Yorkshire Terrier Trivia
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40 free Yorkshire Terrier trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Sep 2026.
This Yorkshire Terrier trivia quiz covers the tiny terrier from the cotton and woollen mills of Victorian Yorkshire to the White House. History questions follow the Scottish workers who brought their terriers south, the Black-and-Tan, Paisley and Clydesdale crosses, the founding dogs Old Crab and Kitty, Huddersfield Ben, the 'father of the breed', the absurd early show classes Hugh Dalziel complained about, the first AKC registration in 1885 and the 1940s slump reversed by a war dog. The breed section covers the 3.2 kg weight limit, steel-blue and tan colouring, why puppies take three years to reach their final colour, the AKC's four registration colours, particolours and the piebald gene, the hypoallergenic debate, coat wrapping and coconut oil, docking rules, Coren's ranking and a full health rundown from luxating patellas and portosystemic shunts to tracheal collapse and puppy hypoglycaemia. Famous Yorkies include Smoky of New Guinea, Sylvia the smallest dog in recorded history, Pasha of the Nixon White House and Crufts winner Ozmilion Mystification. Questions run from easy to expert with a difficulty score on each, so it suits a family quiz or a devoted Yorkie owner. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia and breed references and each question carries its citation. Also try our Dogs and Maltese quizzes.
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Q 01What is the maximum weight for a Yorkshire Terrier?
3.2 kg
The Kennel Club caps the breed at 3.2 kg (7 lb), yet the 4 lb Yorkie war dog Smoky flew a dozen combat missions in World War II.
Q 02The Yorkshire Terrier's coat is tan on the head and what colour on the body?
Dark steel-grey
Dark steel-grey covers the body, yet Hugh Dalziel's 1878 breed chapter asked for a clear, soft, silvery shade that today's standards reject.
Q 03Workers from which country brought terriers to Yorkshire in the mid-19th century, seeding the breed?
Scotland
Workers from Scotland brought the terriers, and the dogs that seeded the breed worked as ratters.
Q 04The Yorkshire Terrier was chiefly developed by workers in which industry?
Cotton and woollen mills
Cotton and woollen mills of Yorkshire and Lancashire were where the breed took shape, but the mill workers wrote almost nothing down, so its exact bloodlines are unknown.
Q 05Which long-coated terrier, now extinct, was crossed into the early Yorkshire Terrier?
The Paisley Terrier
The Paisley Terrier was a soft-coated offshoot of the Skye Terrier, and some Skye breeders objected to it being shown as a Skye, calling it cross-bred.
Q 06Which show dog of the late 1860s defined the Yorkshire Terrier type and is called 'father of the breed'?
Huddersfield Ben
Huddersfield Ben was the top stud dog of his day, and by 1891 most show Yorkies had one or more crosses of his blood in their pedigrees.
Q 07What does the AKC standard require of a show Yorkshire Terrier's tail?
Docked to a medium length
Docked to a medium length is the AKC rule, a custom so old that early breeders already shortened the pups' tails.
Q 08Americans took up the Yorkshire Terrier as they embraced the customs of which era?
The Victorian era
The Victorian era made the Yorkie a fashionable pet in England and America, but its US popularity slumped in the 1940s until the war dog Smoky revived interest.
Q 09In 1944, Yank Down Under magazine named the Yorkie war dog Smoky the champion what of the Southwest Pacific?
Mascot
Mascot was the title, earned while Smoky performed tricks for troops with Army Special Services during the war.
Q 10Traditionally, how is a show Yorkie's long coat arranged?
Parted down the middle of the back
Parted down the middle of the back, the show coat hangs straight on each side, and it may be trimmed to floor length so it doesn't hamper movement.
Q 11How do the breed standards say a Yorkshire Terrier's small V-shaped ears should be carried?
Erect
Erect ears are the rule today, though early breeders generally cut Yorkie ears into shape.
Q 12The white in a rare particolour Yorkie is caused by which gene?
Recessive piebald
A recessive piebald gene makes the white, and the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America warns buyers not to be fooled into buying 'new' particolour Yorkies.
