Puppies from older Yorkies
 

I am considering adopting a puppy from a 7 year old mother. The mother and babies (only a week old) appear healthy and active. The breeder's vet has not identified any issues that I know of. Are there any risks associated with puppies from older mothers? Thanks!

I think that as long as the puppies are born healthy & remain that way, they should be fine. It is an older mom that is/was prone to more problems with a pregnancy, whelp, and/or maybe even post-whelp issues.

I would be curious as to why the breeder is breeding this older dog. I personally would not breed a female much past age 5.

Thanks, luckylady.

I think she has just the one yorkie, the mother, which she wanted to breed one more time before spaying her. The pup we would be putting a $500 deposit on is the runt and I understand there was a little difficult getting her out. Do you think this should cause concern? Again, they all seem very healthy and active now.

Also, do you think a $500 deposit is wise. I don't like putting this money down without having real interaction with the pup (they're only a week old and not very responsive).

Thanks again for any input.

Personally I would never put a $500 deposit down on a 1 week old pup. That is VERY early days, anything could happen as of yet, and the fact she is breeding a 7 year old bitch dosn't make her sound like a reputable breeder. As LuckyLady already mentioned, usually a bitch shouldn't be bred past the age of 5.

:thumbup::thumbup: I agree. Many breeders "say" that this is their last breeding, but if they can sell all their pups, they will again breed one more time. You are enabling this person to continue breeding. Support the very best breeder who will sell to you. Some will sell to anyone, surely you can offer a better home than most.

Welcome to YT I am glad you sought advice here before purchasing a yorkie.
I know this may sound rude to you and I hate that because I am really a nice person and you sound like one as well, but I feel so strongly about this issue I have to say something. If you are thinking about putting a $500.00 deposit on a one week old yorkie you are not adopting a yorkie you are buying one. No shame in that I have bought 5 dogs in total during my years owning yorkies and never adopted one. If you were adopting a yorkie it would be from a rescue group or a shelter, I can't help it but I hate to confuse the two since it is not fare to those that take on a yorkie that may have been abused or has health issues. Also I think breeders use the word adopt instead of buy or purchase because it sounds better.

Now to the next issue, I am not sure how far along you are in the process but let me give you some free advice. I am not sure what type of yorkie you are looking for small, large, standard, etc, but since your deposit is $500.00 than I am thinking you are probably going to be spending a thousand or more. If you are willing to spend that much money I am thinking your are looking for a pretty good looking standard type yorkie. At one week old you will not have any idea what that yorkie will look like as an adult. This is exactly the reason why show breeders will not sell a dog until they are three months because even they can't tell if the dog will meet standards. If it is not to late if I was you I would take a deep breath and explore more options, take it from me this will not be the last dog you have an opportunity to purchase. Buying a yorkie or any pet hopefully will be about about a 15 year commitment so think twice, three times or more and then buy once.

My concern with this would be that a 7 year old girl is too old to be bred. Any breeder who would be willing to do so, would not be the kind of breeder I'd want to get a pooch from.