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Originally Posted by fourdez A while ago there was a great thread about what to look for when purchasing a puppy. I've been looking for that thread for hours and I cannot find it. Well, I'm in the market for a new puppy and would really appreciate some help. When I bought Desi I had no idea what to look for, but I was extremely lucky to find a wonderful breeder. Unfortunately, she is not breeding Yorkies for a while so I will be looking at several puppies from different breeders. What should I be looking for??
Is there a way to tell if a puppy will have a cottony coat?
Is a "Roach back" apparent in a puppy?
Desi is a (somewhat) darked faced Yorkie (which I love, she is so cute) but now I would like a lighter faced Yorkie. Is there a way to tell in a puppy?
Is a thick coat obvious in a puppy?
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A puppy with a thick cottony coat will show this at a early age. The problem is that unless you have been around for a while (long in the tooth like some of us) I am not sure that you would be able to tell the difference. That is where the practice comes in from feeling and looking at these coats for years. Once you learn the look and feel of silky it stays with you.
Ask to see mom and dad- feel the coats. If not available ask for a picture.
Often you can tell from a picture if a dog has that woolly cotton coat. A true silk coat will look thinner then the other coat. A good silk coat has a shimmer to it. If a dog is dirty- the coat will loose that bright luster but you can still see the differance.
Roachy back- may be hard also. For some reason some puppies may roach their back when they need to go potty. Will drop the stool and body postion changes. Watch the kids move around while playing- does their back look nice and staright when moving and standing. Ask the breeder to stack the puppy- if the puppy has a nice topline it is a easy stack. If you have to do a lot of adjustment in the stacking breeeder is working to make puppy look good. Problem with the stacking is that puppy may not have been stacked before or breeder may not know what they are doing if they do not show.
Feel along the babies spine to see if you feel anything odd- shoulf feel straight.
Take someone with you who knows what to look for. Have you vet check the babies topline.
Just some things to get you started