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Originally Posted by gemy  How exciting! You are only 26 yrs old, loads of time to study, to meet and garner relationships in the show world and obedience/rally/agility world.
And yes you will pick your mentor carefully, as carefully as she/he will agree to mentor you. Essentially the best way is to earn the trust and respect of a reputable breeder; to sit at their feet and learn from them.
So starting with a solid foundation in terms of breeding stock, will be eased in for you, by your reputable breeder/mentor. And don't be surprised the first female or male of her, or another's line will for sure be co-owned. With strict rules about breeding and how your relationship in terms of this line and this dog will work. And you will by this time have helped to championship one or two of your breeders dogs, and will be entrusted to Championship one or two of your own dogs.
So for you right now, it is study study study time. Attend shows, learn the lines by examining pedigrees, take courses on genetics, read everything you can about the standard, take courses on structure, start to develop an "eye for a dog". Learn all you can and keep that learning current about the health problems of Yorkies. Ask lots of questions of everyone. Become a known face at the shows.
Okay because I'm kind of a person who likes structure; here are some of the arenas you want to learn and develop over time an expertise in;
Standard: Study it inside and out. Know it's contents by heart.
Structure: Train your eye to observe a dog moving. Train your hands to palpate the dog. First get to know the terms, then to intellectually understand them. For eg: roach backed, rolling, straight shoulders, sickle hocked, toeing in or out, narrow/deep chest, low tailset, gay tail, earset, top loin, loin, croup, etc etc. There are many good books on a dogs structure. Head shape, bite.
Movement: How to recognize correct movement for the Yorkshire terrier. Seeing movement faults.
Coat and color
Temperament: what are the temperament tests; compare contrast.
Showing in the ring: How to, what judges look for
Genetics: Inheritance factors, basic genetic terms, such as recessive, dominant polygenetic, etc. What are the Yorkies health concerns thought to be from a genetic base? How to understand a pedigree, what are the health databases, and what do they show?
Health concerns of Yorkies. What are they? Their inheritance factors, their commonality, their rareness?
Breeding a huge topic which links all of the above, plus health screenings, care of the pregnanat bitch, successful whelping and rearing of puppies, screening potential buyers,etc etc.
And most important before all of the above; Why do you want to breed? To become an excellent breeder, takes years of not only the studying as elaborated above, but also by breeding, by showing. If you have a passion to leave this breed better than when you found it; is an admirable goal. |
Thank you so much for such a thorough response! You gave me exactly the answers I was looking for, plus so much more! This is the second time you've really gone above and beyond to help answer my questions, and I truly appreciate and admire that you are willing to give so much of your knowledge and time to someone who is practically a stranger. (I'm not sure if you recall, but you helped me immensely when I questioned the turn out of my Lila's feet (valgus/varus deformity) and we still to this day practice standing in correct position. Because the doctor determined that her issues stem more from loose ligaments than any actual bone deformity, the exercises you suggested HAVE actually helped her feet attain a more correct, frontward facing position (some of the time, anyway.) They still turn out of course. But they don't seen to
quite as much, and they definitely haven't continued to get worse!)
But back to the topic at hand. I once read a PDF on the structure of the YT (I wish I knew where I found it, because it was WONDERFUL, even if I'm not yet fully capable of conceptualizing everything that it was meant to convey!), and it was at that point that I realized just how little I actually know.
The depth of knowledge expressed by this one man (I believe he/she was a judge) really impressed upon me the notion that the process of becoming a great shower/breeder is something that is going to take TIME, DILIGENCE, PATIENCE, and PASSION. It made me realize the importance of hands on experience versus what I can absorb on an intellectual level from books.
As for WHY I would want to be a breeder... What a thing to consider! But you're right... If I ever hope to become a knowledgeable and reputable breeder, it's with a clarity of purpose and deliberate intent that I should begin... Even 20 years out
So... Apart from a love for dogs in general and the YT breed specifically, it seems to me that the YT breed is almost a victim of it's own popularity. The demand for the Yorkie seems to have given rise to rampid and indiscriminate breeding practices, serving only to keep within the gene pool defects that might otherwise, by careful and selective breeding, be weeded out. The extraordinary physical variations that we see within the YT breed - coat type, size, structure - (I mean how many times have we seen an "is this a yorkie?" thread (not to offend, as I quite enjoy some of those
)) don't seem to be as present in other breeds. It's like we are blurring the definition of what a Yorkie is and is not, and there don't seem to be enough breeders who are strategically CAPABLE (not that some, though definitely not all, don't put forth a valiant effort) of bringing the Yorkie back into focus. It seems like the YT breed as a whole needs a lot of WORK... More so than many other breeds. And I think it's possible to bring the YT to the point that we can maintain the traits that we cherish - the fiery, terrier spirit and temperament, the loyalty, the sweetly prideful personality, the beautiful physical characteristics - while virtually eliminating those that we don't want... But WITHOUT limiting the gene pool so dramatically as to negate the protection that gene variations afford a dog's health. I think a Yorkie breed like that would be a miraculous thing to accomplish, and I think it can be done... Meticulously, scientifically... And humanely. And IF it can be done... I'd like be able to say that I've played a small part in doing it (even if I can't say so for the next 20 or so odd years.
) These are just the thoughts and observations of a novice, but I guess, in a nutshell, that's why I would one day like to breed.
Soooo....
I think, to start slowly (and dip just the very tip of my big toe into the almost overwhelmingly vast ocean that is breeding
) I'm going to research shows in my area. Per your and others' suggestions, that seems to be the best place to start. So if you have any tips about which sorts of shows would be more beneficial than others to attend, I'd love to hear them!
And thank you again for all of the wonderful advice!