Yorkshire Terrier breed guide

Tenacious, feisty, brave and sometimes bossy, the Yorkshire Terrier has all the traits of a true terrier. AKC says Yorkshire Terriers are often named the most popular breed in various American cities and pack big-town attitude into a small, self-important package.

Yorkshire Terriers love their owners, are very intelligent and eager to please and respond to effusive praise and treats far better than to harsh corrections.

Yorkshire Terriers live 11 to 15 years. AKC says breeders screen for eye anomalies and luxating patella and to help avoid the latter owners should limit the Yorkshire Terrier's jumping height.

The coat is very similar to human hair and should be treated that way. A long coat needs daily brushing, the hair on the upper head should be trimmed short or pulled up into a tuft to avoid eye irritation and the Yorkshire Terrier needs a bath every week or so.

Even small dogs need exercise to stay healthy in mind and body. Yorkshire Terriers benefit from moderate exercise such as steady walks with the owner and occasional short bursts such as chasing a tennis ball in the backyard.

The Yorkshire Terrier was developed in the mid-1800s in the northern English counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It became a fashionable lapdog for proper English ladies in late Victorian times, but its beginnings were working class.

The breed is said to be the creation of weavers from Scotland who migrated to the English north country with their Scottish terriers and several now-extinct Scottish terriers are part of the mix.