Biewer Terrier Dog Picture
By 
The Biewer Terrier was first developed in Germany, when Yorkshire Terrier breeders Mr. and Mrs. Biewer found an unusual puppy in 1984 in one their litters. The puppy had a piebald genetic recessive gene that led to a very unique coat colour. The breeders named the puppy Schneefloeckchen von Friedheck which translated from German means “Snowflake”.
Mr. & Mrs. Biewer found the puppy to be quite beautiful and began a selective and careful breeding programme with an end goal being to produce more of these piebald coloured puppies. They decided to call the dogs that boasted having white markings “Biewer Yorkshire Terriers à la Pom Pon” and continued their breeding programme. In 1989, the Biewer was officially recognised by the Allgemeiner Club der Hundefreunde Deutschland (ACH), the German equivalent of the Kennel Club.
It was not until 2003 that the Biewer Terrier was introduced to America’s dog scene where they were an immediate success. However, a lot of controversy began when American breeders began crossing Biewers with Yorkshire Terriers which was deemed wrong since both the Biewer and the Yorkshire Terrier were already established as two separate breeds by official clubs. Breeders in the US named their dogs “Biewer Yorkies” and argued their case to continue doing so.
A study was carried out by geneticists working at Mars Veterinary who established that the Biewer Terrier is, indeed, a breed in its own right and that they are definitely not tricoloured Yorkshire Terriers. Based on the results of the research, a new breed standard was drawn up with the breed being registered as Biewer Terriers.
In 2014, the Biewer Terrier was accepted as a Foundation Breed by the American Kennel Club although not all US breeders agree with the standard or the breed’s given name preferring to call their dogs Biewer Yorkshire à la Pom Pon, the Biewer or Biewer Yorkie. With this said, breeders are still not encouraged to cross Biewer Terriers with Yorkshire Terriers as a way of preserving the breed’s true pedigree.
Today, although less well known than the Yorkshire Terrier, Biewer Terriers have found a large fanbase in the UK as well as elsewhere in the world. Prospective owners might need to go on a waiting list for the pleasure of sharing their homes with one of these charming little dogs and it’s important to ask breeders about a Biewer Terrier’s ancestry to make sure both parents are indeed Biewers and that they do not have Yorkshire Terrier in their bloodlines.
Interesting facts about the breed
- Is the Biewer Terrier a vulnerable breed? No, they have fast become one of the more popular small breeds in the UK, although anyone wishing to get a Biewer Terrier would need to register their interest with breeders and go on a waiting list for the pleasure of doing so
- Biewer Terriers came about quite by accident when German breeders found a unique coloured puppy in a litter of Yorkshire Terriers
- The breed was originally called Biewer Yorkshire Terriers à la Pom Pon, but the name was changed because the “à la Pom Pon” was only added for fun
- The “Yorkshire” in the breed’s name was dropped when the breed was officially recognised by the American Kennel Club
- Biewer Terriers owe their unique piebald colouring to a recessive gene
- Before the law on tail docking came into effect, Biewer Terriers had their tails docked. However, the law banning the procedure came into effect in 2007, which means that tail docking is now illegal with the exception being for some working breeds and if a dog suffers from some sort of health issue that requires their tails to be docked. The procedure must be agreed and authorised before being performed by a qualified vet.