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Originally Posted by QuickSilver  I guess I don't understand why a good breeder MUST show? It would seem to me that you could be an unethical breeder who shows, or a hobby breeder with great lines and a good eye. |
You are partly right that a breeder who does show just may not be ethical. That's why you still have to check them out and discern for yourself what you are being told. Talk to a lot of different breeders, that will weed out the ones that you likely don't want to deal with.
You brought up a good point with your idea of a hobby breeder with great lines and good eye. Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. You have to show and be mentored by a long time show breeder to know what you are looking at and to know how to interpret the breed standard. I see many posts on this forum from people who have read the breed standard but obviously do not understand it. Also, a hobby breeder is not going to be getting those great lines from a reputable show breeder because they won'[t sell to them.
As I said before, watch out for those that don't show but somewhere back in the pedigree of their pups, there are some good kennel names.
Either of two things can have happnened. The show breeder trusted a nice show dog with someone they should not have. It was bred or used at stud, pups sold on open papers. Those pups very likely were pet quality not show quality. The person now breeding this pet quality although it comes from show lines, should not be used for breeding as it will not throw a show dog. Especially if the hobby breeder is breeding to whatever.
The other thing that can happen is the show breeder didn't care where they sold or studded to. The hobby breeder who does not show, doesn't know the lines they have, they are usually a mish mash of many dogs and kennel names, doesn't know what breeding to do or not do, doesn't know how to minimize faults and counter faults in a breeding program. They are usually just breeding to produce puppies and this is where people get misled.
Just because there are champions in the background that won't ensure a show dog, doesnt ensure even a nice pet if the breeder doesn't know how to breed to improve their line. If the hobby breeder is breeding pet quality with many faults to the breed standard, you get further and further away from what a Yorkie is supposed to look like. I have seen some of these pedigrees from hobby breeders selling champion lines. Most of the Champions are at least three or four generations back on the pedigree even two generations in a pedigree does not mean the breeder actually dealt with that show breeder. Most of the time they didn't. I have seen it so often where show breeders would not sell to that hobby breeder so that hobby breeder got ahold of champion lines via a round about way. Was getting the Champion line to improve their dogs or to get higher prices for their pups because they somehow think they must be better?
There just is no other way to learn how to breed to breed standard as best you can, without a good long time show breeder mentor. A show breeder mentor will not support someone just wanting to breed and sell. This is not just the case in Yorkies, it also applies to any purebred dog you want to talk about.
You can bet I get enquiries all the time from people wanting to buy my dogs to breed. You already know what my answer is but I tell them why.
You can also consider that a reputable show breeder has put a lot of time, effort, money, training, disappointments, heartbreaks into their dogs. We and me included, is not about to have someone who just wants to breed and sell puppies get ahold of my line with my champions in the pedigree along with the kennel names/champions of reputable show breeders that have trusted me with their lines.
It just will not happen.