You are somewhat correct, as the yorkie in it's developmental stages were bred to be ratters, by peasants. Not only was this their job, but there were also bets placed on them to see how fast and how many rats one yorkie could kill.

You are right though, training a puppy is a lot of work.

Not going to nit pick, over wording.

Just wanted to let people know that not all NON show breeders are in it for the money. Many of us are just as concerned about the dog as you are. We do not breed just for one trait.

As for me, health and temperament come first. if you do not have a healthy good tempered dog, looks are meaningless, unless you are showing.

Mary, I agree 100%....You know, I've gone over in my head a lot this evening and I am who I am as an exhibitor/breeder because I stand my ground and not faulter to peer pressure and what others want me to do or say. I don't let ANYONE tell me I can't do this the right way or have "limited" success because I didn't crumble under peer pressure just makes myself work harder to be my best and I've done well in what I've done so far. I don't sugar coat anything, I'm blunt and I feel the best breeders/exhibitors should be the same way. Asking way too much for a yorkie, doing this for money or supplying the pet market, not breeding to the best of the representation, showing a yorkie just to say they have a champion, not having health as the #1 priority in a breeding program should never be supported...educate them absolutely...I feel one should be in this endeavor for the love and passion for this breed!!! Making money in this should NEVER be the goal!! I've made friends and I've made enemies. Friends I've made for a life time and enemies Im sure the same LOL...I appauld Nancy who is not a breeder but a pet owner and stand behind reputable and responsible breeders and has educated herself on this wonderful breed!! Sure we as breeders make mistakes and I hope one would learn from those mistakes, I for one have learned many and it has made me stronger as a person and a exhibitor/breeder. My breeding program will be my own and I alone will be the one to decide where my pups go and make sure they are healthy and happy and the best representation I can make them! If anyone has a problem with me as an exhibitor/breeder I say oh well then you don't need one of my dogs nor my friendship! Sorry this is so long but I guess I had to say some things that I've wanted to say for a long time...I refuse to sugar coat LOL...

Donna

Donna,

You and I are not ones that feel that we must defend our breeding practices in anyway. We only have ourselves, our clients and the Man above to answer too. Selling puppies is not what attracted us to the Yorkshire Terrier Breed. It was that feeling you get when you walk into the ring with the best representation of the breed and having a trained judge give our dog the nod. Is it ego, competition, pride? Probably all. But, I pray that when I decide to leave the show/breeding world I leave the Yorkshire Terrier better than I found it.

You are absolutely correct!! I may be a bi*** to some, ok I wear that title with pride LOL....I do pray when our time comes to leave the show/breeding world the Yorkshire Terrier will be better! It's all about educate, educate and more educating and standing behind this wonderful breed!! The yorkie is my passion :)

Donna

Now the bi**** tile you can't wear. Remember Nana hasn't handed it over yet....she holds the title of Mean Ole Bi*** and has the shirt with it printed on it. It was presented to her by members of the Bluebonnet Club. I'll have her wear it at the OK Specialty. Classy Shirt with the embrodery over the pocket.

Now the bi**** tile you can't wear. Remember Nana hasn't handed it over yet....she holds the title of Mean Ole Bi*** and has the shirt with it printed on it. It was presented to her by members of the Bluebonnet Club. I'll have her wear it at the OK Specialty. Classy Shirt with the embrodery over the pocket.

LOL Mary...I can wear the bi*** title just not "ole" LOL

Definitely a link that I'm going to post on a Newbie's page if I find one wanting to buy a Yorkie. Very informative.....and I even understand it.:D ~Joanne~

I think those that are trying to do right by the breed and trying to always do their best - are constantly thinking and analyzing their actions to themself. Why? Because they want to make sure that they are always making the right decisions. It is the love of the breed we do what we do!

I have been involved in yorkies for almost as long as I have been married and that is a very, very, very long time. I remembered when I had to retire for awhile while I raised my own kids. That was the hardest thing I ever had to do, since my yorkies were my babies. You put in your whole soul and sweat, and tears into them. I knew I had made the right decision at the time for the love of my skin kids and my fur kids, but it was the hardest thing to this day I have every had to do. I cried for months and even threw away all the ribbons, photos (most all of them), my Yorkie Tale magazines, almost everything, since I could not bear to look at them without getting so upset.
So now that I have returned - I am at it all the time and loving every minute of it. It is my love and passion! It is me. I thank God everyday for my yorkies and for allowing me the ability to return to having yorkies again and that means to do my best for them. That includes showing and everthing that goes with that to do right by the breed. Sure it would be easy to sit home on my recliner and watch TV, sit there talking on my phone and counting how many pups I could breed in a year, but that is not doing my best for the breed. So I am with you girl! It is about protecting the breed.

And you are right it is about education - educating people that buy the puppies, people that want to show, people that want to breed (especially them) and people that just want to love and take the best care of their yorkie. And we should never stop learning. I have seen good improvements in the breed since the 80s and some things I do not like to hear about. I will not go into this now. But you know how I feel.

