[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by navywifey

I have lots of questions!!

How would you describe the general personality of a Yorkie?? Loving, tenacious, energetic, big dog courageous, loyal, extremely affectionate, dependent, need a lot of attention, smart, can be a little manipulative if you let them , aggressive even with larger dogs, jealous, a bit on the selfish side, but still free with their affection.
I have also noticed the coat colors are different, and sometimes the black fades to blue... Is there absolutly no way to tell if a pupper is going to keep their black? I think the parents are the best clue. You can look to the roots and skin under the coat. Sometimes you can see the lighter color and know they will turn light blue. But you want them to turn a deep, dark steel blue, not stay black. Some do stay black but that is considered a fault after they are adults. Since there is no precise age for them to turn, judges may be pretty lenient with black coats, going by what I read.


What are the major health problems that the breed is prone to? All i seem to read about is Liver shunts...What are some more? Their little joints are a constant concern, LP (luxating patella), disk/spine problems, teeth problems (decay and over crowding), collapsed trachea, reverse sneeze, low blood sugar when young or when over-exerted, digestive problems, poor tolerance to anesthesia, retinal dysplasia and of coures the liver shunts you already mentioned.

What are, if any, are some of the health clearances breeders have or need to have when searching for a good breeder? Not sure what you mean by clearances? Do you mean what testing should be done? Or what traits the breeding pair should have? Here are some things you can ask about:
-Certified by OFA to be free from patellar luxation?
-Certified CERF exams and are certified free of heritable eye disease?
-Bile Acid Tests for Liver Shunt (usually shows up by 6 months if they are going to have it)?
-Trachea checked free of collapse?

Hope that helps some. Welcome to Yorkietalk!!!!