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All about the Red, Crème and Brown Yorkshire Terriers
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| First let me state that there has
ALWAYS been Red, Crème and Brown Yorkshire Terriers. They
are part of the gene pool makeup of many of the BLOODLINES in
Yorkies. The forefather breeders of the Yorkshire Terrier used
a variety of dogs in the development of the Yorkshire Terrier.
During the initial development of the Yorkie COLOR was NOT one of
the breeders top PRIORITIES. WORKING ABILITY was
what dogs at that time were bred for and MANY dogs were bred
together of every color, size, coat texture, coat length, shape and
ear set to produce what they hoped would be a better VARMINT or
hunting dog. Even size was more important over color and
pattern. Color and/or pattern of a dog only became of any
importance if it was needed in order to be able to keep a visual on
the animal. In today's world working ability has been
forgotten by MANY BREEDERS and in some circumstances even tried to
be bred away from but the majority of Yorkies are still born with
the instincts of a hunter - Some more than others. The
majority of today's dogs are bred for one of 2 things - 1. Pet
- to be kept solely as beloved animal. 2. Show Dog - to
be used in the show ring. NEITHER of these requires a dog with
any particular coat color and/or pattern other than in the MENTALITY
of those who have the power to set Breed Standards.
AND AS WE ALL KNOW BREED STANDARDS
CHANGE AT THE WHIMS OF THE NEW GENERAL IN CHARGE OF THE GIVEN
BREEDS, BREED CLUB! SAD BUT TRUE! It is the opinion of this author that the ONLY TIME a Breed Standard should be changed is if it is found that there is a negative health issue associated with what is allowed or CORRECTED to add topics that were omitted or removed such as coat color that can be proven to be part of the breeds gene pool and produced throughout the years even though they have been denied registration. As with all breeds, there comes a time when someone takes interest in a particular color, conformation, coat, ear set, and/or size and starts working to produce that particular look in all of the offspring. That process is what begins the start of a certain breed and begins GENERATIONS before it's introduced as a breed and before John Q. Public ever sees it. It is a costly, time consuming and often times disheartening as many generations of offspring are culled for not meeting the breeders criteria. So just as with all breeds, the Yorkshire Terrier was developed in the same manner. You can't just say I want this, this and this in the puppies and breed 2 dogs together that don't have those qualities and produce it - it takes GENERATIONS of breeding for those qualities to set those things in the gene pool to produce them in ONE dog. In the Yorkshire Terrier the BLACK was the color of choice by the initial developers of the breed and it is my guess that it was the chosen color by default as it was the easiest to produce and reproduce and most likely the most abundant of colors in the preferred dogs at the time in the area of those developing it. But keep in mind that no matter what you do there are still RECESSIVE or what could be considered HIDDEN GENES in that dogs gene pool that can surface at any time when it is bred to another dog with those same RECESSIVE/HIDDEN genes. KNOWLEDGEABLE Breeders know this and simply cull offspring with the undesired qualities and/or do not breed that same pair together again in the hopes of NOT producing any more of those with undesired qualities. What many fail to realize is that those genes are still in many of those kept of the desired qualities just waiting to meet up with their mate to produce what I consider a marvelous surprise. To bad OTHERS don't share my view point. I personally like COLOR and see no harm in producing and TRYING to produce those colors as long as I'm not trying to change the conformation and temperament of the breed itself. For those who ARE trying to change conformation of the dog then it would simply be best if they worked today development of a NEW BREED. Genetics is a fascinating field and we work with what we THINK we know but NEVER think that what you THINK won't change with a new discovery in genetics tomorrow. I've been engrossed in genetic research since the 80's and theories/concepts from the 80's that were SUPPOSEDLY SOUND ones at that time have been disproved and new theories/concepts set in place. I've watched the Brindle gene go from supposedly on one LOCI to another and now possibly carried on more than one LOCI. Bottom line being that depending on what gene pool a given dog carries depending on which dogs were used in the development