Breeding Program Help?

[MntSnowBabies]

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for reading this post. I have seen a lot of threads about Breeders leaving YT because their posts have been taken the wrong way or rude, and their breeding programs/breeding intents are different then many others that are posting on the site (not meaning to step on toes here). I feel this thread can help new breeders who are looking to start a program find some good information and a possible mentor. I think that YT is a great start for many people and that breeders and possible mentors/breeders can get so much out of these threads.

There just seems to be many breeders now on the site that are looking for help with their breeding programs (new or old), and inexperienced breeders needing help with their starts to the breeding world (either by an oops or are new to breeding yorkies). I just feel that we could all benefit from advice of breeders that are breeding to certain standards and those who are breeding to breed for the love of yorkies.

So I am asking those of you who breed yorkies or are starting a breeding program:

What you are looking for in results for your breeding program? How you started your selections for this program? What made you decide to breed Yorkies? And what qualities you look for in a potential breeding dog?

Thanks for any input to help anyone out!

[yorkiekist]

Originally Posted by MntSnowBabies

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for reading this post. I have seen a lot of threads about Breeders leaving YT because their posts have been taken the wrong way or rude, and their breeding programs/breeding intents are different then many others that are posting on the site (not meaning to step on toes here). I feel this thread can help new breeders who are looking to start a program find some good information and a possible mentor. I think that YT is a great start for many people and that breeders and possible mentors/breeders can get so much out of these threads.

There just seems to be many breeders now on the site that are looking for help with their breeding programs (new or old), and inexperienced breeders needing help with their starts to the breeding world (either by an oops or are new to breeding yorkies). I just feel that we could all benefit from advice of breeders that are breeding to certain standards and those who are breeding to breed for the love of yorkies.

So I am asking those of you who breed yorkies or are starting a breeding program:

What you are looking for in results for your breeding program? How you started your selections for this program? What made you decide to breed Yorkies? And what qualities you look for in a potential breeding dog?

Thanks for any input to help anyone out!

1) What I am looking for in a litter are HEALTHY puppies that will be show prospects, and if not, will be a beautiful pet. The show prospects should conform as closely to the YTCA standard of the breed as possible. Hopefully one of these puppies will be my next champion or will be used for breeding and can pass on her wonderful traits to the next generation.

2) What made me want to breed Yorkies were my first two, 25 years ago. I had always been a "big dog" person until I got a Yorkie. I was actually looking for a Skye Terrier at the time, but being very ignorant, I couldnt find one and didnt know where to look. Heck, I had never even seen a dog show before. But it was love at first sight when I got Amy. She will always be the love of my life. I had no clue about Yorkies and I got her at about 5 1/2 weeks old with no shots. As yes, she was very pet quality and only grew to 3 1/2 lbs. I moved and 6 months later I got Samantha. She was the second love of my life. One day as I was driving, I saw a "dog show" sign and investigated my first dog show. Thats all it took to get me hooked!!!LOL
3) How I started my selections for my breeding program started with ALOT of failures. I got all the T.H.F. books on Yorkies I could find. I looked at the pictures and looked at the pedigrees. We didnt have the luxury of the computer back then!LOL I became a wiz-bang at pedigrees. Samantha had a champion sire/pedigree and was better quality than Amy, so I started from there. I then got a chance to buy another champion sired girl, Christine, and I just knew I was on my way. I was bound and determined to raise my own champion. I had the FAULTY idea that if the dog had champion lines, it would produce champion stock. NOTHING could be further from the truth. I didnt know cr*p!!!!! I did so much wrong. I look back and say "DUH"!!!(I still have duh moments!LOL At least now I can call them GRAY moments!Lol) I had no mentor, no experience and no knowledge. Great way to start, dont you think? To make matters worse, the Yorkie exhibitors were, lets say, less than polite. Still being uneducated and wanting to show, I actually did show a puppy out of Christine from her first litter. He was very pretty and had a classic face. Too bad he was BLACK and had very WAVY hair. I wonder to this day how many handlers were snickering in the ring that day. I wont go into the other Duh moments.
4) Fast forward a few bruises and years and things started coming together. I did actually get my Skye Terrier and he was my first champion!! That would be Woodrow. I bought him site unseen from New Hampshire from a breeder I have only talked to on the phone. She gave me more in-sight to the dog world than any of the Yorkie breeders have. She made me "see" how to breed, etc. I guess I can call her my MENTOR!! So I evolved and matured. What I look for in a Yorkie stud is one that closely follows the YTCA standard and one that passes on those traits. I want to see SILK!! And I am a TOP-LINE fanatic. I want to see MOVEMENT!! I want to see a well put-together package! (bitch or stud)
OK, I want it ALL!!!LOL
5) My advise to the novice is to go to shows and find a mentor. LEARN, LEARN, LEARN!! PRACTICE showing your mentors dogs and LEARN all aspects of health and grooming first before you even attempt to breed a litter. Dont make the same mistakes I have made. It is costly and not gratifying. You want to be proud of what you produce and have a goal. Dont just breed to be breeding.

