Thinking of Breeding - YorkieTalk.com Forums

JeanieK · 01-23-2006, 09:57 AM

Hi I am thinking of getting into breeding Yorkies, and need all of the information I can get. How old should the female be, how many puppies is normal. Do they have less the first time, or doesn't it matter. I've read a variety of theories on how often to breed from twice a year to every two years. Should you quit breeding them after a certain age or number of times. I've had Yorkies before but have never bred them. My husband and I are retired and we thought this might be something we'd like to do.

Jan L. · 01-23-2006, 10:30 AM

How long ago did you have Yorkies?

crystalsmom · 01-23-2006, 10:44 AM

Buy the best female you can find, no matter what it costs from a breeder who has been doing an excellent job of breeding for many years and will
mentor you through all of this.

yorkiemom1970 · 01-23-2006, 10:47 AM

First off, Hello and welcome to yt!

There are many factors you will want to consider. Do you already own yorkies or will you be looking for a good foundation? If you don't have any at the moment then I would say that's great because you can learn all you can prior to purchasing nice, sound yorkies for breeding. Purchase books, read them like 20 times each (lol

) and find an experienced breeder to help you. But to answer your question, females generally should be over a year old and have had their 2nd heat cycle before breeding. Yorkies can have anywhere from 1 pup up to several pups. I had a litter of 6 once. The amount of puppies is going to depend on the number of eggs the bitch releases along with how many were fertilized. Timing of breeding can play into this.

SoCalyorkiLvr · 01-23-2006, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crystalsmom

Buy the best female you can find, no matter what it costs from a breeder who has been doing an excellent job of breeding for many years and will
mentor you through all of this.

Great advice!!! You need to look for an experienced, ehtical, reputable breeder who can teach you what you need to know. Preferably one near by who can teach you how to whelp and be there 24/7 whenever you need him/her.

I am not a breeder because of the research I have done and the scary and sometimes sad stories I have heard. I give credit to those who can do it and provide the puppies to keep this wonderful breed alive.

There are lots of books you can read and research you can do which you should but of course the hands on experience is invaluable, go to yorkie dog shows, meet some show breeders and learn all of the hard hard work that it is. Have you ever bred dogs before? Yorkies are particularly difficult to breed and there is great risk to the female in any breeding so you need to be willing ot accept that risk. The puppies need 24/7 care as does the mom just prior to whelping. I persoanlly would not even consider breeding unless I had a canine reproductive specialist close by to do pre-mating evaluations and to be available in case of any emergencies.

Have fun learning all there is to learn and keep us posted as you progress on this journey.

Go to http://www.geocities.com/virtualbreeding/ for a fun little trip through what it's like to breed.

JeanieK · 01-23-2006, 11:26 AM

We recently lost one that we had for 10 years.

JeanieK · 01-23-2006, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jan L.

How long ago did you have Yorkies?

I'm still learning how to use this forum.

We recently lost one that we had for 10 years.

YorkieRini · 01-23-2006, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeanieK

Hi I am thinking of getting into breeding Yorkies, and need all of the information I can get. How old should the female be, how many puppies is normal. Do they have less the first time, or doesn't it matter. I've read a variety of theories on how often to breed from twice a year to every two years. Should you quit breeding them after a certain age or number of times. I've had Yorkies before but have never bred them. My husband and I are retired and we thought this might be something we'd like to do.

Hi and welcome to YT~

I've been breedign for only 3 years the best advise I could give is for you to find someone locally that breeds go and visit see how they do things talk to them about their breeding program. When you find someone that is responsible and ethical that you want to be just like someday chose that person or persons as your mentor(s). I have several. Each of them have good things to offer me. A mentor will be there or your for your first litter and with others along the way. Mentor's can help you pick your foundation, sometimes love is blind when starting out and we miss some of the obvious faults OR maybe you don't know what they are. A mentor will be able to answer the questions you pose above.

There are wonderful people on this forum so we are definitely a good back up

but first and foremost you need to get some help locally if you can. Also discuss breeding with yoru vet, get their opinoin on it. SOme vets do not support breeding..find a new one until you find one that dose. YOu need a mentor for health and genetic problems too.

Where do you live? Maybe we can suggest some breeders in your area that may be willing to mentor.

