Yorkie Differences????

[chachi]

I think how they are bred makes up alot of the difference. My Chachi is 10 lbs and looks alot different than my Jewels who is 6 lbs. Jewels is a pretty perfect yorkie she has a true silk coat and she is within the standard on weight. Chachi is over the standard and has a cotton coat. I love him just the way he is but he is not a perfeect example of the breed.

[Olivier]

Just my opinion........ There are too many peoples starting to breed their Yorkies . Understanding the standard is very important .

[Nikko's_human]

Once on a walk with Nikko I met an older gentleman who was walking his dog. We stopped to chat once Nikko insisted he be introduced to Sam, the man's dog. As it turns out, Sam is a Yorkie too but very different looking from most Yorkies I've seen. He is about 14 pounds but I know there are large Yorkies out there, so it wasn't his size that I found different. It was his overall look. His coat was very coarse and thick, almost like a lion's mane and his face was flatter and rounder than Nikko's. His ears were smaller and upright The man explained that this Yorkie is from Ireland and that the Yorkies in Europe look different from the one's over here. He said Sam most closely resembles what the original Yorkies look like. I wonder if this is true? I wish I had a picture to show you all so you can see what I am talking about.

[Rem&Silkmom]

I think also alot of people don't educate themselves enough on the breed before they purchase a pup. I know I didn't when I got Remmy I got him from a backyard breeder and did not know as much unitl after I purchased him. So after I got him and decided to get another I really did my homework with the breeders and finding someone who breed to the standards and looking at her dogs. Now I have two yorkies that I love very much but they really don't look alike at all. Most people ask me if they are both yorkies. And I have even had someone tell me that Remmy (who is not the breed standard) looks more like a TRUE yorkie. People just don't have a clue.

[YORKIE7]

I think like everything in this world IT ALL COMES DOWN TO MONEY like they say money is what makes the world go round! There are too many peole that just want to make a quick buck,so they breed although the puppies arent the standard.I think its such a shame that animals are exploited with money

[2cutebrothers]

I have the best of both worlds- My 2 brothers are completely different.

Hugh has really silky soft hair, is 4.5 lbs, and short nose and ears.
Frederick has more cottony hair, is 7.5 lbs, and has a longer nose and bigger ears. Their personalities are completely different as well.

They are my little Berenstein Bears!

[JeanieK]

Well I'm going to try to shed so me light on this conundrum.

If you read "The Complete Yorkshire Terrier" by Joan Gordon and Janet Bennet, you will get some idea of why there are such big differences.

Part of it, at this time, is due to people breeding dogs that do not meet the standards.

But a big part of it, stems from the fact that most of the desired traits that are considered standard, actually come from recessive genes. Therefor although you may have bred two standard yorkies, you get some odd looking litter mates.

The breeders that started this breed were in-breeding the odd ones in the litters to get the desired look. So when breeding these guys, the farther away you get from the it's origins, the more deviations you are going to get.

[yorkieK9trainer]

I agree w/ you to a large degree. Not that you may care, just putting that out there. ALL TOO MANY "breeders" are breeding unethically and something that REALLY irks me are those that breed a 3 lbs male to a 8- 9 lb female thinking that the pups produced will be somewhere in the middle. THAT'S NOT HOW GENETICS WORK FOLKS. You do a breeding like that and you'll get some like mom (over sized) and you'll get some like dad (under sized). Yeah, okay, law of averages state that you'll wind up-eventually-getting pups that fall in that middle range, but the averages aren't in favor of that. Breed responsibly. Breed two Yorkies that fall within the given weight requirements and dimensions set forth in the standard. I don't care if you're going to show or not. If you're going to breed, that means you at a minimum love the Yorkshire Terrier breed. If that's the case, why not ensure that the Yorkie we love today will be the Yorkie of tomorrow?!?

[deb4air]

Here is some Truth ..ALL dogs come from wolves ..now that thats established its not a wonder they all have alot of genetic traits . This I got from MY boyfriends dad ..who is a paleontologist who's speciality happens to be dogs You should see him roll his eyes when he sees Miss Mini in a dress ..yeeeeeeeehawwwwwwwwww ...

