I don't know the answer to your question really. I'm picking up my new girl on Friday from my breeder. I'll share a little of my story to see if it helps.
I originally adopted a male yorkie for a few hundred dollars. After 2 vet checks (1 + 2nd opinion), the puppy had a congenital condition that I couldn't deal with and so I returned him to the breeder and received refund. That breeder was probably a BYB - but I didn't know, she claimed to be doing it for a long time and had several lovely pups/sire & dam when I visited her home. The boy puppy has been kept by this breeder.
After that, I was determined to do much more research
before buying any puppy. I learned that - over all - quality pups that come from quality breeders DO cost a lot of money to rear. Not just the whelping/weaning/vet bills/shots, etc. but also other testing - like DNA. To get to the point of having quality puppies, a good breeder devotes huge amounts of time and money to create optimum lines. So, there's something to be said for "you get what you pay for."
On the U.S. east coast, Yorkies cost a premium. I went to my local YTCA chapter and contacted all the breeders listed there. (There weren't that many.) Some had puppies, some didn't - but they all gave me some great advice along the way.
I decided to save my money up and purchase the
right puppy. I knew that I'd find her after having the funds to buy her.
In my case, I was able to put a deposit on a puppy and now I'm picking her up when I'm able to pay for her. It hasn't taken very long and I'm happy I did it this way. I have a lifetime connection with my local breeder. And that's very important to me. My girl is quality. Now, that's no guaranty that I won't encounter a problem - but at least I feel that I've done the best I could do.
So, as to $850 (a number I've seen thrown around by a lot of BYBs), it may be the right amount for a quality puppy in your location. In my area, like I said, that's the price of a back yard, no papers, no history, strange registry dog. It doesn't mean that you won't find a
healthy puppy, however. You'll really need an excellent vet to figure that out.
Also, finding your vet is as important as finding the puppy!! IMHO. I went to 2 of them and with my new pup, I'm going to the second one from now on.
Hope you find your answers and your puppy and be happy! Good luck in your search.
