Future Breeding.. Just some questions...

[RenMacFarm]

Hello, I just joined this forum today. I have looked around and read several posts. I am glad to have found this site as it has ALOT of useful information all in one place. My parents have a Female Yorkie, and they just bought a male yorkie about a week ago. The female will be a year old on Feb. 9, the puppy was just born Oct. 24, 07. My parents are wanting to breed the female this year. She was in heat back in October and should come back in sometime in April. However they are going to wait until the fall when she will be coming back in around October again making her approx. 18months old or so and the male would be right around a year old. The female weighs 5lbs and the male according the the breeder he was purchased from says he will mature around 5/6lbs. My question is would it be ok to breed these 2 together or should they just keep the male as a companion/playmate for the female and get him fixed and try to find a smaller male to use? We are not new to dog breeding. My parents used to raise collies when I was little and I now raise Shetland Sheepdogs. The puppies that will be born already have homes waiting for them to be born. Both male and female are AKC registered. I just wanted to ask the question about the size ...

Basically it boils down to does the male always have to be smaller or would the same size male as the female be ok?

Thank You!
Sherry

[BamaFan121s]

First off...welcome to YT! I'm sure you will love it here.

I really wish that breeding really were 'that simple,' but it's not. Unfortunately there are no clear cut answers to the questions you've asked. There is so much that can change and the answers will vary from dog to dog.
For starters, you guys need to have both dogs evaluated to determine if they are quality dog that should be bred. By quality I mean, no genetic issues within the line, do they meet the set standard, etc. There is ALOT to consider.
Knowing the size of the dogs you plan to breed alone will not give you the information you need--you really need to know the background IN DETAIL of the dogs within their lines--size included.

My suggestion would be to find an experienced breeder in your area that will guide you in researching these issues and mentor you though the process. Perhaps the breeder you got the two from would be a good place to start?

And you are correct, next month is too early for these two to have a litter. And at that point, the male would be to young to meet the requirements of AKC and they would not register the pups.

[Ellie May]

Welcome to YorkieTalk

First, I am not a breeder, so I"m no expert.

It depends more on the body struture then on weight. Did the female come from a line of free whelpers?

Before your parents breed, are they planning on doing all the testing that should be done (LP, LS, STDs, hips and shoulders checked, eyes and ears checked...). Yorkies are a lot of work to breed and I'm sure they don't want to be breeding dogs with "issues". Please also make sure they check their bloodlines for LP and LS...

[YorkieRose]

I am sure if you and your family are savvy about breeding dogs, you know size is just one factor. Most 5 pound plus girls can be bred to a male of 5 to 7pounds without a problem. I have bred many smaller girls to 6 and 7 pound champions and not had a problem....You may want to stay in the 4 to 5 pound range for a pet stud, but that does not mean an easy whelping for the bitch. The frame is very important...it needs to be a compact, with equal weight..not a 9 pound frame carrying 7 pounds...this goes for both male and female...

I would stay on forums, read, go to shows, become familiar with the standard and in a year, you can decide if this male is breed quality and go from there. Best wishes..

[CO_yorkie_momma]

I am sure if you and your family are savvy about breeding dogs, you know size is just one factor. Most 5 pound plus girls can be bred to a male of 5 to 7pounds without a problem. I have bred many smaller girls to 6 and 7 pound champions and not had a problem....You may want to stay in the 4 to 5 pound range for a pet stud, but that does not mean an easy whelping for the bitch. The frame is very important...it needs to be a compact, with equal weight..not a 9 pound frame carrying 7 pounds...this goes for both male and female...

I would stay on forums, read, go to shows, become familiar with the standard and in a year, you can decide if this male is breed quality and go from there. Best wishes..

[RenMacFarm]

Yes my parents are planning on having both Yorkies tested for everything mentioned. The are going to be built about the same. And the female's birthday is next month she shouldnt come into heat until April. They mentioned today that they might breed her to an outside male the first time(which wouldnt be until october at least!) That way if they decide they HAVE to keep one of the babies they wouldnt have to worry about it being related to the male they have if they keep him for a stud.
To answer some of the questions both the male and female came from females who whelped by themselves with no problems. The female came from a 5lb female and a 6lb male and the male came from a 3lb male and a 5lb female. I have seen both sets of parents.. they came from different breeders not the same, so that they would have completely different bloodlines and would be in no way related at least up close. I appreciate all of your answers and I do intend to stay with this forum and read and keep learning everything I can.

Thanks again, Sherry

[KathyinCali]

Just wanted to say hello and welcome to YT