[yorkieK9trainer]

Yes, you are quite right, or rather your boyfriends father is. That answer is a no brainer and isn't being contested here. The fact of the matter is that while they all stem pretty much from the same "dog", our PUREBREDS were bred/inbred/linebred to produce certain behavioral characteristics and certain phenotypes that when bred back to one another showed a consistency in "type". This art has gained popularity because everyone has their own "type" and have little regards to the proper "type" set forth by an organization to maintain the overall health and phenotype of a pure bred Yorkie. That being the case, and w/ everyone producing their own "type" (correct or not) that is how we arrived at today's point of the Yorkie that is 1 1/2 lbs ranging all the way up to 20 lbs. That is a CLEAR indicator of a lack of control on the phenotype and health of the breed. Therefore, any Yorkie that does not fit that imo shouldn't be bred and be registered. You are developing your own "type" and since that doesn't fit (let's say AKC for example) "the" organizations standard, don't register them! All you're doing by doing so is falsifying that you are adhering to standard AND you may be attempting to get more money from the litter(s) you produced by selling those pups w/ "registration papers"-which is FALSE ADVERTISING! How many people do you know or can think of in just 3 short minutes that has complained about getting a "AKC Yorkshire Terrier" and can't understand why it's 8 lbs (not obese) and it clearly states in the standard that it shouldn't be?? I CAN THINK OF MANY. And THAT is terrible.
We've all come so accustomed to accepting that, "Oh well, it's just a big Yorkie, that's okay...ho hum I'll breed him/her anyway. She's a lovely dog."
YEAH, a "lovely dog" NOT a lovely Yorkie, so sure, breed your dog-just don't register it and advertise it's pups as AKC, YOU are compounding the problem, NOT fixing it!
*grr*
(and I mean the royal You when saying "you".)

[kaymo]

Great Post! I agree completely with everything in your post.

[bigdog]

Yes but most people take it for granted that when they buy AKC that they are getting the standard breed. They think when they pay $1000 or big bucks that they should be standard. I can see where they are coming from. They should be standard for that amount of money! THey are really dissapointed when they don't look anything like the standard yorkie Lots of people just want a yorkie and can't afford that much money. Should they be deprived of having one of these wonderfull little dogs? I see why people sell with no rights to breed, but i also understand the concerns of so many people out there that pay lots of money for a yorkie and later find out it doesen't look like the dog they wanted. Lots of people are just ignorant and pay $300 to $400 for AKC and think they are going to look like the dolled up yorkie they see on pictures or tv. This is a problem that I don't think anyone is going to solve. There are so many backyard breeders out there trying to make a buck and some make quiet a big buck on these little dogs. They have auctions around here where they make over $100,000 for their kennel sell out. I went to one of these auctions in my town where they where having a kennel sell out plus farm equipment. It was pitifull! I saw what looked like newborn pups not even in a bed just lying on the cage floor. These babies and their mommies sold for $5000, not even guaranteed that the babies will make it. I haven't been back to an auction. My husband and i where just currious. They did not allow cameras. Wonder Why!!!! All I know is my yorkies get better care than i do and attention. They are the most entertaining breed of dog i have encountered. They light up my day!

[Cheska's Bella]

Geez-o-pete! I just did a search on Silky Terriers because I really didn't know what they looked like, or how they differed from our beloved breed... and I can't BELIEVE how similar they look to Yorkies. Or... what I THINK most people THINK Yorkies look like. So many of these dogs look almost identical to the pictures posted on this site of our own Yorkies. How confusing! I have a few Yorkie books/mags from Dog Fancy and the American Kennel Club, etc and alot of "our" dogs don't look like them... they look like they Silkies.

Am I the only one who notices this? Are many being duped into buying a Silky w/the pretense that it is a Yorkie???

[Cheska's Bella]

I apologize for the ghetto language "they look like they". That was a typo.

[yorkieK9trainer]

You're taking this in the wrong direction (if there is such a thing).
No one is questioning the care or love of those of us w/ Yorkies presently. Now are we questioning the desire to breed our lovely babies because they're healthy and sweet and that's what you're looking for for others.
We are arguing that dogs that should/should not be bred IF they are to be registered w/ an organization such as the AKC should FIT the requirements (standards) set forth by said organization. If that dog does not-even at maturity and after it's already been registered w/ the AKC-then that dog should not be bred back to a dog that is also registered. Thereby eliminating the false advertisement to potential puppy buyers that think that they should be getting that cute standard that they want BECAUSE the litter was advertised AKC Yorkie puppies! When in reality all they'd be getting a cute/healthy pups that look virtually NOTHING like they should (highly likely anyway). If you're Yorkie is a cute dog and not a good Yorkie, ADMIT it! And be responsible enough to not register and pups that that dog produces. OR if you do want some sort of lineage trace on your dog, pick a lesser known organization w/ different views like say...APR (American Pet Registry)! NOT the AKC, why muddy up our water further?
I wouldn't register my 2006 Chevy HHR as a 2006 Ford Focus w/ my insurance just so I get a better deal! Both are good cars and hold their place on the road, but be honest is all I'm saying!