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Originally Posted by IsabelleOllie  The breed standard has been not to exceed 7lbs since before my parents bought their first Yorkie in England 1970 when my father was stationed there. IMO a 5-7 lb dog is very capable of being a ratter. I think that the real problem is that too many people see $$$$ and breed Yorkies with no thought as to the health of the puppies,let alone the breed standard. I was very surprised when I started looking for my own Yorkie two years ago at how many off-standard pups are out there. Apple heads, huge eyes, down ears.... all puppies are cute, but half of them don't even look like Yorkies to me. |
My nan was raising yorkies in England during this times (for 30+ years). Almost all of her dogs were a dependable 5-6lbs, although she did have the occasional runt that was small from the start and required hand-feeding to thrive. They were all strong terriers, and while most went to pet homes, she had steady customers in a few local farmers that liked her yorkies for ratters.
Even today, when I picture "yorkie" in my head, what she raised is what I visualize. It hard then going to visit breeders and look at puppies and seeing these "apple heads, huge eyes, down ears" that you aptly described. It seems like breeders are either breeding for a 2-3lb babydoll/teddybear face, or they're just wrecklessly breeding whatever to make a buck. And I'm now of the opinion that "papers" mean very little. I've never seen so many "AKC yorkie puppies" that clearly look like there's been some unrecorded mixing in the lines, cos what they are selling looks nothing like a yorkie.