of that particular BLOODLINE will determine how the dog will reproduce. Dogs of the SAME BREED will reproduce differently based on what they actually carry in their genes. Keep in mind as you continue reading that ALL dogs will go back to 2 ... If your a believer in the Bible then you shouldn't have any problems in accepting this fact as the animals marched onto the ARK 2 by 2. From those dogs, MAN developed all of the breeds that we know and enjoy today simply by breeding for the LOOKS that they desired. New breeds will forever be developed and old breeds will be changed and/or become extinct. Also keep in mind that the AKC Yorkshire Terrier Breed Standard used today is NOT the ORIGINAL KC (*Note: The AKC originally was named The Kennel Club and it's first attempt failed and was reformed at a later date as American Kennel Club) Yorkshire Terrier Breed Standard and is NOT the standard used in the 1800's by which Yorkies were bred to and Judged by in the shows. If it wasn't for those of us who take the heat so to speak and go our own path there wouldn't be all of the WONDERFUL BREEDS, looks, shapes and COLORS of dogs that we so much enjoy today. SOMEBODY, somewhere at some time decided that they could civilize and improve the WILD DOG and thank goodness we are able to share in their efforts today. If it wasn't for the efforts of our forefather breeders we would still be a world of "JUST DOG". We wouldn't hear the sarcasm of "Your ruining the breed", "Puppy miller", "Unethical" and all of the other words that "better-than-thou" breeders choose to throw around like candy. Where do these folks THINK their wonderful DOG came from? It didn't just miraculously appear as a Yorkie in the size, shape, conformation, ear set, tail set, coat type and yes COLOR and PATTERN that is seen TODAY! Onward to the DIFFERENCE in Crème, Red and Brown. Crème is often called Golden in Yorkies, Brown is often called Chocolate and/or Liver in Yorkies and Mustard is incorrectly always called Crème/Golden in Yorkies. Please note as we are going through the genetics that more than one factor can determine color and often times the APPEARANCE of COLOR is actually a base color that is affected by DIFFERENT genes thus producing the same LOOK but with different genetic make-up.
NOSE: It's nose will be black unless it is also carrying the brown gene which gets expressed in the nose pad color.
Keep in mind that the chart above is based on NO RECESSIVES being carried in the MATE. If the mate also carries for the Crème gene then there is a possibility of Crème in every litter. Notice that the Crème gene only reproduces itself in ONE of the breedings. ________________________________________________________________________ Even though the MUSTARD gene exist and is alive and well in the Yorkshire Terrier it is still referred to as Crème and incorrectly labeled as crème. For the most part the problem resides in not knowing which gene exist without DNA sequence testing or EXPERT attention to what is being produced. MUSTARD is the easiest of the so-called Crème colors to produce as shown below and is probably more responsible for what we see in the Yorkies than the Crème gene.
Keep in mind that the chart above is based on NO RECESSIVES being carried in the MATE. If the mate also carries for recessives then you have a whole slew of possibilities in the offspring. Notice that the MUSTARD gene reproduces itself in every breeding instance except for the Yorkie Blue. RED:
There are no hidden factors or dilutions in a RED dog. It is the basic and most often seen color in dogs. NOSE: It's nose will be black unless it is also carrying the brown gene which gets expressed in the nose pad color.
BROWN: (*also known as Chocolate or Liver)
Throughout history there has been a dog used in the original make-up of the Yorkie described as a water-side Terrier of BROWN coloring. To say that Brown is not an original color of the breed would be to say that the history of the breed is incorrect. I, myself, do not believe the history to be incorrect and thus the basis for the FACT that the BROWN YORKIE has always existed and is NOT from a cross-breeding of another breed.
Keep in mind that the chart above is based on NO RECESSIVES being carried in the MATE. If the mate also carries for recessives then you have a whole slew of possibilities in the offspring.
Let me state in closing that this page was not made with the intent to try to convince the non-believers or convert those who simply refuse to accept the facts. It was written in the hopes of shedding more light on the TRUE colors of the Yorkshire Terrier lineage and for those who wish to learn and educate themselves.
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