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Originally Posted by Peters so a standard yorkie has a silky coat?
where do cottony coats come from? how can you tell if they are cottony? when does a puppy coat change? any way you can tell if they will stay dark coloured of lighten up? |
Many many years ago, as I have been told by very long time breeders, ( I am only 10 years experience very short time) cotton coats were much more common than today. The beliefs at that time was cotton coats would help keep colour. Red leg, although incorrect, was thought to do the same thing.
Fast forward a decade or two from those days, and now it is known many people ended up with light coloured soft coated Yorkies and red leg Yorkie pups pop up unexpectedly because they are back there somewhere in the pedigree.
Now we have many reputable show breeders that are selecting and breeding for silk coat and holding colour particularly in the males. And yes, you can breed correct coat colour and texture over generations and keep that coat and colour. You may have puppies that are going to throw back out from previous generations into a soft coat or even the occasional red leg. NOt a good reason to breed these except I will keep a soft coated nice quality bitch depending on the pedigree etc.
You can't tell on a young puppy whether or not that could be a cotton coat or silk until they are getting to be about 5-6 months of age. If you are buying for show/breeding, never buy anything much under 8 or 9 months.
For colour, you won't know either if that puppy will hold colour or not. If it is going light at 5 or 6 months likely it will be light as an adult. I have had pet puppies that I sold or ones bought elsewhere that I groomed that went light at more than 2 years of age.
My Matthew, his mother Jodi, and Tommy have all 3 held colour and I am sure they will do so as Matthew is 3 1/2 years now, Tommy is 4 years, Jodi is 7 years, been spayed and in apet home for about 2 years now but I groom her so know exactly how she is aging.
You will have a BETTER idea of what a puppy will be coat, colour, size at between 8 or 9 months and a year. You will have an even better idea once they are over a year of age what you really do have. I have even seem some that look like they are going light as juveniles but darken again. Some will hold some will go light again later.
Excellent Pedigree, Champion parents, are not for sure going to produce that next show dog. I wish it did work that way. Pets I have sold have the same pedigree, Ch parents as my best show dog but those sold for pet were that, nice quality pets but not for the show rings or the whelping box as their sibling(s) were.
Hope this helps.