A breed standard for Yorkie (Yorkshire Terrier) is a detailed description of the perfect Yorkie. Breeders use this standard as a guide when breeding Yorkshire Terriers and during evaluation, a panel of judges uses the same to give merits or demerits. The National Breed Club created the breed standard for Yorkie using established guidelines recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) or the United Kennel Club (UKC).
Sections on grading the Yorkie
The guidelines are as follows:
- Breed history that describes the dog’s general appearance and size as an adult
- Detailed description of head and neck, back and body, and front and rear legs
- Description of the ideal coat and how the dog should be presented in a show
- Acceptable colors, patterns, and markings
- Gait
- General description of the dog’s temperament
Each section also lists the characteristics that are considered faults or disqualifications in the conformation ring. The faults in appearance are the usual distinguishing attributes that grade the pet-quality or competition-quality of the dog during a show. Some faults in gait and overall health will affect the grade. Lastly, the fault in temperament is the most crucial in the breeding standard grading. To all Yorkie fancier and breeders, detailed information about the AKC breeding standard is available at http://www.akc.org/ .
It’s a big A+ if your Yorkie has papers with them and surrogate parents are AKC certified breeders. This could mean that your Yorkie possesses a good bloodline that will predict:
- Good Temperament
- Shiny coat
- Normal gait
- Normal body size
- Good litter size
AKC Breeding Standard is the most respected body or organization that is fair when it comes to grading a particular dog breed including Yorkshire Terrier.