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Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly  I've read that dogs that are very quickly bred down to have very short muzzles in just a few generations have terrible dental problems and while I don't know if that is true, it sounds believable. Don't really short muzzles interfere with correct breathing and a functional "dog" nose? You all are right - those dogs look pop-eyed, wall-eyed and hydrocephalic and have anything but that keen-eyed terrier look.
I personally saw one of those very tiny under 2 lb. grown Yorkie ultra "teacup" dogs at one breeders place and it slunk across the floor like a pelt of fur with no legs. It didn't look or move like a dog as its legs seemed dwarfed and the little thing was shaking - terrified. What I could see of its little face as it struggled to get under furniture showed a muzzle about the size of a thimble. It was one of the worst things I've ever seen and I got away from that house as fast as I could. Poor little dog. I only hope somehow it had a good life as God knows it deserved better than that. Oh, and of course, that breeder did not have mom or dad there!!! Next day I was at a show breeder's home in Dallas with lovely kennels, a beautiful mom and dad there in the room, looking at one of her 5 mo. old chunky little pet quality Yorkshire Terrier beauties that strode around like a little athlete, charming me with loads of Yorkie attitude with this lady giving me a Secret Service type interview and I just marveled at the difference in the two worlds. If only people wouldn't buy from those disreputable breeders and brokers, they would have to go out of business. I don't mean to suggest we all need to buy from show breeders or any thing even remotely like that but that is where I found myself that next day and the dichotomy in the pups was striking. |
This is one of the problems of breeding just for the pet market. They are breeding dogs that appeal to buyers, without doing any research on whether an attribute is safe and physically sound. Dogs with overly short muzzles do have breathing problems and are more prone to allergies. Tinies under 4 pounds often have such small mouths that their teeth don't fit, and of course, overcrowding causes more problems with teeth. So many breeds are in trouble, because the breed clubs have not protected the standard and the standard was changed to benefit breeders who wanted a more extreme example of the breed, and something that was appealing to pet buyers. Standards should change very slowly, if at all, and only after much research is done, and safety for the trait has been thoroughly tested. In my opinion, safety should always come first. So far, the Yorkshire Terrier is one breed that doesn't have any physical problems due to the written standard, there are at least 5 other breeds, who are in serious trouble because of their standard, and the modifications they've made to it.