new to REGISTERED breeding

[shippernhorse]

I have bred Chihuahuas for more than 8 years and stopped as they were getting way to over bred in Ontario. I am now getting into showing and my daughter is starting in the junior program with our Yorkie Maggie. My kids are now in full time school and I want to put more time into Maggie and into breeding healthy show and pet Yorkies. I have alot of experience with breeding but not much in the show ring. I have run into a huge road block! Every breeder I have checked out won't sell me a male with breeding rights. How on earth did some of you get started with QUALITY dogs? I know I can run out and buy registered Yorkies from people on Kijiji but I want to find a breeder with reputation and lines of pedigree I can actually see. Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated.------no haters please-------

[chattiesmom]

First of all welcome to you and Maggie. I am very new to the exhibitor/breeder world, so my ideas and opinions may differ from those with more experience. In fact, I have my first show bitch and am working very closely with two mentors to get her finished. It seems that the more I learn the more I realize how little I know. I hope I never stop learning - if I do, then it's time to find a new passion! Anyway...


The vast majority of exhibitor/breeders will not sell a dog or bitch to a person that they don't know and trust, so the first step would be to visit a lot of dog shows and get to know the exhibitor/breeders. Many are more than willing to "talk yorkie" after they have finished in the ring. After you get to know the exhibitor/breeders in your area and find someone that would be willing to mentor you. Work with your mentor, gain their trust, and then perhaps in time you can become a co-owner of a stud or bitch. Continue working closely with your mentor and finish your stud or bitch. While at shows, get a clear understanding of the standard and learn to spot faults. Start evaluating what YOU want to accomplish with your future breeding program and what you can do to improve the breed. The ultimate goal of a breeder should be to combine the genetics of a male and female and have the product of that breeding to be superior to the parents.

Of course between the acquiring a show prospect and breeding, there are the medical screenings and genetic testing. It can be very overwhelming to take on the tast of breeding to better the breed if you don't have a loyal and trusted mentor to help guide you.

Good luck, take your time and enjoy the journey!

[carmen in nj]

All the above, plus talk to other breeders at shows, do your homework, so they know you are serious about showing and keeping the standards of your breed, it took me 2 years to get a silky terrier breeding bitch after my stud was champion, and believe me in my town we have a great Alaskan malamute breeder that took me under her wing and showed me and my daughter the rough ropes... Build a relationship with the show breeders while you showing. Ask Lots of questions,the breeders really apreciate well educated questions..
Best of luck..
hugs,

[Lorraine]

You will have to be willing to start with co ownership however, as you already own a female Yorkie you will have a hard time finding someone who is going to trust you. Also given you had said you bred Chi's without showing them you already established yourself as a breeder without getting into the show rings.
So to begin you may be able to find someone willing to co own a male with you and for you to sign a contract the male will not be used at stud without the breeders consent . And that would include your own female.You would have to show and champion him with the mentorship of the breeder. Whether or not anyone will deal with you with your open female in your home, allow the male to breed her eventually is going to depend on where you got the female and her quality, pedigree etc.
You ahve to realize a reputable show breeder has put many years of time, hard work, and money into their dogs and do not want to have their line end up in the wrong places because someone wants champion lines. You really have to be dedicated to last in the show world.

[gemy]

Originally Posted by shippernhorse

I have bred Chihuahuas for more than 8 years and stopped as they were getting way to over bred in Ontario. I am now getting into showing and my daughter is starting in the junior program with our Yorkie Maggie. My kids are now in full time school and I want to put more time into Maggie and into breeding healthy show and pet Yorkies. I have alot of experience with breeding but not much in the show ring. I have run into a huge road block! Every breeder I have checked out won't sell me a male with breeding rights. How on earth did some of you get started with QUALITY dogs? I know I can run out and buy registered Yorkies from people on Kijiji but I want to find a breeder with reputation and lines of pedigree I can actually see. Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated.------no haters please-------

If you are serious in entering into the show world of purebred dogs. If you are serious about breeding to improve the breed - or at the minimum to perserve the best qualities of the YT; then quite simply you will need to earn that right. Or to say it another way pay your dues first.

Look to join the National Club here in Canada as a regular member first; as you won't know any breeder members to at this point in time qualify as a breeder member.

Look to the same for the USA National Club.

Join an active Toy Dog Club in your area, if none is available an active All Breed Club.
Study, Study, Study. Look at on line seminars. For structure and a good idea on how to train your eye to review a dog's structure; I highly recommend an Eye for a Dog.

Go and see all National Specialities for Yorkies. ONe is coming up in Reading PA. November here in Canada is ours. Plan on attending.

You need to build relationships, and show your commitment to the breed and your ethics, dedication to breed healthy and good representatives of the breed.

My journey I will share with you is based primarily on the breed I do breed; which is BRT;s. How-ever I do co-own and love and train a Yorkshire Terrier - who has 2Ch's behind him and one Grand Champion; and is probably the first YT to dock dive! And he has been health tested and registered on the various health websites.

I with my breed haunted the breed rings. Talked to many breeders. Became somewhat a "fixture" at any show I could get to. I eventually was asked to help out in small ways. Hold a dog ringside. Get water. Hold a dog's head for grooming. And then I decided to purchase a puppy. At that point in time I was more interested in a working/obedience dog; I didn't really care about showing the boy. As you may find as I did, the good and best of working dogs, also have great conformation and the breeder wants them in the conformation ring as well as the obedience/performance ring. These breeders are the best in my opinion. So I was sold my boys on co-ownership, with strict guidelines on to working titles and a commitment to show the boys in the ring.

