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SET Yorkies · 10-05-2009, 07:01 AM

Mardelin’s advice is exactly how one should begin. Nothing beats seeing the best and starting with that goal in mind. I was fortunate enough to have parents who worked with Scottish Terriers and Upland Game Dogs..... I'm not sure where the beginning was for me, it was just something natural to me that I always knew and loved.... For several years, I worked exclusively training English Pointers and Setters for field trials and several corporate bird reserves, but did very little breeding.... Training a game dogs, who are expected to perform, is quite intense and took most of my time. I had a break for a few years and then decided I wanted to go back to working / studying dogs. I knew, though, I wanted to work with a smaller breed as my human family began to grow. I began researching small, but spirited dogs genetically similar to the Scottish terrier, so I settled on Yorkies... Purchased a really sweet, female and the rest is history, I guess…

Even though I had a great deal of experience in genetics, it was still important to go back and focus on breed specific elements. Mardelin really stressed the need for learning from those who know the breed, and she is very right. Even though I certainly had my parent’s at my right hand for help, I still searched out a mentor who specialized in Yorkies. Her experience and willingness to help really made the difference for me. I do not currently show, but spend many hours a day peering through a microscope, scripting data for food manufacturers, and recording analysis of new medications, vaccinations, ect…. I hope in some way, my work on the scientific end adds to the longevity and health of all breeds.

It is been really good and really bad, depends on the day you ask.... I can say without hesitation, I wouldn't want to do anything else.... Grooming, boarding, limited training and research studies help me keep my small breeding program floating.…. Breeding is a highly personal endeavor and the best advice I can give is to diligently learn. Some just skim the surface, but I mean really learn. Read everything you can get your hands on (anything by Willis is great), there is such a wealth of material out there and most breeders don’t mind helping… I think that is why so many on this board are frustrated when some post, “I’ve bred my dogs, now what?”…. There is just no excuse for not knowing as the information is readily available…. It all comes down to passion, not matter what the profession…

Anyway, this is getting long, so I am adding the story that made the difference for me… Hopefully it both enlightens and encourages:
Every breeder started somewhere…. Let me tell you the story of our humble beginning as something to consider. I had an excellent mentor….. She was passing the torch of 25 years of knowledge and experience to me (how lucky was I?)…. My second litter was due being whelped by my most beautiful dog (not to mention that I was also attached to her as much as I was my children)…. Talk about a textbook pregnancy…. 42nd day ultrasound showed 6 very well proportioned, small puppies…. Delivery started…..no distress….easy labor on the first puppy… then nothing….and nothing… I was prepared…. I had read all of the books…. Not to fear, middle of the day, no emergency call…. We headed to the vet just to be sure (12 miles)….she died in my hands as I walked through the office door…. I called my mentor in horror and unbelievable grief….she said, “you’ll know in a few weeks if this is for you.” …. She said that because I had 6 very tiny puppies (5 saved through c/s) that needed to be nursed every two hours for weeks….I buried my Gizmo where our new kennel stands today and got started with her babies…..I would hardly close my eyes b/f it was time to feed again….two weeks into it, one just didn’t thrive….now I was at wit’s end….three days later one aspirated on the feeding tube….I was done, called my mentor and told her to come get them all… she said, “no, this was your choice”…. 20 or so weeks later of round the clock care, One by one, these tiny replicas of their mom, of whom I had become a surrogate mother, were picked up by new owners. To this day, I still grieve for my Gizmo, to this day I still check up on every puppy I sell… I’ve shoveled truck loads of poop, dried gallons of pee, built kennels, torn down kennels, delivered puppies at 2:00 am on every holiday celebrated by man (even my kids birthday parties which I had to miss)….Breeding is a complete sacrifice of everything else when the moment counts b/c your female is counting on you for everything….If you bring puppies into this world they are your responsibility and yours alone. My mentor made that quite clear to me. If you do not have the ability to deal with the difficulties with the same passion as you delight in the rewards, keep you little girl as a pet….. If you do have the ability, this could be the blooming of a wonderful new career…one that I love more with every pooper scooper full….

