I asked my vet if he sees many liver shunts, he says he has only seen one in 30 years of being a vet.

Sheilagh

omg..that is horrible! I do have people actually asking me where i got my teacup (Tumi) since they like her size and they want to know how i know that she was gonna be small..i was like i DID not want a teacup or a small pup when i was looking for one. Tumi's mom was 8 lb and dad was 5.5 lb. So i thought she was gonna be around 5-6lb ..but jus sooo happen that she is stucked at 3.4 lb and wont grow even though she is a piggy!i think i would like her to be around 4.5 lb at least so i won't be paranoid all the time. But she is a solid little one though..

Here's a link to Dr. Tobias' study:

http://www.vet.utk.edu/clinical/sacs/shunt/faq.shtml

Here's a letter from the YTCA about Dr. Center's AKC grant proposal:

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=1&gl=us

I had to post after reading this, as I have just spent the last couple of weeks answering phone calls on my ad that I had placed in the paper listing my yorkie puppies. Just about every call I received the first thing out of their mouths, how big will they get? Didn't ask about the health or temperments or anything. Just "I want one that will only be about 3 lbs.":eek: I am so upset by this, because I see ads that say, teacups, very tiny, 6 weeks old. Of course, they are tiny at 6 wks. that's why they sell them so young, while they are still so small:(
No one leaves with one of my puppies without saying the magic words, "I don't care how big or small she/he grows to, I will love them no matter what"
Luckily for me, I have found my puppies homes thru YT, where folks no better;)

We have ads in our local paper all the time for babies at 6 weeks:( I called one just out of curiosity to see if they were taken depoists or letting these babies go...:( yup they were letting them go and said some went as early as 5 and 1/2 weeks , reason, they were eating on there own:( I said wow, I have never heard of this, usaully its at least 8-12 weeks, my answer, we do it all the TIME:( :(

The breeder I'm getting my puppy from said that I could take her at 9-10 wks old. Should I insist that she keep her until she is 12 weeks old? I'm very new at this and eager to get my girl home to me, but not at the expense of her health. I've already lost one baby/dog/family member recently and I do not want to go through that again nor do I want my little girl to get less than absolute best start she can get.
I am home all day everyday, so I would be with her. Does that make a difference?

I'm sure the breeder would keep her a few more weeks if I insisted.

I know it's sad isn't it...I found the breeder i wanted to get my bitch from before i knew whether she had pups available or not and i was willing to wait however long that was!...i was waiting for one of her litters to be born...then noticed she was advertising one lone small bitch puppy...I never really thought that much about the size..just knew i wanted a 'small' girl of around 5lbs as that was the size of my last yorkie that i lost, I just liked this breeder and liked the look of her dogs because they all looked healthy and immaculate, she has been showing/breeding for 45+ years, i'm hoping Pixie's father will be shown at Crufts again this year.

I'm glad you found homes for your babies through YT members, at least you can keep updated on their progress.:)

That is just AWFUL :mad: This is a great thread guys and yes it bothers me a great deal, this obsession with tiny and greedy breeders. Mine will probably be in the 6 lb range and I still worry about her getting hurt. When you keep hearing tiny, tiny, tiny over and over again you start to feel like yours isn't good enough, not really but you know what I mean.

Guess your culture is a little less obsessed :thumbup:

We must also remember that we are the minority! Many people don't know that purchasing a dog isn't as easy as going to the pet store....believe it or not, many of my friends are shocked that I even know so much about my baby and his breed. Infact, at first, they thought I was crazy! :D

Ive found that to be very true also

This is from the YTCA:

8) All puppies leaving the breeders possession will be a minimum of twelve (12) weeks
of age to facilitate adequate socialization as well as appropriate emotional and
temperament development through interaction with siblings, dam and other dogs.

Puppies learn bite inhibition during this period from their mom and littermates. Many people who have gotten a puppy too young have had problems training their puppies not to bite.

Also, the fear imprint period occurs between 8-10 weeks. It's important to avoid stressful events like the first car trip, first vet visit, etc. Traumatic, frightening or painful situations during this period tend to leave a lasting impression.

A Maltese breeder on the forum I belong to said the exact same thing. She said people rarely ask about health testing, genetic screening or even pedigrees.

She said she gets the same two questions all the time:

Do you have females?

How big will they get?

Great info! Thanks!;)

I think there is no problem letting the puppies go to their new homes after 8 weeks, especially since you will be home with her. Of course if it is a very tiny puppy it might need more time at home with its mother.

http://www.perfectpaws.com/pup1.html
The following quote is from the above very interesting website on puppy socialization:

"The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine agrees that the socialization period lasts up to about 12 weeks (3 months) of age. However, at 12 weeks, the puppy must continue socialization to refine its social skills. Socialization most easily occurs before the puppy is 3 months old. Any later than that and it becomes an excruciatingly difficult and time-consuming process that very few owners have the time, energy, money or patience to cope with."

Puppies from 8 to 12 weeks of age go through a fear imprinting stage. During this time, it is crucial to carefully introduce a pup to a variety of stimuli every day, and to ensure that the experiences are positive. This is also a good time to start training the pup in basic behaviors. Just because a breeder keeps a puppy until it is 12 weeks old does not necessarily mean the puppy has been properly socialized. In fact, many have already developed bad behavioral problems by then.