Age to have ultrasound to breed

[SusieMacdonald]

Hi! I'm totally new to this group and new to being a Yorkie owner! Loving it all so far! I have a question, all of my research shows that a yorkie should be two years old before breeding and also you should have them tested via ultrasound to see if their hips will be ok for breeding. When are they old enough to find this out via ultrasound?

Any ideas and input I would really appreciate!

[Buster Brown]

Originally Posted by SusieMacdonald

Hi! I'm totally new to this group and new to being a Yorkie owner! Loving it all so far! I have a question, all of my research shows that a yorkie should be two years old before breeding and also you should have them tested via ultrasound to see if their hips will be ok for breeding. When are they old enough to find this out via ultrasound?

Any ideas and input I would really appreciate!

Hi Susie welcome to Yorkie Talk. From what I have learned on YT there are many tests you should do before breeding Yorkies and is best to be mentored by a reputable Yorkie breeder before attempting to do it yourself. Breeding can be a hot button topic here because there are so many poorly bred Yorkies that end up having health issues. My dog was poorly bred and I have spent over 7,000.00 the first two years alone on medical bills due to his poor genetics. You not only need to know the health and lineage of your dog but that of the mate as well. I will try to look up some of the breeding threads because the task of breeding and whelping a Yorkie is daunting if you want to do what is best for your dog and for the breed.
Here are some of the YT links I mentioned. http://www.google.com/custom?q=breed...3A1&hl=en&sa=2

[Lilah Charm]

Hello Susie! Welcome to yorkie talk I think it is great that you are interested in finding out what is typical protocol to ensure Yorkshire terriers are bred to be healthy, beautiful and well tempered dogs. Like Carolyn said, there are many tests that should be done to ensure that your dog is healthy and up to standard. We have some very knowledgable folks on here, I don't have their skill and knowledge at all! But a few things I would want to do is run a blood panel and get a bile acid test to check liver function (especially because liver issues can be prevelanr in yorkies) also, their knees should be checked to look for any degree of luxating patella.

Typically, the best path to having a high quality Yorkshire terrier whose type you would want to pass on is to go through the show route and do confirmation showing. Judges evaluate bite, gait, hair type and many other things and have a honed eye for what is desirable and represents the Yorkshire terrier breed according to their breed standard. That, coupled with many health evaluations seems like the way to start off. Find a local breed club, support the YTCA (Yorkshire terrier club of America) and start attending shows to learn what represents a good quality specimen of Yorkshire terrier. Perhaps your dedication will inspire an educated breeder to mentor you. I hope another more educated lady on the topic will Chime in with advice soon.

[SusieMacdonald]

Hi! Thank you for welcoming me so much! I definitely want to do everything correctly and would love a mentor! I have two puppies I purchased from two different people selling them. I have registered both with AKC. The male I purchased first and is what got me into Yorkies (when I saw him I fell in love). The female I purchased after doing some research on AKC and bought from a registered seller on AKC in my local area. I want to take the time to do everything right and hopefully breeding will work out in the long run.

[SusieMacdonald]

Buster Brown thank you for the link!

Lilah Charm I must ask where the little cute yorkie emoji came from? I haven't found that yet lol

So far I can not find any local Yorkie inspired groups. I've been trying but no luck at all....

[Buster Brown]

Originally Posted by SusieMacdonald

Buster Brown thank you for the link!

Lilah Charm I must ask where the little cute yorkie emoji came from? I haven't found that yet lol

So far I can not find any local Yorkie inspired groups. I've been trying but no luck at all....

I think you can find the emoji in the box to the right in the reply window underneath the Smilies it says (more) click that and you will get the additional emoji's.

[Lilah Charm]

Originally Posted by Buster Brown

I think you can find the emoji in the box to the right in the reply window underneath the Smilies it says (more) click that and you will get the additional emoji's.

Yup, and then as you find yourself spending way too much time on yorkie talk you get to know them by heart! Lol showing is a really great way to hook up with people who are in the know about health evaluations, hopefully the breeders you got your pups from have long histories logged and did the appropriate medical testing. A great place to start when you are trying to ensure your dogs are quality, healthy animals (of course we all love our babies but most of them are pet quality, not breeding quality) is to start with your breeder and get a good history. Definitely haunt the breeders talk threads, there is very good information in there- unfortunately some of it learned the hard way and often at the expense of precious pups I am so glad you are seeking information to make the best decisions and not rushing into anything. health testing is so valuable and unfortunately not everyone is responsible and dedicated to the betterment of our special breed- steer clear of those guys!

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by SusieMacdonald

Hi! I'm totally new to this group and new to being a Yorkie owner! Loving it all so far! I have a question, all of my research shows that a yorkie should be two years old before breeding and also you should have them tested via ultrasound to see if their hips will be ok for breeding. When are they old enough to find this out via ultrasound?

