[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by MyTiffie

I am new to this site but I will answer your question and probably offend half the people on here. Do your research. First off, there are no "teacup" yorkies. AKC standards states that a yorkie must not exceed 7 pounds. If a person is breeding yorkies under 3 pounds they have a possibility of having hyporglycemia, portal shunt issues and a shorter life span. That means vet bills. That said, some people like to breed small, call them "Tea Cup" and raise the price to $2,000 or more. You can purchase a quality yorkie for less than $1,000 easy. It depends what you are looking for. Do you want to breed, show, have a perfect loving lap dog. That will determine your price. Most top breeders that care about the dogs will only give a restricted registration unless you show proof of spay/neutering. This is to protect them from ending up in puppy mill situations. If you are not going to champion the dog and want a good pet; a reliable breeders will sell you a pet quality yorkie with restricted AKC papers anywhere from $400 to $1,000. You should interact with the parents, learn there temperament and health history. To me, that is more important than entering the "smallest yorkie" competition and shelling out a couple thousand.

I should also mention that "pet quality" means they do not meet the exact AKC standards. They are not winning the dog shows. Maybe there ears are to close together/to far apart, maybe they are to small (usually under 3 pounds), or they hold there tail wrong. They stand with their feet turned in or out etc. Any small flaw. For a pet they are awesome.

Didn't offend me, I agree with this post! Most people cannot even see the "faults" in a pet quality yorkie that a show breeder thinks they can't champion, and most of these dogs are gonna be better looking that what your average byb is breeding.

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

That's the million dollar question.

You could spend $2,000 or more and buy a sickly Yorkie from a disreputable breeder, or you could spend $400 and luck out and get a great healthy pet from someone who breeds out of their home. In other words, it's not how much you spend but how seriously the breeder takes their job and how knowledgeable they are.

My only advice is to research the breed, research breeders and research the specific line of dogs in a breeder's litter.

What do I expect from a breeder? I expect them to be breeding healthy dogs with the intention of improving the breed. I want to see a track record of healthy dogs. I want to see the parents and see if they are the general size and coloring I'm interested in. And, for me most importantly, I want them to assure me that they place a premium on socializing the puppies before they leave the litter. I expect them to keep the puppies for 12 weeks before releasing them to ensure proper socialization. And I expect them to check out my qualifications as an owner and to offer assistance in the future.

For all that -- if I knew I had the very best -- I would expect to pay up to $2,000 for a pet-quality Yorkie, not a showdog.

If that's too much, consider a rescue. Check with your local shelter regularly and look for Yorkie pup or adult.

Good luck. It's not easy and there are no sure things.

Alaskayorkie doesn't post advise much. He's always just posting jokes and bans. But every once in a while he posts advice and it's always good advice. Listen to this guy!