[chattiesmom]

I wasn't going to reply, but this thread is getting kinda "wonky" and it doesn't appear that any breeders have posted. Since I did breed a few litters many years ago, I thought I'd take the plunge.

Several years ago, I bred a few litters - I started off like many - I had a healthy AKC bitch that met the AKC standard in both size and color and bought a male that also met the standard. I was lucky, in that I never lost a mom or a pup. At that time there were many active AKC "show" breeders who very much looked down upon hobby breeders like myself. I was also lucky in that I was only ignorant and not stupid. You see, ignorance can be fixed through education, but stupid is forever and is terminal.

Once I learned through the many wonderful breeders that used to frequent YT the REAL reason for breeding -- to better the breed -- I stopped breeding my pets, and had them spayed. Shelters are full of "pets" including yorkies because of irresponsible and uneducated breeders who just want to have pups. THE GOAL OF ALL BREEDING SHOULD BE TO BETTER THE BREED and to stay within breed standards.

I was also lucky in that I had a neighbor who had contacts with some of the top Yorkie Breeders in the USA - Vicki Meadows and Anna Stringer became two of my mentors. I started over, doing things the right way this time. I started with one female, Lollie, (whose father, Jack, was the #1 yorkie in America the year she was born) - spent the time and big bucks to finish her conformation championship which was just the first step in proving her worth as a breeding animal. After health tests determined that she was in fact fit to breed, my Lollie was bred to a male who was also a champion. Lollie was bred twice, had 3 female pups and 3 male pups out of which 4 are champions and two are cherished pets.

My second bitch, Lacie was out of the last litter of a male named Trip - one of the top champion producing Yorkies EVER. After finishing Lacie's championship, I chose to not breed her as my life had changed.

All of that to make the following points. In order to be a responsible and ethical breeder you should first:

1) Educate yourself in regards to the entire process, from selecting appropriate breeding stock, testing, the actual breeding process, taking care of both gravid bitches and breeding males. You also need to be well educated on the birthing process and taking care of the pups.

2) You need a mentor to help you through #1 above.

3) Understand that the many hours spent, is a labor of love and you stand to lose your bitch and the pups and will very well wind up losing $$ in the process.


If you have to ask about how to get your bitches pregnant, you simply are not ready to have a pregnant bitch.

Below are two pics of my Lacie - she is a prime example of quality breeding stock.