Biewer Terrier History | From Germany to America (original) (raw)

Mr & Mrs Biewer & Schneeflockchen von Friedheck

The Biewer Terrier originated in Germany in 1984, when two tricolor puppies were born in the kennel of experienced Yorkshire Terrier breeders Werner and Gertrude Biewer. A veterinarian friend suggested they call the dogs Biewer Yorkshire Terriers. Soon afterward, a famous German singer took a liking to the dogs, and she added the words "a la Pom Pon" to the breed's name. In the following years, Werner and Gertrude Biewer continued to work on developing a consistent population of the breed through selective breedings.

American dog fanciers began importing the breed from Germany beginning in 2002. The delightful little dogs quickly caught on in the United States, with clubs forming as early as 2006 to protect and promote the new breed. During this period, the Biewer Terrier Club of America (BTCA) was formed.

Photos from Mrs. Biewer

In 2007, members of the BTCA contacted Mars Veterinary to see if the lab could develop a program to confirm whether the Biewer Terrier was in fact a strain of the Yorkshire Terrier or a separate breed. By September 2007, the lab was ready with DNA testing for this purpose and 10 blood samples from Biewer Terriers were submitted to begin the analysis. The test results showed that the samples clustered together in a way typical of a pure breed, but separate from the Yorkshire Terrier, prompting the submission of further, more varied, samples. This would be the first time a breed was confirmed to be a pure bred dog through the collection of genetic material, rather than through pedigree records.

This whimsical toy breed is Wunderbar, as Mrs. Biewer herself said when two BTCA members visited her in Germany in 2007. The BTCA founding members worked long and hard to preserve and perfect the breed, now named Biewer Terrier. After years of diligent work by the BTCA, the breed was accepted into the AKC's Foundation Stock Service in 2014 and achieved full recognition into the Toy Group in 2021.