The Biewer Terrier, also known as the Biewer Yorkshire Terrier a la Pom Pon, the Biewer Yorkie or just the Biewer, is a fairly new toy terrier breed. It has not yet been recognized by the American Kennel Club, but is recognized by the American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) and of course by their own American breed club, the Biewer Terrier Club of America (BTCA).
The average Biewer weighs between 4 and 8 pounds and stands up to 8 ½ inches in height at the withers. Their single coat is long, straight and silky and comes in white/blue/black and white/gold/tan. It requires regular attention to keep it tangle-free, much like human hair. These tiny terriers are reported to be happy-hearted and almost child-like, and they make extraordinary companions in large or small households. The Biewer Terrier does well with children and other animals and bonds closely with its people. These are playful, mischievous little dogs that can be pushy. Despite their small stature, they are sturdy, active and alert. They are not known to be yappy barkers.
The Biewer Terrier came to be its own breed as a result of a Yorkshire Terrier puppy born in Germany in January of 1984 that had an extreme amount of white patterning throughout his coat. This unusual puppy, named Scheefloeckchen von Friedheck, caused his breeders, Werner and Gertrud Biewer, to wonder whether their Yorkies carried a recessive piebald gene, which apparently they did. Over the next several years, the Biewers bred for the piebald gene and produced blue, white and gold Yorkshire Terriers that bred true to their color. Mr. Biewer showed two of his unique dogs as “black and white Yorkies” in 1988, and the breed took off from there. Biewer Terriers were first officially recognized by the Allgemeiner Club der Hundefreunde Deutschland e. V., one of Germany’s dog clubs. The Biewers signed off on the Biewer breed standard in the late 1980s. Mr. Biewer died in 1997; thereafter, his widow stopped breeding dogs. The Biewer Terrier Club of America was established in 2007. Today, this is still considered to be a rare breed.