Any ideas and input I would really appreciate!

I am happy that you are doing your research before stepping off into breeding....I spent 12-15 years researching the breed, different lines and pedigrees, what predigrees will fit together, which ones you never mix, many, many courses in Yorkie genetics, hanging out at dog shows, one after the other after the other.....getting to know breeders from all over the USA and Canada....very, very dedicated people that have to realize you are not doing this for a quick buck or they will not even give you the time of day....fly by night breeders looking to make a quick buck are an ever present danger, and these dedicated people that have spent thousands of hours with Yorkies, showing and genetic research and breeding the best with the best, to get the best.....make sure they realize you are dedicated and serious about doing what is best for the breed, knowing you are NOT going to make money doing this........learning anatomy and genetic issues with the breed.....attending hundreds of seminars and on line educational classes......then, I got into diseases prevalent in the breed, what lines throw these issues, what lines you never cross or you will get into huge problems.....learn at least 9-12 generations behind your intended breeding pair, know their strengths and weaknesses and what you never want to double up on......then volunteering with vets....I dont even know if they will allow you to do that anymore....assisting with births, watching c-sections, and then, I started researching what lines I wanted to go with....contacting those breeders (some who still will not even return your messages....this is NOT something to get into if you dont like being corrected or even insulted or yelled at, embarrassed, or humiliated......these people want to be sure you are "putting your due diligence and time into it".....someone will hopefully take a liking to you and will begin to share information with you, then work with you....then you can get a close working relationship with a breeder/shower, and learn all the in's and out's of that aspect....NOW, you are getting close! Now you can get in part ownership with a good/excellent show dog or two, depending on what your pocketbook allows.... and you are almost ready to start breeding! Good luck, gird up your loins, set your jaw, pull out your bank loan, and get started!

[Buster Brown]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

I am happy that you are doing your research before stepping off into breeding....I spent 12-15 years researching the breed, different lines and pedigrees, what predigrees will fit together, which ones you never mix, many, many courses in Yorkie genetics, hanging out at dog shows, one after the other after the other.....getting to know breeders from all over the USA and Canada....very, very dedicated people that have to realize you are not doing this for a quick buck or they will not even give you the time of day....fly by night breeders looking to make a quick buck are an ever present danger, and these dedicated people that have spent thousands of hours with Yorkies, showing and genetic research and breeding the best with the best, to get the best.....make sure they realize you are dedicated and serious about doing what is best for the breed, knowing you are NOT going to make money doing this........learning anatomy and genetic issues with the breed.....attending hundreds of seminars and on line educational classes......then, I got into diseases prevalent in the breed, what lines throw these issues, what lines you never cross or you will get into huge problems.....learn at least 9-12 generations behind your intended breeding pair, know their strengths and weaknesses and what you never want to double up on......then volunteering with vets....I dont even know if they will allow you to do that anymore....assisting with births, watching c-sections, and then, I started researching what lines I wanted to go with....contacting those breeders (some who still will not even return your messages....this is NOT something to get into if you dont like being corrected or even insulted or yelled at, embarrassed, or humiliated......these people want to be sure you are "putting your due diligence and time into it".....someone will hopefully take a liking to you and will begin to share information with you, then work with you....then you can get a close working relationship with a breeder/shower, and learn all the in's and out's of that aspect....NOW, you are getting close! Now you can get in part ownership with a good/excellent show dog or two, depending on what your pocketbook allows.... and you are almost ready to start breeding! Good luck, gird up your loins, set your jaw, pull out your bank loan, and get started!

Wow I knew you were knowledgeable and experienced about many Yorkie issues but never how extensively you had studied and prepared.

[Buster Brown]

Here is another link to our Breeder/Breeding library. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/bre...-answered.html

[scrapindee]

Just because a dog is registered with AKC is no guarantee of health or good genetics. IMHO AKC is much better than all of the other registries that registers any 4 legged dog. A mentor with good knowledge of pedigrees is very important before breeding any dogs.

[gemy]

Originally Posted by SusieMacdonald

Hi! I'm totally new to this group and new to being a Yorkie owner! Loving it all so far! I have a question, all of my research shows that a yorkie should be two years old before breeding and also you should have them tested via ultrasound to see if their hips will be ok for breeding. When are they old enough to find this out via ultrasound?

Any ideas and input I would really appreciate!

Just wanted to clarify here. I have not heard of an ultrasound of hips per say - there is Hip certification by offa done at 2yrs old that will once read by a specialist clear your dog of Leggs Calves Perthes and or Hip Dysplasia. These are Xrays and not ultrasound. Pelvic measurements can be done to see if the birth canal looks wide enough for a natural birth.