Best wishes!

luvdorkyyorkies · 01-23-2006, 12:21 PM

Hi Jeanie,
My advice would be start with the best, FIRST health priority and then closest to the standard. Getting a mentor is really important. You can look at pictures all day long but it will never measure up to be someone helping you.
I didnt do that because I didnt really know any better. When I started money was everything. I couldnt afford those really expensive dogs. Theres alot to it really, you think you know but you learn something everyday.
You may have to spend more but its truly worth it. Dont get in a hurry, interview breeders.
How often you breed really depends on the female. How fast she bounces back, if she has any problems at all.....really to hard to quote without those things.
At the very earliest breed at female at her second heat.
Welcome to YT!

JeanieK · 01-23-2006, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvdorkyyorkies

Hi Jeanie,
My advice would be start with the best, FIRST health priority and then closest to the standard. Getting a mentor is really important. You can look at pictures all day long but it will never measure up to be someone helping you.
I didnt do that because I didnt really know any better. When I started money was everything. I couldnt afford those really expensive dogs. Theres alot to it really, you think you know but you learn something everyday.
You may have to spend more but its truly worth it. Dont get in a hurry, interview breeders.
How often you breed really depends on the female. How fast she bounces back, if she has any problems at all.....really to hard to quote without those things.
At the very earliest breed at female at her second heat.
Welcome to YT!

I live in Council Bluffs, Iowa. I have put a deposit on a female from Praire View Kennel in South Dakota. I don't have a male selected yet.

JeanieK · 01-23-2006, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YorkieRini

Hi and welcome to YT~

I've been breedign for only 3 years the best advise I could give is for you to find someone locally that breeds go and visit see how they do things talk to them about their breeding program. When you find someone that is responsible and ethical that you want to be just like someday chose that person or persons as your mentor(s). I have several. Each of them have good things to offer me. A mentor will be there or your for your first litter and with others along the way. Mentor's can help you pick your foundation, sometimes love is blind when starting out and we miss some of the obvious faults OR maybe you don't know what they are. A mentor will be able to answer the questions you pose above.

There are wonderful people on this forum so we are definitely a good back up

but first and foremost you need to get some help locally if you can. Also discuss breeding with yoru vet, get their opinoin on it. SOme vets do not support breeding..find a new one until you find one that dose. YOu need a mentor for health and genetic problems too.

Where do you live? Maybe we can suggest some breeders in your area that may be willing to mentor.

Best wishes!

Sorry Irene, I replied to Kelly and I meant to reply to yours. I live I Council Bluffs Iowa. I have put a deposit down on a female from Praire View Kennel in South Dakota. I have not chosen a male yet. It will be a while before she is ready to breed, but I want to get as much information as I can so I'm not going into it blind.

Jeanie

luvdorkyyorkies · 01-23-2006, 12:44 PM

Good luck on your selection process! Next the perfect matching boy!

you can ony hope!
Do you know the lines of your lil girl? Look for something that compliments your female. Look for a few matching lines maybe in her pedigree with the male that you chose. Maybe in the second or third generation.

YorkieRini · 01-23-2006, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeanieK

Sorry Irene, I replied to Kelly and I meant to reply to yours. I live I Council Bluffs Iowa. I have put a deposit down on a female from Praire View Kennel in South Dakota. I have not chosen a male yet. It will be a while before she is ready to breed, but I want to get as much information as I can so I'm not going into it blind.

Jeanie

Ok. SO you have a female picked out already.One thing I have learned is that you always have ot be prepared to remove something out of your breeding program at anytime. This is the hardest part of breeding. Be prepared to take financial losses from day one. This little girl you have a deposit on has so much changing to do. How old is she? Does teh breeder say she's breeding quality? Do you know what breeding quality is? I'm just askign these quesitions to get your mind juices flowing

breeding is NOT easy. I'll send you info privately what I went through when I started out..it's on another thread..but because it's long I don't want to fill the space on this thread by duplicating the info. I don't know of anyone in Iowa to recommend..maybe some others do. Have you talked to any breeders in your area? Ask your local vets..Call them all...you first objective is to find someone to help you with this new puppy. I would suggest waiting on your male. You don't need one until your female is around 2 yrs old just focus on your femaile and getting a mentor. Rushing into breeding will not get you there faster..it may set you back alot farther.

Ok..I'm gonna send you a private message...

SoCalyorkiLvr · 01-23-2006, 12:57 PM

How old is the female and is she for sure breed quality? I would have a show breeder and a canine reproductive specialist vet assess her before you go through with the transaction if your intention is to breed her for sure. If you don't care if she turns out to be pet quality only and not breedable then it doesn't matter.

