Why do the prices of Yorkie's vary so much?

[jackson25]

I have 5 yorkies and have spent a pretty penny purchasing all, but I would have paid 10x the price for all my wonderful babies. No amount of money can be put on the love and joy they bring to me


SHHHHHH...don't tell my breeder


Jackson Gracie Tucker Rosey Abigayle

[DukesMommy]

Originally Posted by jenn1381

Thanks DukesMommy for your reply... I think that last bit is definitely what I am trying to AVOID doing.. I am having a really hard time waiting! I dream about having a dog again every night, it's crazy lol. It's always a female yorkie named Mya. Last night I had a hard time falling asleep because I was running numbers in my head all night trying to figure out how long I need to wait, lol... Work was rough today to say the least! I'll love any dog I get, but I don't want to support improper breeders, so I'm definitely trying not to just buy because they're cheap. I think if I can figure out exactly why they cost so much, I might be able to better justify the price and feel a little better about it...

I don't know how the pricing goes in Canada but, I know here in the US pricing varies between states and areas too. When I was looking for my second one most breeders in my home state (CA) were charging no less than $1000 that I could find, and it was like that in a few other states, and I honestly think it was that way because more people are willing to pay that much in those areas. But at the time I was in TX and was going to be driving back to CA so I was able to really look around. Honestly I wouldn't pay $2-3000 for any dog, there are some really good breeders that don't charge that much, just know the right questions to ask and stuff and I'm sure you'll find one.

[chilibee]

Yorkies and other small dogs are very "in" right now--thus the high price. I suggest you get a rescue yorkie--they will be anywhere from $175---$800--usually depends on alot of things. The babies are more--but they will be in excellent health and totally vet checked. I have a little yorkie boy--he was 4 years old when I got him--and he is wonderful.......Good luck.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by chilibee

Yorkies and other small dogs are very "in" right now--thus the high price. I suggest you get a rescue yorkie--they will be anywhere from $175---$800--usually depends on alot of things. The babies are more--but they will be in excellent health and totally vet checked. I have a little yorkie boy--he was 4 years old when I got him--and he is wonderful.......Good luck.

It's not so much because they're popular, this does effect how many people decide to breed them, but a small dog has a small litter, many times just two or three are born. Large breed dogs can have a litter of 10-12.

[C C Kent]

The more time you spend on this site the more you will find that the average first time buyer gets a yorkie....then gets an education. Once you learn to tell the difference between a proper Yorkie and the average Yorkie available, the differences in pricing will make perfect sense.

The Yorkie that actually meets the standard will captivate your attention and command you to watch him move. He will have a flowing silk coat and intelligent eyes that draw you to hold his gaze. His confidence and sophistication will be unmistakeable. The quality foundation and proper selective breeding that produce this masterpiece are rare and valuable. Even the best programs can't produce him every time.

When you buy a puppy from someone who truly desires to breed at this level...you will probably pay more...it will definitely be worth it.

[Sunnie]

Originally Posted by C C Kent

The more time you spend on this site the more you will find that the average first time buyer gets a yorkie....then gets an education. Once you learn to tell the difference between a proper Yorkie and the average Yorkie available, the differences in pricing will make perfect sense.

The Yorkie that actually meets the standard will captivate your attention and command you to watch him move. He will have a flowing silk coat and intelligent eyes that draw you to hold his gaze. His confidence and sophistication will be unmistakeable. The quality foundation and proper selective breeding that produce this masterpiece are rare and valuable. Even the best programs can't produce him every time.

When you buy a puppy from someone who truly desires to breed at this level...you will probably pay more...it will definitely be worth it.

very well stated

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by C C Kent

The more time you spend on this site the more you will find that the average first time buyer gets a yorkie....then gets an education. Once you learn to tell the difference between a proper Yorkie and the average Yorkie available, the differences in pricing will make perfect sense.

The Yorkie that actually meets the standard will captivate your attention and command you to watch him move. He will have a flowing silk coat and intelligent eyes that draw you to hold his gaze. His confidence and sophistication will be unmistakeable. The quality foundation and proper selective breeding that produce this masterpiece are rare and valuable. Even the best programs can't produce him every time.

When you buy a puppy from someone who truly desires to breed at this level...you will probably pay more...it will definitely be worth it.

I love what you've written; you've helped me to understand it better too.

[rosey442]

I believe as others have mentioned that the poor economy, the fact that females can be bred, how many other breeders are in the area (competition-supply and demand), location are all factors that play into cost. I also believe that if you take the time to go through newspaper ads, Dog Fancy ads, perhaps a local dog show, that you can find a good pet quality puppy for a reasonable price.
I would caution against buying a dog (or any animal) with out seeing it first. Too many people have gotten burned that way since you're at the mercy of the breeder.
I was fortunate- I did see my breeder on the internet, contacted her by e-mail. I told her what I was looking for, my price range and if I could do "lay-a-way" per se. She was a 40 minute drive from my house. She called me the next morning and my daughter and I went out to see the pups (there were 2- 1 male and 1 female and since I was the first to respond- I had the pick of the litter. lol Mom wasn't very big, so she only had 2 pups.) who were 2 weeks old at the time. So I made payments every 2 weeks and by the time she was paid off, she was ready to come home. I was lucky. My breeder is a very kind and caring breeder and woman. For pet quality she charges $550 for males and $650 for females. I didn't ask about show quality, breeding rights etc., as they didn't personally apply to me.
Molly to me is beautiful. I know she's not show quality, but that doesn't matter to me-she's still beautiful to me.
Don't lose hope as I'm sure you'll be able to find one. Try newspapers for the largest city near you to look in. Good luck in your search. I'm sure you'll have your own furbaby soon.

[jenn1381]

So, I've decided that my new budget is $1500. I do like the looks of the more expensive dogs, and because this is such a big purchase for me, I want to ensure that I do it right. It means I am going to have to wait a while, at least 4 months or so, but I think that might be best anyways because it will be easier to house train when it gets warmer (I plan to do outdoor potty training for the most part). I am hoping to find a breeder that will allow me to pay some per month until I have a puppy paid for.

I don't really want to wait, this house feels empty without a dog, and its been 4 years this May since we lost Freeway.. that's a lot of empty! But, it's for the best.

[mscorgi]

Good luck with your search

[hasrv4fun]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

It's expensive to breed well, health testing, and vet care aren't' cheap, and many backyard breeders skip the important step of health screening. Also, the cost of the breeding stock can vary greatly between breeders. While some people think showing is a frivolous thing, it really isn't, and for breeders who want to truly be able to evaluate their offspring and breeding stock, showing allows them to develop a critical eye for their dogs. After all, we all think our pets are beautiful, but when breeding, it's important to know what others think. Showing is very expensive, not only for the cost of the shows, but the travel expenses, and the special care a show dog needs. Some breeders will breed an inexpensive yorkie that isn't a very good representation of the breed, and they will breed it with just any mate. They don't care if offspring is desirable, because many people still think if it's a purebred that enough "status", unfortunately some people still buy dogs as status symbols. Backyard breeders are making more actual "profit" than the show breeder even though some charge less. This varies greatly too, and many good breeders aren't really selling a dog, but placing a dog, and refuse certain homes, because they feel responsible for the offspring that their dog produces. That's why education is important, you can't always tell by price alone if a dog is a good one. Pet stores puppies generally cost more than show breeder's dogs, and they usually come from a puppy mill environment. I wish people would only reward those breeders who have breeding programs that they truly approve of. By the way, some breeder charge no more for girls than boys, because they aren't selling their dogs with breeding rights anyway.

In a way, the byb is rewarded by the show breeder's hard work.

Yah -what she said