Sorry this was long winded. Hope you enjoyed my story. Hope I could educate just a little also.

[C C Kent]

Originally Posted by yorkiekist

I then got a chance to buy another champion sired girl, Christine, and I just knew I was on my way. I was bound and determined to raise my own champion. I had the FAULTY idea that if the dog had champion lines, it would produce champion stock. NOTHING could be further from the truth. I didnt know cr*p!!!!! I did so much wrong. I look back and say "DUH"!!!(I still have duh moments!LOL At least now I can call them GRAY moments!Lol) I had no mentor, no experience and no knowledge. Great way to start, dont you think?...

Hope you enjoyed my story. Hope I could educate just a little also.

I love the story and the candor. If I had a nickel for every time someone rolled their eyes....

[MntSnowBabies]

Thanks for the post yorkiekist, and for being brave enough to share your program to those who don't have one!

Not only was your story insightful but very intertaining. I have to admit that I once too thought that buying a dog with champion lines would give me a champion but I quickly learned that wasn't the case when I recieved my males paperwork. Most of his lineage is bl/gld with a few blk/gld thrown in (2 on mother, and 2 on father) and he came out looking just like his daddy(blk/gld). Check out my pics! I am hoping that he will throw a good bl/gld puppy with a silky coat, as my dams bl/gld coat is cottony. I wasn't plannning on showing either one of my two I have now, but I was hoping to see what quality of pup they will produce (maybe a show potential), that I may find a show potential male to breed to.

[yorkiekist]

Originally Posted by MntSnowBabies

Thanks for the post yorkiekist, and for being brave enough to share your program to those who don't have one!

Not only was your story insightful but very intertaining. I have to admit that I once too thought that buying a dog with champion lines would give me a champion but I quickly learned that wasn't the case when I recieved my males paperwork. Most of his lineage is bl/gld with a few blk/gld thrown in (2 on mother, and 2 on father) and he came out looking just like his daddy(blk/gld). Check out my pics! I am hoping that he will throw a good bl/gld puppy with a silky coat, as my dams bl/gld coat is cottony. I wasn't plannning on showing either one of my two I have now, but I was hoping to see what quality of pup they will produce (maybe a show potential), that I may find a show potential male to breed to.

I dont worry too much about a dog being registered blk/gld as alot of breeders mark that color because the puppies are that color at first. My champion is registered as blk/gld and he is blue/tan. I did know a well known breeder back in the 80's who had a blk/gld dog(not a champ, but champ sired) who produced 6 champions and they were all blu/tan. I dont know how many blk/gld he produced though. So dont give up!!
I wish that the newbie breeders would read my story and think twice about breeding. They need to really think what they are doing. If they only knew what I have learned over the years. I wish I could have had the opportunity for education and experience before I started. I wouldnt have gone through soooooo much heart-ache. Its too bad that way back then the exhibitor breeders were rude, stand-offish and selfish. Or thats how I percieved them at that time. Remember that at that time I was in my 20's and I could have been a little more sensitive than I am now. But they didnt seem to welcome newbies at all. I always felt I was on the outside looking in.

[yorkiekist]

Originally Posted by C C Kent

I love the story and the candor. If I had a nickel for every time someone rolled their eyes....

