The Twelve Breeds of Christmas: Celebrating the Yorkshire Terrier

Welcome to our December blog series, The Twelve Breeds of Christmas! This month, we’re highlighting the top twelve dog breeds of 2020, as reported by the American Kennel Club (AKC.) These posts will give you a basic overview of each unique, wonderful breed. We’ll also highlight some of the Christmas traditions in each breed’s country of origin. Mostly, this series gives us a good excuse to post a bunch of cute dog pictures. What can we say, 2020 has been one weird year, and we want to end it with something pawsitive! The focus of this article is the Yorkshire Terrier

 

Number 12, the Yorkshire Terrier!  

Ranking number 12 this year is the adorable, yet feisty, Yorkshire Terrier. Yorkies are a toy-sized Terrier, weighing in at or under 7 pounds. Don’t let their daintiness fool you though. These pups pack tons of personality into a small package! These little dogs are very popular with city dwellers because their small size lets them live quite comfortably in apartments. Yorkies are curious, brave, and opinionated, which means they love doing stuff with their humans.

 

Yorkshire Terrier Appearance and Grooming

 

Yorkshire Terriers are known for their long, silky coat. Yorkies come in several color combinations, with blue and tan being the most popular. They also come in blue and gold, black and tan, or black and gold. They don’t shed all that frequently because Yorkie fur behaves more like human hair, but they do require daily brushing and weekly bathing.

 

Yorkshire Terrier Temperament and Training

 

As we mentioned above, Yorkshire Terriers come with tons of personality, which means they’ll need consistent training in order to become calm, happy family members. They are quite friendly and enjoy spending time with their owners. They are eager to please and quite intelligent, which means they’ll enjoy mental stimulation as well as moderate physical exercise. If you’re a Yorkie pet parent, consider a puzzle toy as a fun Christmas gift!

Despite their small size, Yorkies often enjoy participating in dog sports like rally, agility, or barn Hunt. Yorkies can even do pet therapy work with their human partners.

 

Yorkie History

 

The Yorkshire Terrier was developed during the mid-19^th century in the northern English counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Originally, Yorkies were bred to hunt rodents in textile mills and coal mines. Once they gained purebred status in England, their soft coats and spunky nature made them popular with the Victorian upper-class. As its popularity as a lady’s lapdog increased, its size decreased to better fit its new job description. The first Yorkshire Terrier to be registered in the United States was a female called Belle, in 1885.

 

British Christmas Traditions

 

Yorkies, being from merry old England, will enjoy most of the same Christmas traditions we have in the USA. They’ll definitely want to open some presents, wait up for Father Christmas, and see what’s in their stockings, if they’ve been good this year, that is. Christmas dinner in England is rather like our Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce are usually on the menu, but pigs in a blanket are a popular Christmas treat any pup would love to sample. Christmas pudding is also hugely popular, but since it contains raisins and other fruits that are toxic to dogs, this dessert is just for the humans.

 

If your Yorkie happens to be vocal, he might really look forward to singing Christmas carols, especially the religious ones. They’re much more popular in the U.K. than the U.S. If you really want your pup to get in touch with his homeland, be sure to watch some Christmas TV specials after dinner. Oh, and do remember that the British equivalent to our Black Friday is actually on December 26, so any self-respecting Yorkshire Terrier is going to expect to check out all the sales at your local pet store!

 

Next on our Christmas dog breed countdown? Breed number 11, the Dachshund!