The Yorkshire terrier you see today is very much different from the early breed of Yorkies that thrived in Northern England. There are different accounts regarding the history of the teacup yorkie breed.Prior to the year 1750, majority of the people in Great Britain worked in the agriculture sector. However, the dawning of the Industrial Revolution ushered in various changes in the lives of these workers. In Yorkshire, small communities flourished in coal mines, textile mills, and factories. People were driven to these areas in order to find work from regions as far as Scotland.
As these people moved to Yorkshire and as far as Scotland, they had with them breeds of dogs called Clydesdale Terrier or Paisley Terrier. These breeds of dogs were primarily designed for work and were bigger than present-day Yorkies. Likewise, they were used for catching rats and other small mammals.
Eventually, these terriers were crossed with other breeds, such as the English Black and Tan Toy Terrier as well as the Skye Terrier. Likewise, it was believed that at some point the Maltese Terrier was crossed which was responsible for the long coats. Because most of today’s Yorkies had some resemblance with the Maltese, this is most possible. However, there is no evidence that will verify these crosses.
However, there is a great deal of evidence about the kind of people who was responsible for crossing them, and undoubtedly these early breeders had a very clear idea on what kind of dogs they are planning to breed. The modern-day Yorkies have maintained the strong terrier temperament.
Today, the Yorkshire terriers is now common throughout the world and the early batch of breeders who had a crucial role in producing the current toy terrier would surely be amazed at the rousing success of their breeding efforts.

In 1932, there were only 300 yorkies who were enlisted with the British Kennel Club. The number increased to 2,313 in 1957, and in the 1970’s Yorkies emerged as the most popular breed in Britain.

The growth in the number of registered yorkies continued until 1990 with a total of 25,655 registrants. Four years later, the number dropped to 12,343 and the Yorkshire terrier has become the 7th most popular breed.
Looking at the history of the teacup yorkie breed, one would realize that we owe a lot to the early dog breeders. Without them, the teacup yorkie terrier we currently adore would not have been likely.