General appearance

The Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog, weighing 3.2 kg (7 lbs) or less, with a glossy, long silky coat that hangs straight from a part that runs along the middle of the head, back, and tail. The coat is dark blue on the back with a tan chest and tan on the head and legs, a pattern described as "tan with a blue saddle." Small erect ears are covered with short, deep tan colored fur. The tail was traditionally docked but today the Yorkshire Terrier often has a long tail, held a little above the level of the back, with long blue fur parted down the middle. Like most dogs bred to be pets rather than working dogs, breed standards contain detailed descriptions of precise colors and placement of markings, as well as body proportions and structure. Most importantly, according to the Standard, a Yorkshire Terrier should have a general look of self confidence, "conveying an important air".

Coat

For adult Yorkshire Terriers, the importance is placed on its coat color, its quality, and its texture. The hair must be glossy, fine, straight, and silky. Traditionally the coat is grown-out long and is parted down the middle of the back, but "must never impede movement." From the back of the neck to the base of the tail, the coat should be a dark gray to a steel-blue, and the hair on the tail should be a darker blue. On the head, high chest, and legs, the hair should be a bright, rich tan, darker at the roots than in the middle, that shades into a lighter tan at the tips. Also, in adult dogs, there should be no dark hairs intermingled with any of the tan colored fur.
Adult Yorkshire Terriers that have other coat colors than the above, or that have wooly or extra fine coats, are still considered to be Yorkshire Terriers, and will be just as good of a companion as a dog with the correct coat. The only difference is that atypical Yorkshire Terriers should not be bred. In addition, care may be more difficult for "wooley" or "cottony" textured coats, or coats that are overly fine. One of the reasons given for not breeding "off-colored" Yorkies is that the color could be linked to a genetic defect that may affect the dog's health.

Puppy coats

Yorkshire Terrier puppies are not born with their adults coats. Yorkies are born black with tan points and slowly transition in to their adults coats over many months, even years. As an adult, a Yorkie can be black and tan, blue and tan, blue and gold, or black and gold. A newborn Yorkie puppy is born black with tan points on the muzzle, above the eyes, around the legs and feet, the inside of the ears, and the underside of the tail . Occasionally Yorkies are born with a white "star" on the chest or on one or more toes. These markings fade with age, and are usually gone within a few months. A white "star" on the chest is generally an indication that the puppy will be a good coat grower in quantity, but not necessarially quality . It may take up to three years or more for the coat to reach its final color. P. H. Coombs, writing in 1891, complained about show wins awarded to puppies, when the dog's coat does not fully come in until three or four years old, "and the honor of winning such a prize (for a puppy) can therefore be of but little practical benefit to the owner" since the adult dog's colour cannot be exactly predicted.

Hypoallergenic coats

The typical fine, straight, and silky Yorkshire Terrier coat has also been listed by many popular dog information websites as being hypoallergenic. All dogs shed, and it is the dog's dander and saliva that trigger most allergic reactions. Allergists do recognize that at times a particular allergy patient will be able to tolerate a particular dog, but they agree that "the luck of the few with their pets cannot be stretched to fit all allergic people and entire breeds of dogs." The Yorkshire Terrier coat is said to fall out only when brushed or broken, or just said to not shed. Although neither of those statements agree with what biologists, veterinarians, and allergists know about dog fur, allergists "think there really are differences in protein production between dogs that may help one patient and not another", meaning that some allergic people may not have allergic reactions to a specific dog, like the Yorkie.

Coat care

If the coat is the correct silky texture, maintenance for it is relatively easy, requiring a daily brushing and a bath every month. Owners may trim the fur short for easier care. For shows, the coat is left long, and may be trimmed to floor length to give ease of movement and a neater appearance. Hair on the feet and the tips of ears can also be trimmed. The traditional long coat is extremely high maintenance. To prevent breakage, the coat may be wrapped in rice paper, tissue paper, or plastic, after a light oiling with a coat oil. The oil has to be washed out once a month and the wraps must be fixed periodically during the week to prevent them from sliding down and breaking the hair. Elaborate care of the beautiful coat dates from the earliest days of the breed. In 1878, John Walsh described similar preparations: the coat is "well greased" with cocoanut oil, the dog is bathed weekly, and the dog's feet are "carefully kept in stockings."

Other colors - Biewer Terriers ie.. Parti-colors

The Yorkshire Terrier is a tan dog with a blue saddle.It does have the parti color. The party color coat Is white with black and tiny places with tan. It's very rare to get a a party color yorkie, and if they are found they tend to be very expensive. The breed is defined by its colour, and colours promoted as "rare" may indicate health problems or crossbreeding with other breeds of other colours. The AKC registration form for Yorkshire Terriers allows for four choices: blue and tan, blue and gold, black and tan, black and gold. Colour alone will not affect whether or not a dog is a good companion and pet. Even though off-coloured Yorkshire Terriers are advertised at premium prices, being of an unusual or untypical colour is neither new, desirable, nor exotic. Until recently, mismarked Yorkshire Terriers could be crossed with Biewer Terriers, a new breed originally from parti coloured Yorkshire Terriers. Although the American Kennel Club will not deny registration of a Yorkshire Terrier on color alone, the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America has a directive that "any solid color or combination of colors other than blue and tan" for adult dogs is a disqualification, and "dogs of solid color, unusual combination of colors, and parti-colors should be disqualified." This means such dogs are not evaluated in the breed ring, and should not be bred for puppy mills.