The Biewer Terrier has its fans and detractors, in large part because of a controversy over whether the Biewer is a completely separate breed, or simply a color variation of the Yorkshire Terrier. We leave the debate to the people who have a proverbial “dog in the fight,” and choose instead to pass along information. 

As far as we know, the Biewer (pronounced like “beware” except with a “V,” making it “be-vare”) standard is that of a Yorkshire Terrier’s except for coloring. The breed created in 1984 by German Yorkshire Terrier breeders, Mr. and Mrs. Biewer, was due to a so-called piebald genetic recessive gene originating from two Yorkshire Terriers. A little blue, white and gold puppy born in one of the Biewer’s litters (a dog they named, “”Schneeflocken von Friedheck”) was the start of what is known as the Biewer Terrier. The Biewers spent several years refining type until the breed they originally called the Biewer Yorkshire Terrier bred true. Until the Biewer was introduced into America in 2003, it was seldom found outside of Germany.

Because of the controversy over whether the Biewer Terrier was a distinct breed or a variety of Yorkshire Terrier, the Biewer Terrier Club of America submitted 30 different lineages to an in-depth study of the 39 chromosomes and even a detailed gene study of some of these chromosomes. As a result, a geneticist from Mars Veterinary working with the BTCA released news in 2009 that they had developed a breed signature for the purebred Biewer Terrier.  It made the Biewer the first breed to be established as a purebred dog through scientific, rather than customary pedigree data.

The Biewer Terrier was recorded in the AKC’s Foundation Stock Service in 2014, and to repeat, recognized by the United Kennel Club January 1, 2016.

Biewer Terrier image from AKC shared with their consent