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Originally Posted by Mardelin  Great info provided by Woogie Man. But, in the yorkie world it is not a possibility to breed phenotype to pheno type and know what the final result will be. It can be done with poodles, dobes, etc.
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Dog-gone it..I knew I was going to simplify to the point of being wrong LOL. Seriously though, my understanding is that phenotype is the physical expression of gene combinations. The goal of a breeding program is to breed true to desired type. Is breeding for genotype even possible when breeding with open pedigrees (which the OP expressed a desire to do)? How could any trait be homozygous with such pedigrees? It would seem that any trait would be hit or miss with such a program.
I'm glad you responded since you have a better working knowledge than I. One (perhaps over-simplified) question. Could it be said that you are breeding genotype to genotype if successive generations breed true?
My understanding of Yorkies is that Huddersfield Ben was not the first to exhibit the desired characteristics but was the first that was able to pass those traits on to his offspring. Would this not be considered breeding for genotype while similar appearing dogs that did not pass along those traits be considered breeding for phenotype? Though the early breeders didn't use such terms, it appears they had an inherent knowledge of how to breed 'true to type'.