Brought to England by Scottish weavers, the Waterside Terrier served as the original breeding stock for the Yorkie. Yorkshire, England was known for crossing these dogs with several other terriers to come up with a small breed with both ratting and working traits.
These dogs have no clue what size they are when it comes to protecting what is theirs. This is most often a person. They are very aware of how small they are when walking with humans and may make the walk difficult by trying to stay away from large feet that seem threatening. They are often barkers and want to be the head of the household, but are still tightly bonded to humans, often displaying traits of possessiveness. These dogs will not take any gruff from other dogs, no matter their size.