Thanks!! I hope other breeders will post their beginnings. I can bet that they are more stellar than mine.LOL

[Amazing Yorkies]

Originally Posted by yorkiekist

1) What I am looking for in a litter are HEALTHY puppies that will be show prospects, and if not, will be a beautiful pet. The show prospects should conform as closely to the YTCA standard of the breed as possible. Hopefully one of these puppies will be my next champion or will be used for breeding and can pass on her wonderful traits to the next generation.

2) What made me want to breed Yorkies were my first two, 25 years ago. I had always been a "big dog" person until I got a Yorkie. I was actually looking for a Skye Terrier at the time, but being very ignorant, I couldnt find one and didnt know where to look. Heck, I had never even seen a dog show before. But it was love at first sight when I got Amy. She will always be the love of my life. I had no clue about Yorkies and I got her at about 5 1/2 weeks old with no shots. As yes, she was very pet quality and only grew to 3 1/2 lbs. I moved and 6 months later I got Samantha. She was the second love of my life. One day as I was driving, I saw a "dog show" sign and investigated my first dog show. Thats all it took to get me hooked!!!LOL
3) How I started my selections for my breeding program started with ALOT of failures. I got all the T.H.F. books on Yorkies I could find. I looked at the pictures and looked at the pedigrees. We didnt have the luxury of the computer back then!LOL I became a wiz-bang at pedigrees. Samantha had a champion sire/pedigree and was better quality than Amy, so I started from there. I then got a chance to buy another champion sired girl, Christine, and I just knew I was on my way. I was bound and determined to raise my own champion. I had the FAULTY idea that if the dog had champion lines, it would produce champion stock. NOTHING could be further from the truth. I didnt know cr*p!!!!! I did so much wrong. I look back and say "DUH"!!!(I still have duh moments!LOL At least now I can call them GRAY moments!Lol) I had no mentor, no experience and no knowledge. Great way to start, dont you think? To make matters worse, the Yorkie exhibitors were, lets say, less than polite. Still being uneducated and wanting to show, I actually did show a puppy out of Christine from her first litter. He was very pretty and had a classic face. Too bad he was BLACK and had very WAVY hair. I wonder to this day how many handlers were snickering in the ring that day. I wont go into the other Duh moments.
4) Fast forward a few bruises and years and things started coming together. I did actually get my Skye Terrier and he was my first champion!! That would be Woodrow. I bought him site unseen from New Hampshire from a breeder I have only talked to on the phone. She gave me more in-sight to the dog world than any of the Yorkie breeders have. She made me "see" how to breed, etc. I guess I can call her my MENTOR!! So I evolved and matured. What I look for in a Yorkie stud is one that closely follows the YTCA standard and one that passes on those traits. I want to see SILK!! And I am a TOP-LINE fanatic. I want to see MOVEMENT!! I want to see a well put-together package! (bitch or stud)
OK, I want it ALL!!!LOL
5) My advise to the novice is to go to shows and find a mentor. LEARN, LEARN, LEARN!! PRACTICE showing your mentors dogs and LEARN all aspects of health and grooming first before you even attempt to breed a litter. Dont make the same mistakes I have made. It is costly and not gratifying. You want to be proud of what you produce and have a goal. Dont just breed to be breeding.

Sorry this was long winded. Hope you enjoyed my story. Hope I could educate just a little also.

LOL.. Boy does that bring back a lot of DUH moment memories!

[yorkiekist]

Originally Posted by amazing yorkies

lol.. Boy does that bring back a lot of duh moment memories!

lol!!

[Crestwing]

Yorkiekist that was totally excellent!! I had a lot of duh moments too and teehee still do lol. I want a dog I can be proud of knowing it is very Healthy, defect free and as close to the standard if not better, good looks, brains, super personality and produces that on in future generations. When someone gets a puppy from me I want their vet and their friends to ask where they got that splendid puppy from? Tall order but very worth while striving for. It is easy to throw 2 dogs together to make puppies but what about down the road when they call you and say they have to put their puppy to sleep for major health problems. How will you feel? Breed for the best so you won't ever have to worry like that. Check out generations of your dogs and test your dogs. Anything run in the lines back farther? Sue

[yorkiekist]

