I hope you enjoy reading this article on Yorkshire Terriers.

If you already own a Yorkshire terrier it will not surprise you to hear me say that these dogs are much more than the pampered pet that you sometimes see on the television. Yorkshire terriers are very intelligent as well as being a very loyal dog, and many people consider them to be one of the most intelligent of breeds.

Dr. Stanley Coren, an animal intelligence expert, determined that Yorkshire Terriers are above average in terms of intelligence. Out of 132 breeds tested, the Yorkshire Terrier ranked 27th. Yorkshire Terriers are so intelligent that they can do better than obeying one simple command at a time, like most breeds. The Yorkie can follow a series of long and complicated commands.

People have sometimes said to me that they believe their Yorkshire terrier understands everything that they say. My response is usually that you are probably quite right because they are indeed capable of understanding what you are saying and even sometimes what you are thinking.

Let me give you an illustration of how this works. If you give your Yorkie a hug and a kiss, and tell him that you love him, he will come to realise that those words mean something good. He may not know exactly what you mean, but the words will have a good association in his mind. Its a bit like when you say the word Walkies, it conjures up good images.

But not only are Yorkies clever little dogs, they are also extremely loyal to their owners. Not everybody agrees with this however and they sometimes give an example to prove their point. They will tell you that if they are out walking with their Yorkie, and he sees a rabbit, it does not matter what they say, their dog will give chase to the rabbit and just ignore them. This they say shows how unloyal they are, but they are completely wrong. All your Yorkie is doing is following his natural instincts, and as soon as the chase is over they will be back by your side.

Would you believe it if I told you that history is full of instances of brave Yorkshire Terriers defending their owners in the face of all sorts of dangers. Can you imagine the bravery of a little dog facing grave dangers and enormous opponents all to defend their owners? Well believe it or not, its true.

The Yorkshire Terrier is, without doubt, an intelligent dog, and a loyal dog, and much much more than a pampered lap dog. If you are thinking of getting a dog then I can heartily recommend a Yorkshire Terrier as being a wonderful pet.