I don't know at what age they can do a pre-mating evaluation but I think the female has to be older than a puppy.

crystalsmom · 01-23-2006, 05:23 PM

Oh Boy, we're all coming at you at once but they are things you have to think about
I am not a breeder either but I have studied the breed for a very long time and if you
get someone local or within 100 miles, you don't necessarily have to buy a male. The
breeder you pick may have a beautiful male to breed back to....study the standard
so it is pictured in your head at all times so you really know what a good one looks
like but health is even more important so I would add....study the pedigrees of the
lines you come to like. There are breeders and then there are BREEDERS and anything
worth doing is worth doing right. We will be there for you and I wish you the best.

01-23-2006, 09:57 AM	#1
JeanieK Donating YT 12K Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Council Bluffs Iowa Posts: 12,552	Thinking of Breeding Hi I am thinking of getting into breeding Yorkies, and need all of the information I can get. How old should the female be, how many puppies is normal. Do they have less the first time, or doesn't it matter. I've read a variety of theories on how often to breed from twice a year to every two years. Should you quit breeding them after a certain age or number of times. I've had Yorkies before but have never bred them. My husband and I are retired and we thought this might be something we'd like to do.

01-23-2006, 10:30 AM	#2
Jan L. Donating YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: North Carolina Posts: 547	How long ago did you have Yorkies? __________________ Peace, Jan Click HERE for Photo Album Last edited by Jan L.; 01-23-2006 at 10:33 AM.

01-23-2006, 10:44 AM	#3
crystalsmom Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,946	Buy the best female you can find, no matter what it costs from a breeder who has been doing an excellent job of breeding for many years and will mentor you through all of this. __________________

01-23-2006, 05:23 PM	#15
crystalsmom Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,946	Oh Boy, we're all coming at you at once but they are things you have to think about I am not a breeder either but I have studied the breed for a very long time and if you get someone local or within 100 miles, you don't necessarily have to buy a male. The breeder you pick may have a beautiful male to breed back to....study the standard so it is pictured in your head at all times so you really know what a good one looks like but health is even more important so I would add....study the pedigrees of the lines you come to like. There are breeders and then there are BREEDERS and anything worth doing is worth doing right. We will be there for you and I wish you the best. __________________

01-23-2006, 10:47 AM	#4
yorkiemom1970 No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,947	First off, Hello and welcome to yt! There are many factors you will want to consider. Do you already own yorkies or will you be looking for a good foundation? If you don't have any at the moment then I would say that's great because you can learn all you can prior to purchasing nice, sound yorkies for breeding. Purchase books, read them like 20 times each (lol ) and find an experienced breeder to help you. But to answer your question, females generally should be over a year old and have had their 2nd heat cycle before breeding. Yorkies can have anywhere from 1 pup up to several pups. I had a litter of 6 once. The amount of puppies is going to depend on the number of eggs the bitch releases along with how many were fertilized. Timing of breeding can play into this.

01-23-2006, 11:26 AM	#6
JeanieK Donating YT 12K Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Council Bluffs Iowa Posts: 12,552	We recently lost one that we had for 10 years.

01-23-2006, 12:21 PM	#9
luvdorkyyorkies BANNED! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,681	Hi Jeanie, My advice would be start with the best, FIRST health priority and then closest to the standard. Getting a mentor is really important. You can look at pictures all day long but it will never measure up to be someone helping you. I didnt do that because I didnt really know any better. When I started money was everything. I couldnt afford those really expensive dogs. Theres alot to it really, you think you know but you learn something everyday. You may have to spend more but its truly worth it. Dont get in a hurry, interview breeders. How often you breed really depends on the female. How fast she bounces back, if she has any problems at all.....really to hard to quote without those things. At the very earliest breed at female at her second heat. Welcome to YT!

01-23-2006, 12:44 PM	#12
luvdorkyyorkies BANNED! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,681	Good luck on your selection process! Next the perfect matching boy! you can ony hope! Do you know the lines of your lil girl? Look for something that compliments your female. Look for a few matching lines maybe in her pedigree with the male that you chose. Maybe in the second or third generation.

01-23-2006, 12:57 PM	#14
SoCalyorkiLvr BANNED! Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,246	How old is the female and is she for sure breed quality? I would have a show breeder and a canine reproductive specialist vet assess her before you go through with the transaction if your intention is to breed her for sure. If you don't care if she turns out to be pet quality only and not breedable then it doesn't matter. I don't know at what age they can do a pre-mating evaluation but I think the female has to be older than a puppy.