General Appearance
That of a long-haired toy terrier whose blue and tan coat is parted on the face
and from the base of the skull to the end of the tail and hangs evenly and quite
straight down each side of body. The body is neat, compact and well proportioned.
The dog's high head carriage and confident manner should give the appearance
of vigor and self importance.
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.
Body
Well proportioned and very compact. The back is rather short, the back line
level, with height at shoulder the same as at the rump.
Legs and Feet
Forelegs should be straight, elbows neither in nor out. Hind legs straight when
viewed from behind, but stifles are moderately bent when viewed from the sides.
Feet are round with black toenails. Dew claws, if any, are generally removed
from the hind legs. Dew claws on the forelegs may be removed.
Tail
Docked to a medium length and carried slightly higher than the level of the
back.
Coat
Quality, texture and quantity of coat are of prime importance. Hair is glossy,
fine and silky in texture. Coat on the body is moderately long and perfectly
straight (not wavy). It may be trimmed to floor length to give ease of movement
and a neater appearance, if desired. The fall on the head is long, tied with
one bow in center of head or parted in the middle and tied with two bows. Hair
on muzzle is very long. Hair should be trimmed short on tips of ears and may
be trimmed on feet to give them a neat appearance.
Colors
Puppies are born black and tan and are normally darker in body color, showing
an intermingling of black hair in the tan until they are matured. Color of hair
on body and richness of tan on head and legs are of prime importance in adult
dogs, to which the following color requirements apply: BLUE: Is a dark steel
blue, not a silver blue and not mingled with fawn, bronzy or black hairs. TAN:
All tan hair is darker at the roots than in the middle, shading to still lighter
tan at the tips. There should be no sooty or black hair intermingled with any
of the tan.
Color on Body
The blue extends over the body from back of neck to root of tail. Hair on tail
is a darker blue, especially at end of tail.
Head fall
A rich golden tan, deeper in color at sides of head, at ear roots and on the
muzzle, with ears a deep rich tan. Tan color should not extend down on back
of neck.
Chest and Legs
A bright, rich tan, not extending above the elbow on the forelegs nor above
the stifle on the hind legs.
Weight
Must not exceed seven pounds.
Disqualification
Any solid color or combination of colors other than blue and tan as described
above. Any white markings other than a small white spot on the forechest that
does not exceed 1 inch at its longest dimension.
Approved July 10, 2007
Effective Oct. 1, 2007
Disqualification Directive from the Parent Club
TO: AKC Judges, AKC Judging Operations
FROM: Yorkshire Terrier Club of America Board of Directors
DATE: September 26, 2007
SUBJECT: Clarification of the Yorkshire Terrier DQ to be initiated on
October 1, 2007
The Disqualification reads as follows:
Any solid color or combination of colors other than blue and tan as
described above.
Any white markings other than a small white spot on the forechest
that does not exceed 1 inch at its longest dimension.
DIRECTIVE
The new Disqualification is an ADDITION to the Yorkshire Terrier
Breed Standard. It is there to disqualify Yorkshire Terriers with
colors OTHER THAN those as described in our Breed Standard. The
American Kennel Club is registering parti-colors, solid colors, and
chocolate and tan dogs as Yorkshire Terriers even though they do not
meet our Breed Standard as written. AKC will not deny registration on
color alone. These dogs have been shown at AKC matches and non-AKC
events. Immature dogs not having a totally clear tan or immature dogs
that are not yet totally blue are acceptable under our Breed Standard
and should NOT be disqualified. To do so would be a misinterpretation
of the Disqualification AND of the Breed Standard.
The Yorkshire Terrier whose coat is of prime importance has a slow
metamorphosis from the black and tan puppy to the blue and tan adult.
Some of these dogs take three or more years for their coat to mature;
therefore our YTCA Members chose NOT to specify an age for color
maturity. Only dogs of solid color, unusual combination of colors,
and parti-colors should be disqualified.
In summary:
DISQUALIFY
Solid color dogs such as a solid color gold or solid color chocolate
A chocolate and tan dog or other unusual combination of colors
A white dog with black and tan markings (parti-color)
DO NOT DISQUALIFY
Puppies, Class dogs and young Champions whose tan has not yet
totally cleared. This is typically seen around the head area where
thumb prints may exist. Young Puppies may still have an intermingling
of black hair in the tan.
Puppies and young adults whose black body coat has not yet totally
turned to blue.
A dog that has a small white spot not to exceed 1 inch on the fore-
chest.
A Blueprint or Guide (Illustrated Discussion) as to what the Parent
Club considers to be the correct Yorkshire Terrier can be obtained by
contacting the club secretary. owen@kvnet.org