Originally Posted by Crestwing

Yorkiekist that was totally excellent!! I had a lot of duh moments too and teehee still do lol. I want a dog I can be proud of knowing it is very Healthy, defect free and as close to the standard if not better, good looks, brains, super personality and produces that on in future generations. When someone gets a puppy from me I want their vet and their friends to ask where they got that splendid puppy from? Tall order but very worth while striving for. It is easy to throw 2 dogs together to make puppies but what about down the road when they call you and say they have to put their puppy to sleep for major health problems. How will you feel? Breed for the best so you won't ever have to worry like that. Check out generations of your dogs and test your dogs. Anything run in the lines back farther? Sue

Thanks!

I agree with everything you stated!! Newbies dont seem to realize how important generational health is a well as health of the parents.

[bjh]

My story is similar to yorkiekist but I have not yet accomplished what she has but that is what I am striving for.

I started out in the mid 70ies breeding and showing St. Bernards, we owner handled one female to her championship. Back then it took 18 bitches for a major. We also had beagles prior to that and had one we bred that became a champion but she was not owned by us. After going through a divorce, I got away from showing and breeding. Years passed and I remarried, then about 12 years ago some friends of ours that raised yorkies had a cute little 7 month old female they they offered to us at a great price so we bought Dixie and that was our beginning. Dixie has a few champions in her pedigree and is a good representative of the breed. She is still with us and she tucks us in every night. Of course Dixie melted our hearts and as you all know you can't have just one yorkie so later we got came across another little girl, Channel, that we added to our household. Her picture at age 9 is attached. This little 6 1/2 lb girl had 21 champions in her pedigree and I was proud to own her. Channel was later rehomed to relatives and was later stolen. I have been raising yorkies for 12 years but just started getting interested in showing again the last couple of years. Like others, I have made my share of mistakes but I am slowly learning. I recently added a nice champion sired boy to our household so I am hoping to get back in the ring later this year.

I know that many people are not interested in showing for one reason or another. It is costly and you do have to be tough skinned. But even if you can't show and you plan on breeding, you should at least strive to breed the best that you can. Attend some shows, visit a show breeders home if they will let you. Have someone that is knowledgeable about conformation and soundness go over your dogs. In order to breed properly you have to have a good understanding of what your dogs faults are. Too many people, when they go to purchase a dog or puppy just focus on a pretty face. If you don't have sound dogs in your breeding program then you can never accomplish your dream. If your dog has lots of faults then don't breed it. Some faults can be corrected easily but others cannot. Yorkies are a coat breed and a silky coat is of the utmost importance. You can have a dog with near perfect conformation but if it has a cottony coat then it would be very difficult to ever become a champion. Everyone should strive for the proper silky coats that make the yorkie so special.

[MntSnowBabies]

Originally Posted by Crestwing

Yorkiekist that was totally excellent!! I had a lot of duh moments too and teehee still do lol. I want a dog I can be proud of knowing it is very Healthy, defect free and as close to the standard if not better, good looks, brains, super personality and produces that on in future generations. When someone gets a puppy from me I want their vet and their friends to ask where they got that splendid puppy from? Tall order but very worth while striving for. It is easy to throw 2 dogs together to make puppies but what about down the road when they call you and say they have to put their puppy to sleep for major health problems. How will you feel? Breed for the best so you won't ever have to worry like that. Check out generations of your dogs and test your dogs. Anything run in the lines back farther? Sue

I haven't had either one of my dogs tested just yet. Their still babies (dam 10 months, sire 6 months), and I haven't breed them together or sired him out yet because of their ages (dam is in her first heat) and I haven't had the testing done. I am waiting till I do the testing till this summer (expecting my second skin baby the end of March, so I am on restricted traveling), as the weather is much more permitting for me to drive an hour away to my local vet or 4 hrs away to my vet in Denver. As far as past generations in either dog (from talking to the breeders) there hasn't been anything wrong genetically and health wise as far as they know or can remember or will tell me.

[mkbartz]

Thank you so much for this post. I have learned so much from it!

