The Yorkshire Terrier started out as a working ratter in the textile mills and mines of nineteenth-century northern England, where workers crossed several small Scottish terriers. Today's Yorkie is tiny, usually four to eight pounds, with a fine, silky, steel-blue and tan coat that grows like human hair and sheds very little.
Yorkies carry a big terrier attitude: confident, curious, affectionate and quick to sound the alarm. They bond closely with their people and travel easily, but they're fragile around rough play and prone to dental disease. In Jacksonville, that means planning for regular grooming, patient house training, small frequent meals for young dogs, and a cool indoor spot for the long summers. Dogs vary, so a Yorkie's own personality matters more than the breed label.