Q 13Under the AKC standard, what happens to a solid gold adult Yorkshire Terrier in the show ring?
It is disqualified
It is disqualified under the AKC standard, yet sellers have long advertised 'rare gold' Yorkies to buyers at premium prices.
Q 21Which common Yorkie problem, graded 1 to 4, can make the dog run on three legs for a few strides?
A slipping kneecap
A slipping kneecap is graded 1 to 4, and many dogs never progress past grade 1 or 2, so surgery isn't needed for every dog with it.
Q 22A liver shunt, common in Yorkies, is a malformation of which blood vessel?
The portal vein
A liver shunt is a malformed portal vein that lets blood bypass the liver, so toxins the liver would filter reach the rest of the body.
Q 23What is usually the first sign of tracheal collapse in a Yorkie?
A 'goose honking' cough
Q 14Which German-origin breed was once considered a Yorkshire Terrier variant?
Biewer Terrier
Biewer Terrier backers had its DNA tested, and geneticists concluded it was a separate breed rather than a Yorkie, clearing its path to AKC recognition in 2021.
Q 15How long can it take a Yorkshire Terrier's coat to reach its final adult colour?
Three years
Three years or more can pass before the coat settles, which is why the AKC standard applies its colour requirements to adult dogs.
Q 16Under the AKC standard, what holds up the long hair falling from a show Yorkie's head?
One or two bows
One or two bows keep that long hair up, since left loose it would fall over the dog's eyes.
Q 17In 1878 Hugh Dalziel described greasing the Yorkie's coat with which oil and keeping its feet in stockings?
Coconut oil
Coconut oil greased the coat, Dalziel wrote, and the stockings on the hind feet stopped the dog scratching and breaking its long hair.
Q 18The Kennel Club says the ideal Yorkie's very upright bearing conveys what?
An important air
An important air fits a lapdog that still has a terrier's nerve: the Kennel Club says a Yorkie can still account for any domestic rodent.
Q 19Colour dilution alopecia in Yorkies is associated with which coat colour?
Blue
Colour dilution alopecia strikes dilute coats, and in Yorkies it is the blue body colour, a diluted black, that is affected, causing patchy hair loss.
Q 20Legg–Calvé–Perthes syndrome in Yorkies causes which bone to degenerate?
The head of the femur
The head of the femur loses its blood supply and collapses, and the standard treatment is surgery to remove the affected part of the bone.
Tracheal collapse usually announces itself with a 'goose honking' cough; vets recommend a harness over a collar so lead-pulling does not strain the weak windpipe.
Q 24A 2019 study found 98% of young Yorkies already showed early signs of what?
Gum disease
Gum disease: by 37 weeks, 98% had early periodontitis on at least one tooth, so researchers urge prevention from a young age in breeds like the Yorkie.
Q 25What colour are Yorkshire Terrier puppies at birth?
Black and tan
Black and tan at birth, Yorkie pups show their ancestry: the Kennel Club traces the breed to the old working Black and Tan Terrier.
Q 26Which breed was created from the Yorkie?
Silky
Silky: the Silky Terrier came from crossing Yorkies with Australian Terriers and was first called the Sydney Silky, after the city where most were found.
Q 27Champion Ozmilion Mystification made history in 1997 by becoming the first Yorkie to do what?
Win Best in Show at Crufts
Crufts is the world's largest annual dog show.
Q 28The Yorkie war dog Smoky was found in 1944 in an abandoned foxhole in which jungle?
New Guinea
New Guinea was where soldiers found her in an abandoned jungle foxhole in 1944, and after Wynne bought her she shared his rations.
Q 29Corporal William Wynne bought Smoky for two Australian pounds so the seller could do what?
Return to his poker game
Return to his poker game was all the seller wanted, yet the bargain dog later saved Wynne's life by guiding him to duck incoming shells on a ship.
Q 30Smoky the Yorkie flew a dozen combat missions on air-sea rescue and which other kind of flights?
Photo reconnaissance
Photo reconnaissance was her squadron's work, and despite army rations and jungle tents, Smoky was never ill during the war.