White spots
 

I read somewhere yesterday that a yorkie born with small white patches at certain places on their bodies was a good indication of a silky coat?? I think it said a small "star" on the chest and on the tops of the feet and even a few white toe nails (that are supposed to start growing black eventually) were things to look for. Is this just a bunch of garbage?? :confused: Had no idea...thought I would ask :)

Oh-If I read correctly, it did say that the white will grow out and become the gold color as the rest of the hair. Just thought one of you breeders might know :)

I dont know but,,, Bailey has a white spot on his chest, and a little on his chin,, and he has silky fur,,
But He also has 2 toe nails that are white,,, and have never turned black, he is 15 months now... Someone said white nails means bad Genes,,, :eek:
I dont know about that either... but he has both! :rolleyes:

I have heard this theory too, but I'm not too sure how well it holds true. Twinkie had a small white spot on her chest and she has a cotton coat. It hasn't grown out yet either and she is 7.5 months old.

You're thinking of Joan Gordon's book. A small star on the chest she believes is an indication that the coat carries the correct gene for pigmentation and the colors will clear correctly. I'd have to check, but I'm not so sure about the feet and toenails. We'll see what other breeders have to say about that. She goes on to say a couple of paragraphs later that patches of white on an adult are highly undesirable. I've never seen a Yorkie puppy or adult in the show ring with any kind of white on them, so I think most show breeders have bred this out to a large degree. There is a line of Yorkies from Europe, Germany, I believe that are tri-color and have about 1/3 of their color as white. I know that many people like them, but I don't see a Yorkie when I look at them. I also kept a puppy from our last litter that had a nice star on her chest, but now at 14 months her head color still hasn't cleared and her body is still quite black. It seems to have the correct texture and is straight as a stick, but I'm still waiting for the blue. One of her great-aunts didn't break blue until she was 18 months.

Every line breaks color differently and sometimes, you just have to wait and see. I wouldn't be afraid of a small white patch on a puppy if the parents/grandparents' color is good.

Monster has a silky coat and he has a white spot on his chin and two on his back feet. Two of his pads and nails are, too.

Thanks for the info!! I'm pretty sure that it said it was supposed to grow out. The hair was supposed to be very small amounts and grow out as the puppy aged. I know it did say that any white in the hair was undesirable as an adult.

Thanks for the info,, Bailey is 15 months and his back is still very dark,,, good to know.

One of our puppies had a large white spot on her chest when she was born. It was all grown out though when she went home at 10 weeks. I have also heard that this means they will have a very nice coat.

Here is what is written in Joan Gordons book explaning the white markings on the chest chin and toes...

page 32
There may be a white star or a small blaze located on the forechest in the tan, or accross the black and tan. This is a much looked-for point, as it is an indication that the puppy will most likely be a good coat grower in quantity, though not necessarily in quality. It is also an indication that there will be no melaniam or over supply of pigment.

It is not unusual to find white marks on one or more toes or a fine white line on the lower forejaw. These will not be visible as an adult. Any such marks should therfore be noted whenever you keep such records, as one is apt to forget which puppy had them after they grow up.

hope this helps

oops page 132 sorry

Joan Gordon's book is an invaluable resouce for all serious breeders. Her references to the white markings present on pups are as pertinent today as when she first wrote this. Knowledgeable/show breeders will look for this as a good indicator of quantity coat, and in my experience this has proven true. A well-bred yorkie that maintains a white marking as an adult would be considered as a minor fault and would be considered a fault that I could live with in a breeding program.
There are certainly show yorkies in the ring that carry white markings, you will not see them because of the enhancements used in grooming.

This is great info gals!!! Thanks for responding! That book does sound like it's got some excellent info...I'll have to look for it and read it some time. You can never learn too much! :D

Very true. There are probably more in the ring that have the white then those that do not. Often the gold will fall and cover the little white star on the chest. I have not known a judge to hold a small patch of white against a dog in the ring. I have never seen them go through the coat on the chest to look for that white spot of hair.

I too can live with this minor fault in my kids. If it is extreme as in a parti-color yorkie - then we are talking about a different subject. As Sylvan stated there are enhancements that are used in the grooming process that will make this minor fault non existant.

I would much rather have my silky blue coats then dark black coats that never do break to the correct texture.

I cut my teeth in the 70's with the information that Is in Joan and Janet's book. I was blessed with all the wealth of information that they and Nancy and all those from that time period who lived here in the midwest were so kind to share with us who wanted to learn about this breed.

white on chest
 

Administrator had a thread on colors of coats, white toe nails, and eye color (with flash or flashlight), He had a lot of info--all in one spot. One of the YT had part of the info on puppy sizes there, too.