10-05-2009, 07:01 AM	#5
SET Yorkies Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2007 Location: Beaumont Texas Posts: 285	I guess my reply is in the long category Mardelin’s advice is exactly how one should begin. Nothing beats seeing the best and starting with that goal in mind. I was fortunate enough to have parents who worked with Scottish Terriers and Upland Game Dogs..... I'm not sure where the beginning was for me, it was just something natural to me that I always knew and loved.... For several years, I worked exclusively training English Pointers and Setters for field trials and several corporate bird reserves, but did very little breeding.... Training a game dogs, who are expected to perform, is quite intense and took most of my time. I had a break for a few years and then decided I wanted to go back to working / studying dogs. I knew, though, I wanted to work with a smaller breed as my human family began to grow. I began researching small, but spirited dogs genetically similar to the Scottish terrier, so I settled on Yorkies... Purchased a really sweet, female and the rest is history, I guess… Even though I had a great deal of experience in genetics, it was still important to go back and focus on breed specific elements. Mardelin really stressed the need for learning from those who know the breed, and she is very right. Even though I certainly had my parent’s at my right hand for help, I still searched out a mentor who specialized in Yorkies. Her experience and willingness to help really made the difference for me. I do not currently show, but spend many hours a day peering through a microscope, scripting data for food manufacturers, and recording analysis of new medications, vaccinations, ect…. I hope in some way, my work on the scientific end adds to the longevity and health of all breeds. It is been really good and really bad, depends on the day you ask.... I can say without hesitation, I wouldn't want to do anything else.... Grooming, boarding, limited training and research studies help me keep my small breeding program floating.…. Breeding is a highly personal endeavor and the best advice I can give is to diligently learn. Some just skim the surface, but I mean really learn. Read everything you can get your hands on (anything by Willis is great), there is such a wealth of material out there and most breeders don’t mind helping… I think that is why so many on this board are frustrated when some post, “I’ve bred my dogs, now what?”…. There is just no excuse for not knowing as the information is readily available…. It all comes down to passion, not matter what the profession… Anyway, this is getting long, so I am adding the story that made the difference for me… Hopefully it both enlightens and encourages: Every breeder started somewhere…. Let me tell you the story of our humble beginning as something to consider. I had an excellent mentor….. She was passing the torch of 25 years of knowledge and experience to me (how lucky was I?)…. My second litter was due being whelped by my most beautiful dog (not to mention that I was also attached to her as much as I was my children)…. Talk about a textbook pregnancy…. 42nd day ultrasound showed 6 very well proportioned, small puppies…. Delivery started…..no distress….easy labor on the first puppy… then nothing….and nothing… I was prepared…. I had read all of the books…. Not to fear, middle of the day, no emergency call…. We headed to the vet just to be sure (12 miles)….she died in my hands as I walked through the office door…. I called my mentor in horror and unbelievable grief….she said, “you’ll know in a few weeks if this is for you.” …. She said that because I had 6 very tiny puppies (5 saved through c/s) that needed to be nursed every two hours for weeks….I buried my Gizmo where our new kennel stands today and got started with her babies…..I would hardly close my eyes b/f it was time to feed again….two weeks into it, one just didn’t thrive….now I was at wit’s end….three days later one aspirated on the feeding tube….I was done, called my mentor and told her to come get them all… she said, “no, this was your choice”…. 20 or so weeks later of round the clock care, One by one, these tiny replicas of their mom, of whom I had become a surrogate mother, were picked up by new owners. To this day, I still grieve for my Gizmo, to this day I still check up on every puppy I sell… I’ve shoveled truck loads of poop, dried gallons of pee, built kennels, torn down kennels, delivered puppies at 2:00 am on every holiday celebrated by man (even my kids birthday parties which I had to miss)….Breeding is a complete sacrifice of everything else when the moment counts b/c your female is counting on you for everything….If you bring puppies into this world they are your responsibility and yours alone. My mentor made that quite clear to me. If you do not have the ability to deal with the difficulties with the same passion as you delight in the rewards, keep you little girl as a pet….. If you do have the ability, this could be the blooming of a wonderful new career…one that I love more with every pooper scooper full….