I did what I was asked to do and way way more. I've championed and Grand championed three dogs in my ownership. Along the way I have become a breed expert on movement; and chair the Education committee for my breed. This means I train the judges what to look for and how to interpret the standard for my breed of BRT's. I am also an evaluator for puppies. This is about 10 yrs later.

I am an active member of both National clubs in the States and Canada. I get involved in rescue.

There is no Short Cut to becoming a reputable breeder. There is only time, and impassioned work.

So you may ask, how did I get to own a male YT. Quite simply my breeder of Razzle, was also my trainer for BRT;s. We had an ongoing 4 or so year relationship. I fell in love with the Yorkies, as twice weekly we would train with them. And I wanted an agility dog. So I asked Ilona; I would like an agility dog, I would like a Yorkie. She said well Gail, I have a potentially good agility dog, but.... I want him shown as he is a very good conformation boy as well. If I let him go to you, will you agree to show him too?

So to me the key is solid relationships. Ilona and I still have, and probably will always have a very close relationship. She is my mentor in many ways, including BRT obedience and structure ways. We train together, go to courses together etal.

[Lorraine]

Originally Posted by gemy

If you are serious in entering into the show world of purebred dogs. If you are serious about breeding to improve the breed - or at the minimum to perserve the best qualities of the YT; then quite simply you will need to earn that right. Or to say it another way pay your dues first.

Look to join the National Club here in Canada as a regular member first; as you won't know any breeder members to at this point in time qualify as a breeder member.

Look to the same for the USA National Club.

Join an active Toy Dog Club in your area, if none is available an active All Breed Club.
Study, Study, Study. Look at on line seminars. For structure and a good idea on how to train your eye to review a dog's structure; I highly recommend an Eye for a Dog.

Go and see all National Specialities for Yorkies. ONe is coming up in Reading PA. November here in Canada is ours. Plan on attending.

You need to build relationships, and show your commitment to the breed and your ethics, dedication to breed healthy and good representatives of the breed.

My journey I will share with you is based primarily on the breed I do breed; which is BRT;s. How-ever I do co-own and love and train a Yorkshire Terrier - who has 2Ch's behind him and one Grand Champion; and is probably the first YT to dock dive! And he has been health tested and registered on the various health websites.

I with my breed haunted the breed rings. Talked to many breeders. Became somewhat a "fixture" at any show I could get to. I eventually was asked to help out in small ways. Hold a dog ringside. Get water. Hold a dog's head for grooming. And then I decided to purchase a puppy. At that point in time I was more interested in a working/obedience dog; I didn't really care about showing the boy. As you may find as I did, the good and best of working dogs, also have great conformation and the breeder wants them in the conformation ring as well as the obedience/performance ring. These breeders are the best in my opinion. So I was sold my boys on co-ownership, with strict guidelines on to working titles and a commitment to show the boys in the ring.

I did what I was asked to do and way way more. I've championed and Grand championed three dogs in my ownership. Along the way I have become a breed expert on movement; and chair the Education committee for my breed. This means I train the judges what to look for and how to interpret the standard for my breed of BRT's. I am also an evaluator for puppies. This is about 10 yrs later.

I am an active member of both National clubs in the States and Canada. I get involved in rescue.

There is no Short Cut to becoming a reputable breeder. There is only time, and impassioned work.

So you may ask, how did I get to own a male YT. Quite simply my breeder of Razzle, was also my trainer for BRT;s. We had an ongoing 4 or so year relationship. I fell in love with the Yorkies, as twice weekly we would train with them. And I wanted an agility dog. So I asked Ilona; I would like an agility dog, I would like a Yorkie. She said well Gail, I have a potentially good agility dog, but.... I want him shown as he is a very good conformation boy as well. If I let him go to you, will you agree to show him too?

So to me the key is solid relationships. Ilona and I still have, and probably will always have a very close relationship. She is my mentor in many ways, including BRT obedience and structure ways. We train together, go to courses together etal.

[gracielove]

All they have told you is true. I have helped my relatives show their dogs (not Yorkies) but have never gotten into it myself. I did show cats for a few years and many of the same things hold true for showing and breeding purebreds cats that are the same with dogs.

You didn't mention what lines your female came from but purebred dogs are bred according to what bloodline their ancestors come from. Line breeding is necessary in order to establish and maintain the type and quality of the breed. You cannot take just any line and mix it with another line. The whole genetic thing is very complicated and takes a lot of study and experience. That is why most people start out with a mentor. An established reputable breeder who will let you assist as you learn the ropes of showing and breeding. It is much more complicated than you can imagine. A purebred dog maintains it's traits by careful breeding. That is why you see such a huge difference when you compare a championship purebred to a poorly bred backyard breeder's dog.

As others have pointed out the type of breeding you have been doing is frowned upon by the professional show/breeder. You may want to contact AKC clubs in your area. You may be able to enter your dog in obedience trials and get involved in that type of showing at first. If you stick with it you may meet others and get to know breeders in your region who may be willing to take you on and help you get started. There is a lot to learn and you will have to start at the bottom and work your way up. Warning: this is an expensive hobby/profession.