the body, some pictures seem to look like the head is ½ the size. I'm talking about the adult size.

Can someone explain down faced? I have had several people tell me my male is down faced and sometimes when I look at him he appears that way and other times when he is alert with head up his muzzle looks level. This is driving me crazy because I look at pictures of other Yorkies and a lot of them look down faced also. Is this a fairly common fault? Now when I am studying my puppies I keep wondering about them. So much to learn.

The stop should create a 90 degree angle between the forehead and the muzzle. If the angle is greater than 90 degrees it will appear that the muzzle slopes downward and is called downfaced. The muzzle is usually on the long side which makes the off angle more noticable. YTCA considers downfaced to be highly undesirable. If the angle is less than 90 degrees it is called dish-faced and is also very undesirable. I rest my finger against the stop when trying to determine the angle as sometimes it's hard to tell by just looking, the little stinkers aren't still very long.