Yorkie Soft Coat
 

Hi, I'm new here and was wondering if I could get more information on yorkie coats, in particular soft coats. I've been trying to search to find information, but I'm not sure I am using the correct terms or know enough to search smartly for what I'm trying to find out.
We rescued Bella almost 5 years ago and she is the sweetest, cutest little snuggle bug I've known, but I've always assumed she was a yorkie mixed with another breed because her coat is not like any yorkie I've had in the past. She almost looks like she still has her "puppy" coat - it's black, thick, and doesn't feel silky. For years, I thought she must be mixed with Pomeranian because of how thick her coat is - I mean, she is a furry furry little bug! But then recently, I heard about DNA tests for dogs, so I had her tested. I just got her results last night and was surprised to find out our little wild fluff ball is 100% yorkie! I didn't realize yorkies could have different coats - I've only known ones with the typical silky bluish/silver ones.
Anyway, I would love to find out more about "soft coats". What causes the differences in coats? Just genetics or is there more to it?
Bella is black and tan (a reddish tan), her hair around her nose and eyes doesn't grow much (stays pretty short, so it's pretty easy to groom around her face) and she is incredibly furry (which is why I thought she had to have some Spitz mixed in). Her hair grows out wild and uneven, though it never mats and she's one of the easiest yorkies I've groomed because of how her coat comes in (her hinge quarters being the exception, the hair around her butt is VERY very very thick - again very Spitz-like.) I read a little about there being 3 extinct breeds used to create the yorkie breed centuries ago, were any of them Spitz-like? Do we know anything about them? I'm really just curious and now that I know she is actually 100% yorkie, I'm very curious to know as much as I can about the atypical traits she exhibits. Thanks!

Hi and welcome! :)

Yup, she looks ALL yorkie to me for sure - and cute!

It sounds like you have a cotton coated Yorkie. I'm not familiar with the genetics of cotton vs. silky coat, but here are some articles you might find useful:

Yorkie Hair | Yorkshire Terrier Information Center

How to Know if Your Yorkie Has a Silk Coat or Soft Coat - Pets

She also may be a "red-legged" Yorkie. I don't have experience with that either, but others may chime in with their opinion.

My Boomer has the exact same coat. His brother, Thumper is more of the silky coat.