[yorkietalkjilly]

I have seen that you are interested in a cute little Yorkie pup and think you will be very happy with the choice of the breed. There are likely several others new to YT who also are looking for puppies to buy.

May I take the chance to share some information just in case you are unaware of some of the problems of picking out some of the cutest dogs for sale online - the so-called "teacup" or ultra-miniature Yorkshire Terrier. I don't know how many of you searching for the ultimate cute Yorkie baby are aware of some of the practices of a certain disreputable segment of Yorkie breeders these days - many which breed to purposefully obtain the tiniest of the tiny dogs at adulthood. Be sure you don't get a teacup or very tiny, tiny Yorkie from a breeder that advertises that they breed for the very, very small dog. If you do, you are then rewarding the kind of unethical and heartbreaking breeding practices that pay people big, big money to breed tiny little female dogs with all of the genetic predispositions to increased medical issues and injury that go with a tiny dog, usually to an even tinier male. Reputable Yorkshire Terrier breeders will not breed a female under 5 lbs.

The teacup-breeders' pups, which may be sold very young for thousands of dollars, then become ticking timebombs all too often and if you are on YT very long, you will find that many of the seemingly cutest little bitty dogs don't live all that long and often have more than a few very tragic and very, very expensive medical conditions. I speak from personal experience - you do not want the heartbreak that goes with a tiny, tiny dog under 4 lbs. and especially one under 3 lbs.! One jump off of the couch to the floor can mean injury and surgery and they so often have a host of inherited liver shunts, fragile bones and joints, tend to be quite hypoglycemic for months and can die from that, collapsing trachea, luxating patellae, Legg-Perthes disease, retinal dysplasia and a host of digestive problems so severe the can take a dog's life as well as many other medical conditions. Be very, very wary of buy a dog that is advertised as "teacup" or guaranteed to remain in the 2 1/2 lb. to 3 to 3 1/2 lb. range.

Search "medical problems of tiny Yorkshire Terriers" and terms like that and read of what is waiting for the cute-cute tiny little dog who won't ever grow to be even the minimum of the AKC standard size. Read every page and inform yourself.

Also, many of these disreputable breeders will allow their pups to go home with you at 6 - 8 weeks of age! Sadly, most want to offload the tiniest dogs before they get sick! And the younger they are - the tinier in size they still are and the fuzzier and therefore the more alluring they can be to those who have eyes for the tiniest and cutest of babies. Don't take a Yorkie home before 12 weeks of age and preferably older than that if you want to save yourself a potential host of problems.

Just a word to those of you who may be new and just panting for one of those really tiny, really cute little dogs. You would really be wiser to look for a dog that is going to attain the AKC standard range and go with one of the most respected and reputable. If possible, visit the home and see how the breeding dogs and puppies live and look over the mother and father, grandparents if on sight. Look for all of the red flags you can find here on YT about whether or not this could be dog broker or puppymiller using their home to show the pups, etc. Just by knowing a few things about who and what to avoid, you can save yourself and your new baby a basketful of problems and pain and heartbreak.