Quote:
Originally Posted by shell820810  I previously posted about opinions on a potential breeder in my area, which caused quite a debate because it wasnt the same "process" as in America.
I spoke to the secretary of the Yorkie Club in Northern Ireland again today and found out the following things (applicable to Northern Ireland/UK?):
Most pups are ok to go at 8 weeks, smaller ones, or those not eating as well should be kept longer.
No tests are done on the dogs before they are bred.
I looked at the UK Kennel Club website which gives breed specific requirements and recommendations for health screening.
Yorkies were not on this list, and what it says about this is "Any breed that does not appear in the list currently has no health screening requirements or recommendations under the Accredited
Breeder Scheme." http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/down...healthreqs.pdf
I thought this was interesting. I wonder are we producing a lower standard of dog here, or are the conditions you test for less prevalent here?
She did emphasis to avoid BYBs and puppy mills etc, because the main cause of any problems was due to inbreeding or breeding too closely. |
After reading your last thread, I was wondering about that too. I wouldn't say a lower standard dog, but your breeders don't seem to have as high a standards as the YTCA breeders. I will say, that although the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America (YTCA) has extremely high standards and ethics, they are by far the smallest group of breeders. When doing something, I think our goal should be to strive for the highest standards possible. I'm disappointed to learn that your better breeders are not doing health screening, perhaps, because they know their lines so well, they aren't concerned, but this would be a good question for them. I'm really not sure how you differentiate between backyard breeders, and responsible breeders, if there aren't many differences between them. A good breeder does understand the difference between line breeding and inbreeding, and I believe that what you were told was correct, and that inbreeding does produce more defects. I'm not sure what the health problems of Yorkies over here are compared to the UK, but I can tell you that we have an awful lot of really poor breeders, and really unhealthy Yorkies, so finding the best breeder you can, makes a great deal of sense. One of the ways to choose a good breeder is to familiarize yourself with the Yorkie standard, and inspect the breeding pair carefully. Puppies generally are going to look like their parents. I think better breeders tend to care more if the dogs they are breeding look like a good representative of the breed, instead of those who just breed the dogs because that's what they own. Also, looking for a breeder that is aware of the pedigree of her dogs is really important, especially if they don't do any health screening.