Well said Julie, Gigi and Lorraine!!!
This is definitely a great thread! I have had pets in the past and am now on the other side. We started with a pet bitch from a puppy store at 6 weeks of age. She turned out to be 14 lbs, floppy ears and soft coated. I know how hard it is to breed to a quality stud with a "pet" bitch. We wanted to experience the breeding aspect and ran into a reputable show breeder that was willing to breed to our "pet" bitch. She had a litter of 4 and we enjoyed them for a while until it was time to find them proper, loving, well educated yorkie homes (they were not show quality and were spayed/neutered before they were adopted).
I finished undergraduate studies and the 'show fever' hit me. I ran into the wrong breeder and was once again sold a pet. Yes the quality was better then our pet shop bitch, but still not correct according the AKC standard. I showed him to the best of my abilities until I realized that none of the dogs around me had the look and characteristics of those shown by long-time breeders. I now have 3 bitches from 2 different show breeders with 30+ years of breeding and showing.
Co-ownerships are very common in the show world. You have to realize that its all about trust. Its not a greed nor a "thick headed" syndrome so to speak. Show breeders are willing to improve the breed but not willing to breed to dogs/bitches that have many faults when compared to the standard. Naturally these faults tend to be higher in pet yorkies and lower in yorkies that come from show breeding environments. If you worked that hard for that many years you too would not want to see all your hard work shared among the pet world. I have so much respect for these long-time breeders because the breed has come such a long way within the last 40 years. These are not the accomplishments of mishap breedings over the generations. Those that sign co-ownerships with long-time breeders should have so much gratitude, because its not a way for breeders to take advantage of you. These contracts are the start of your commitment to the betterment of the breed within the show world. The mentoring and knowledge you learn from these long-time breeders is priceless. The standard co-ownerships contracts require are a pick puppy back from a co-own bitch and lifetime stud service rights to a co-owned dog. The more complex contracts should also never be a problem to those willing to improve the breed within the show world.
I have signed 2 contracts with one particular breeder and they have just recently had multiple problems with both newcomers and even with those that have shown earlier and returned to the ring. When you sign a contract, read every word. Do get caught up in the excitement of the opportunity you are being given. Be considerate in what is asked of you within the contract. If you can't abide or do not agree with certain requirements then DON’T SIGN IT!!!
Hope I didn’t get too off track.
Best of Luck
John