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Brittie123 · 08-03-2005, 01:03 PM

As the owner of two "tinies" I can give my experience on having one on each end of the spectrum...my first was Mia. I got her a year ago not having any idea how small she would be...to be honest I didn't know she was considered small for a yorkie puppy until my vet commented on her first checkup. Her breeder bred specifically for tinies, her mother was 3 lbs and her father was 2 lbs, which is just crazy now that I have learned more about breeding. She continues to have several health problems that will stay with her for her entire life because of her small size and because she was purposely bred to be tiny. While I love her, I am very lucky that I can afford to properly care for her because I have had to pay thousands (not kidding) at emergency vets and have talked to other owners of tiny yorkies who have had similar experiences.

So a year later I wanted another smaller yorkie since Mia is so fragile and I didn't want to risk her getting hurt by the new baby. After looking for a long time I found a YTCA breeder that had a litter of standard yorkies and Emmy was in that litter. She was obviously going to be smaller than the others, and the breeder felt since I had a lot of experience with all of Mia's troubles that I would be a good home for Emmy. She has not had one problem (she's almost 6 months old) not even hypoglycemia which tinies are known to have for their entire life not just puppyhood.

I am convinced after talking to other owners of tinies, both from breeders who bred them specifically to be tiny as well as responsible breeders who threw a tiny in a litter of standards, that the difference in health is due to the breeders I got them from. You can bash the YTCA all you want to but breeders who breed responsible for the standard yorkies do get the occasional tinies in their litter, they cannot help it. It happens. The late Terri Shumsky told me once that small yorkies less than 3.5 lbs as adults occur in about 20% of standard breeder's litters.

If you know all of the risks and the troubles you will have with a tiny, as well as the financial obligations, and you still want one, then IMO the best way to find one is speak to several YTCA breeders, let them know why you want what you want, get on waiting lists (there will be a wait), and the right one will come your way. I realize it is hard to pass by all the other breeders who always have tinies and they look so cute, but believe me it will be worth it to wait for a responsible breeder to have your puppy. Good breeding is priceless, and actually since YTCA breeders are usually breeding for show and not for profit you can get a healthier dog for less money.

08-03-2005, 01:03 PM	#4
Brittie123 No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 288	As the owner of two "tinies" I can give my experience on having one on each end of the spectrum...my first was Mia. I got her a year ago not having any idea how small she would be...to be honest I didn't know she was considered small for a yorkie puppy until my vet commented on her first checkup. Her breeder bred specifically for tinies, her mother was 3 lbs and her father was 2 lbs, which is just crazy now that I have learned more about breeding. She continues to have several health problems that will stay with her for her entire life because of her small size and because she was purposely bred to be tiny. While I love her, I am very lucky that I can afford to properly care for her because I have had to pay thousands (not kidding) at emergency vets and have talked to other owners of tiny yorkies who have had similar experiences. So a year later I wanted another smaller yorkie since Mia is so fragile and I didn't want to risk her getting hurt by the new baby. After looking for a long time I found a YTCA breeder that had a litter of standard yorkies and Emmy was in that litter. She was obviously going to be smaller than the others, and the breeder felt since I had a lot of experience with all of Mia's troubles that I would be a good home for Emmy. She has not had one problem (she's almost 6 months old) not even hypoglycemia which tinies are known to have for their entire life not just puppyhood. I am convinced after talking to other owners of tinies, both from breeders who bred them specifically to be tiny as well as responsible breeders who threw a tiny in a litter of standards, that the difference in health is due to the breeders I got them from. You can bash the YTCA all you want to but breeders who breed responsible for the standard yorkies do get the occasional tinies in their litter, they cannot help it. It happens. The late Terri Shumsky told me once that small yorkies less than 3.5 lbs as adults occur in about 20% of standard breeder's litters. If you know all of the risks and the troubles you will have with a tiny, as well as the financial obligations, and you still want one, then IMO the best way to find one is speak to several YTCA breeders, let them know why you want what you want, get on waiting lists (there will be a wait), and the right one will come your way. I realize it is hard to pass by all the other breeders who always have tinies and they look so cute, but believe me it will be worth it to wait for a responsible breeder to have your puppy. Good breeding is priceless, and actually since YTCA breeders are usually breeding for show and not for profit you can get a healthier dog for less money.