[QuickSilver]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

I'll probably regret posting on this thread later, but here goes.

So we should "not" dock tails because it is painful and potentially harmful and only for cosmetic reasons?

Yorkies have a higher c-section rate than a lot of other breeds, probably because they are small. Size is appearance. Appearance is vanity. So now we are back to a cosmetic issue, really. So it could be said that by breeding larger Yorkies, there would be less risk (pain and potential harm) to the mother(s). So we should change this standard too then?

Originally Posted by Mardelin

You know Dr. Centers says that breeding smaller has caused a lot of the issues that are facing our breed.

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Coming back to the party....

Second: whelping for yorkies seems exceptionally dangerous, and if that could be made less dangerous by increasing the standard size, then I reeeeeeeally hope this is at least being considered. How could a breed club claim to support the welfare of the animal if things like this AREN'T considered??

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

It could be made less dangerous if people actual research and educate themselves on the breeding process in advance. If they make sure they are breeding females from lines of free whelpers and who have a pelvic structure suitable for breeding. Instead of just breeding and then trying to pick up on it as they do....coming to YT and not listening to advice or after the fact determined to find someone to just tell them what they want to hear.

Even in the best situation where everything is done 'by the book,' there are still going to be instances where there are complications along the way with the whelp. Just the way it is and would still happen if the 'breed standard was bigger.'

Okay, so the earlier quotes about yorkies having more c-sections and health problems because they are smaller, these are incorrect?

Here is one of the big problems I have with this type of discussion. If, as a pet owner, someone came to me and said, "doing X to your dog causes them incredible stress and pain, and you should never, ever do it again" -- I think I would at least look into the claim. Maybe I would decide it was baseless and not worry about it, but as a breeder, does it not concern you that possibly the puppies experience a great deal more pain during docking than you realize?

Similarly with the breed standard of 7 lbs - I don't know much about whelping, so maybe the 4-7lb recommendation is fine. But I would think that this would be a topic of active discussion at the YTCA if increasing the breed size WOULD make whelping easier. Is this in fact a topic of discussion at all?

Speaking personally, I feel like when these kinds of topics come up, rather than prompting a discussion about what is truly best for our dogs, a lot of the responses are along the lines of "you shouldn't challenge the wisdom of the breed standard / YTCA / AKC / established breeders." The responses often seem quite defensive and designed to STOP discussion and investigation. That really bothers me. I think such questions should be welcomed, frankly addressed, and then maybe it would be easier to put them to bed.