1. People often just think of the rewards of breeding rather than the heartbreaks. In my last litter, I lost one of the pups due to being underdeveloped. Despite everything I did, I could not get him to keep breathing. Are you prepared to watch a puppy suffer until it dies? That is something that is heartbreaking to see and an image that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Are you also prepared that something could go seriously wrong and your female could die in the process of giving birth? I am not trying to be rude or negative, but to prepare you for the realities of breeding such a small, fragile breed of dog.
2. My last litter cost me $1200 in vet bills and that is not including the amount I paid to guarantee my dogs were healthy enough to breed beforehand, food, pee pads, safe cleaning product, paper towels, toys, electricity bills to ensure the house is warm enough, etc. As well as the unmeasurable amount of time it takes out of your life to help raise these puppies and provide them with a safe, caring environment. And this was a very successful breeding with no complications other than the loss of the one pup. It is not uncommon for the mother to need a C-section in this breed and that could cost you a couple thousand dollars. Another cost to consider is if a puppy is born ill, you could pile a lot of money into that pup to keep it alive and it could still die. Needless to say, breeding is not a way to make easy money, and often times you do not make any money at all.
3. I have only lost one puppy, but I am a relatively new breeder.
4. Buying out of the area is not necessary to ensure your dogs are not related.
5. Any good breeder will provide you with pedigrees of the pups without you even asking. If the breeder refuses to show you the pedigrees or gives you a hard time about showing the pedigrees to you, this is not a breeder that you want to buy a puppy from.
6. You do want your female to be larger than your male. But if you are buying a female as a puppy, there is no way to guarantee that the puppy will be between 5 and 7 pounds from such a young age. The breeder can give you an estimate based on their previous growth and the pups parents sizes, but this does not ensure that the puppy with be a certain size.
I would recommend you go to some dog shows and meet some more yorkie breeders and get as much information and help as you can before you begin to start breeding. Find yourself a mentor BEFORE you start breeding and even before you buy a female. Your mentor will be able to help you make sure the female and male have complementing qualities to keep your pups within AKC standard. I had 3 mentors before I started breeding and I read a lot of books (which barely even begin to prepare you) and talked talked to many people starting 5 years before I wanted to breed. You also should not breed your female until her 3rd heat cycle, which could not be until she is a year and a half/two years old. And you should not breed her any more than every other heat cycle, this being the most often. And a female should not have more than 3 maybe 4 litters in her lifetime in order to keep her healthy as well.
Please send me a message if you have anymore questions.
Alyssa
Quote:
Originally Posted by joeyandtanksmom  So, I would absolutely love to breed yorkies sometime - hopefully within the next 3 years or so. I have a strong belief that I would be an exceptional breeder, and that I would be able to contribute to the Yorkie breed. I have 2 boys, one of which is AKC. My CKC boy will most likely be getting fixed (especially when we get a girl - I don't ever want to have a question of paternity, and 2 unfixed boys fighting over a girl would be bad), since CKC isn't as common (Continental Kennel Club), and AKC is the most desired. I am more than willing to have my AKC boy tested to make sure he is fit to father pups, and plan to do so when I have gotten the OK from my husband to begin looking for a girl. My aim is to always breed puppies within the AKC standard, and to have sociable and happy puppies. I have been doing a lot of research, but I would like some responses from you breeders about what I need to know.
1. What are the things that some people don't think about?
2. What are all the costs associated with breeding an akc litter (registrations, tails, dew claws, shots, etc)
3. How often have you lost puppies/mothers?
4. When I do purchase, would it be a good idea to find a breeder out of the area so that I could be sure she wasn't related to my boy?
5. Is it possible to look at the sire and dam's pedigrees when I'm looking at pups to compare to my akc boy's pedigree to be absolutely certain that they aren't at all related? - like, would that be an ok thing to ask of the breeder?
6. My AKC boy is about 4 lbs. If I were to purchase a girl that reached an adult weight of 5 to 7 lbs, that would be an acceptable match, correct? I definitely want healthy weight puppies!
I would appreciate any advice or information, as I want to be as well informed as possible even before I buy a female puppy. Also, do or would any of you sell to a person hoping to breed? I figure everyone needs a first dog, and would like to know what would your process be in selling a dog to one hopeful of breeding your puppy at some point? Thanks in advance for answers to my questions  |