Biewers and Parties and Splitters… Oh My
A few years ago, I saw this beautiful breed on a forum and thought “I have to get one of those beauties”. From that time, I have learnt so much.. moving from a pet owner, to a handler, to a breeder. And I have made my own decision based on what I have researched and what I believe.
This is not a debate for my fellow breeders, but a statement of my philosophy based on the research I have conducted and my own personal belief. There are other philosophies our there and I encourage any prospective owner to review them all and decide what makes sense to you. I never want to sell a puppy without the new owner knowing exactly what they are getting.
So into Biewer 101, there is history that supports that 2 bitches were sold from the same kennel in England… one to a North American and one to Mr. Biewer. Both females produce black/white/tan puppies. Both breeder wanted to continue this color variation and have them recognize. Mr Biewer tried to have these colourful beauties shown as a color variation of the yorkies, but was unsuccessful. So he named the breed Biewers and has them recognized as its own breed. In America, the breeders also tried to have these dogs shown as a color variation of the Yorkie and were equality unsuccessful. But instead of renaming the breed, they have chosen to call them Parti Yorkies and continue to advocate for acceptance as Yorkshire Terriers.
So, if this isn’t complicated enough, there are breeders who believe that there are enough lines created from the original pair of Biewers born in Germany, that Biewer to Biewer breeding is the only acceptable practice. There are other breeders, like myself, that believe the breed is too young and to ensure proper health of the breed, that breeding to traditional or Parti Yorkies, will produce stronger lines. Many of my friends and fellow breeders believe in Biewer to Biewer breeding only, and I know that they are breeding for health and temperament and I would, without hesitation, recommend anyone one of them.
But I follow another philosophy that I can look at a multi generational pedigree of Yorkshire Terrier and see no health problems and believe this will produce a stronger breed. Because the Biewer is so young, it is hard to find a multi generational pedigree that some type of health problem is not found.
If you see the term splitter, this is a dog that comes from a union between a Biewer and a traditional Yorkshire Terrier or a Parti Yorkie. There are also Gold Dust (golden and white) and Biro (chocolate brown and white) Yorkshire Terriers and some breeders are combining these color variations.
So when you buy a Biewer, Splitter or a Parti… are you getting a pure bred dog? I say, absolutely yes. The argument is about color variation. There are many breeds out there that recognize color variations… Cocker Spaniels, Labs, and Poodles just to name a few. My belief is that you will be getting a Yorkshire Terrier, with a color variation
These are not designer dogs. I believe that there wasn’t a Papillion or Maltese thrown into the mix. I believe that, like other breeds, the Yorkshire Terrier can throw other color variations. And, because the Yorkshire Terrier breed standard states color as one of the requirements, these color variations were never pursued.
As I stated earlier, check into breeders philosophy and decide what is right for you and what makes sense.