Originally Posted by yorkiekist

1) What I am looking for in a litter are HEALTHY puppies that will be show prospects, and if not, will be a beautiful pet. The show prospects should conform as closely to the YTCA standard of the breed as possible. Hopefully one of these puppies will be my next champion or will be used for breeding and can pass on her wonderful traits to the next generation.

2) What made me want to breed Yorkies were my first two, 25 years ago. I had always been a "big dog" person until I got a Yorkie. I was actually looking for a Skye Terrier at the time, but being very ignorant, I couldnt find one and didnt know where to look. Heck, I had never even seen a dog show before. But it was love at first sight when I got Amy. She will always be the love of my life. I had no clue about Yorkies and I got her at about 5 1/2 weeks old with no shots. As yes, she was very pet quality and only grew to 3 1/2 lbs. I moved and 6 months later I got Samantha. She was the second love of my life. One day as I was driving, I saw a "dog show" sign and investigated my first dog show. Thats all it took to get me hooked!!!LOL
3) How I started my selections for my breeding program started with ALOT of failures. I got all the T.H.F. books on Yorkies I could find. I looked at the pictures and looked at the pedigrees. We didnt have the luxury of the computer back then!LOL I became a wiz-bang at pedigrees. Samantha had a champion sire/pedigree and was better quality than Amy, so I started from there. I then got a chance to buy another champion sired girl, Christine, and I just knew I was on my way. I was bound and determined to raise my own champion. I had the FAULTY idea that if the dog had champion lines, it would produce champion stock. NOTHING could be further from the truth. I didnt know cr*p!!!!! I did so much wrong. I look back and say "DUH"!!!(I still have duh moments!LOL At least now I can call them GRAY moments!Lol) I had no mentor, no experience and no knowledge. Great way to start, dont you think? To make matters worse, the Yorkie exhibitors were, lets say, less than polite. Still being uneducated and wanting to show, I actually did show a puppy out of Christine from her first litter. He was very pretty and had a classic face. Too bad he was BLACK and had very WAVY hair. I wonder to this day how many handlers were snickering in the ring that day. I wont go into the other Duh moments.
4) Fast forward a few bruises and years and things started coming together. I did actually get my Skye Terrier and he was my first champion!! That would be Woodrow. I bought him site unseen from New Hampshire from a breeder I have only talked to on the phone. She gave me more in-sight to the dog world than any of the Yorkie breeders have. She made me "see" how to breed, etc. I guess I can call her my MENTOR!! So I evolved and matured. What I look for in a Yorkie stud is one that closely follows the YTCA standard and one that passes on those traits. I want to see SILK!! And I am a TOP-LINE fanatic. I want to see MOVEMENT!! I want to see a well put-together package! (bitch or stud)
OK, I want it ALL!!!LOL
5) My advise to the novice is to go to shows and find a mentor. LEARN, LEARN, LEARN!! PRACTICE showing your mentors dogs and LEARN all aspects of health and grooming first before you even attempt to breed a litter. Dont make the same mistakes I have made. It is costly and not gratifying. You want to be proud of what you produce and have a goal. Dont just breed to be breeding.

Sorry this was long winded. Hope you enjoyed my story. Hope I could educate just a little also.

[trinabinabear88]

MntSnowBabies,
I too am just getting started in my own breeding program i bought a female a year ago and was hoping she would be my foundation bitch but now i realize she does not have what it takes. I am also trying to get into showing and will hopefully be welcoming my show hopeful at the end of this month if all goes to plan. I see you live in colorado, so do i who did you get yours dogs from?

[ch774]

Thank You for starting this fourm.

I have been breeding for many years. But this is the first time at yorkies. I have learned alot. Asked Lots of questions. In fact I have a question now. I have a male (Jack) who is blue/gold and he is registered with "American Pet registery" and a female AKC regular colors. well I am going to breed them when she is 2-years old now she just turned 1-. Any way my question is when she has puppies where do you put them. I know a safe place quiet, and all I have 3-older schnauzers who have been fixed and will not hurt anybody.

My options are the closet, washroom, but then she is away from us and all alone. My schnauzers were no probleum they did not care who came around and you could pick up the puppies some of the post have said not to touch them and the female would bite you or be very protective of her babies. So hope this makes sense.

Can you help me?

thanks
Cheryl