Hi, everyone!
I'm new here and I'm thinking of purchasing a Yorkie. I have so many questions, though, and am thoroughly confused.
I've been researching on the internet, and I've learned a little bit. This looked like a great place with lots of knowledge, so I thought I'd try to ask here. So here goes...
1. Puppy vs. Adult
I, of course, want an adorable puppy, but I know it's a lot of time and hard work to train them. I live in an apartment and have heard that purchasing an adult is easier because they are usually housetrained. Opinions?
2. Female vs. Male
Anybody have any preferences? I don't really know the differences between the two... any yorkie would be lovely! I'm kinda leaning towards a female, though I've noticed they are quite a bit more expensive. Others have mentioned to keep in mind that females have that "time of the month" and males ummm.... hump things.
I know it sounds incredibly silly! Are those things I should really consider?
3. I like the "puppy" look
I love how Yorkie puppies look and I love their short, choppy hair. I know they are known for their beautiful hair, but I think I'd like to keep the hair short (easier maintenance and I prefer the look). I tried to search for pics of adult dogs with short hair or a "puppy cut", but I couldn't find any. So far, I've only seen adult Yorkies with longer hair and they look very, very different from the puppy pics. I'm trying to figure out if I keeping the hair short keeps them looking more like how they do when they're puppies. Does anyone have any comments or pics of adult yorkies with puppy cuts?
4. Yorkies price
I know Yorkies are spendy little guys and worth every penny, but I was wondering why is there such a broad price range? I've seen some at $700 to $1000 to $6500!
Are there "special" Yorkies or something? That seems like so much money. What is the general price for Yorkies? Honestly, I was going into this with about $400-$500, but I can see that the price is about double that. I guess I just don't want to get ripped off.
5. Where to buy
I see so many places and people to buy Yorkies from. I'm not sure where to go. I know definitely NOT the pet store. I won't even go into that!
Anyways, how do I know if the person is reputable, etc. I've heard some breeders test their dogs for diseases, give shots, and all sorts of things. Is this something all breeders should do?
I'll probably think of more questions, but this is so long already. I apologize for the long post, but I really do want to educate myself before buying. Any advice or help towards any of my questions would be greatly appreciated! Or if you could direct me to a good site or previous threads, that would help too. Thank you in advance!
chellebelle