Well, sorry so long. I just felt Donna's emotion and it touched me. I was just thinking Sunday how happy I was completly to have returned to having yorkies and showing again. I am in heaven and at peace with my dogs. Plain and simple.

And to Nancy - thank you for acknowledging the hard work it takes.

:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Really great topic and thanks for starting the thread Nancy.

Can you please tell me if there is any GOOD breeder or place that i can get a female yorki in MONTREAL QUEBEC CANADA???

hello
 

yes in deed prises for yorkies are expensive ,i am so glad that i did not pay so much .i love my chico so much he is a good dog and loves people:animal36

Gracie was 8 months old when I got her from a local breeder. It was a bit of a drive but it was a beautiful drive.:) Anyhow she was used to a doggy door and we didn't have one.

But she was super friendly when we met her and knew she was the one. I thought she was 1200.00 like the others but then when we paid her she charged us only $700.00.. And it was only because she had floppy ears.

This breeder had several yorkies running around the house and they were groomed, clean, and ALL were friendly, not even one of them shied away from us. When I get my male pup the end of the year I am going to go back to her.

I didn't want to deal with raising another little one at that time so getting an older puppy worked out well. She is 11 months now and pretty much house trained, attached to us instantly and is a good little girl.

I always suggest people check out the Yorkshire Terrier Club of American (YTCA) breeder referrals if they live here. Yorkshire Terrier Club of America About The Club Canada has a similar club and here is their link. Find a Breeder

great job Nancy, this is the first time I read anything by you and I was totally impressed.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. We need more people like you. There are too many people who are simply front runners for some byb on YT.

Been there done that..If you do the footwork you can find an awesome breeder that does everything right!! EVERYHING! and I did not find her on the YTCA list. She knows her stuff and after 3 yrs of looking for a breeder I could not be happier. Thank the good Lord above that I do not have to talk to another byb ever again!!

Lol, have you finally found a dog? Congratulations!

Thanks for posting this Nancy. Great Thread. Dont be afraid to contact a good Breeder for information and price. You will be shocked. Prices can be such a bargain. And you are getting a dog with Good Health, Structure and Temperament. I am shocked how much Petstores and BYB charge! Its insane and Robbery!

Ok now I am reading this and wondering if I personally fit on your spectrum of 3 classes. I did read it 3 times to get what I think you are saying.
Regardless of your breeding practices... if you show you are in number 1? Is this correct?
If you do not show you are in 2 or 3?

So I do not show, yet. I own parti colored dogs. So I am in 2 or 3...
I do all health testing prior to breeding... spend a fortune at my vets and have spayed or neutered prior to breeding on more than one occasion.
I have placed pups for free in loving homes (2 blue borns, 2 open fonts, one to an abused little girl who would only talk around animals, etc) or sold at very discounted rates to loving homes knowing it was a perfect fit.
I stand behind every one of my pups.
I take each litter in to the vet prior to placing them and have them microchipped and health certificates.
Maybe I am reading this wrong but I do not feel I fit in those catagories. I do not like labels and am not a soup can. I think that maybe for the most part yours works, however there will be exceptions.

This thread was to enable puppy buyers to make a little sense out of the cost of puppies. You can't tell by prices alone if you are supporting a good breeder. I don't want people to think the more they pay, the better the dog, neither do I want them to believe that buying a "cheap" or highly discounted puppy is a bargain.

I don't know what you mean by you "spayed or neutered prior to breeding on more than one occasion". :confused: Anyway, the thread is intended to be a guideline, not a rule!

Are you health testing the pups before they go to their new home? I did not see that. Also a health cert. is not reallyl needed if the buyer is coming to your home to pick up the pup. Your vet can write on the paperwork - the receite that the pup is very healthy and what he did and what health tests were done when he examed on the pup.Then you also have the tests results.

As Nancy stated she is not saying that price determines the quality of the breeder. There have been a lot of people on here wanting the lowest price possible for a pup and anything above that they think is foolish, when in reality the lowest prices, as we know, for a pup (not a rescue) warrents a warning sign. Most often breeders that have the lowest prices have skipped important health practices and one is usually playing Russian Roulett when buying a pup this cheap. I have also seen some charge an arm and a leg for a pup that is not worth it and they still did not do the health tests. Anytime one is buying you need to be educated before making a purchase. My family is wanting to buy new cell phones - we are now researching the different phones and even the plans to make the best purchase. No one should just rush out and buy, especially with puppies. Puppy purchases are so emotional when you are there looking at this ball of fluff hopefully bouncing around. Yorkies are one breed too that changes so much from what they looked like as a puppy and one has to go further as to quality of the puppy and the breeder. Dogs will be an adult much longer than as a puppy. Why do you think there are so many cats at rescue? Just do your research when searching for that puppy. My a wise decision.

Nancy - I think she meant that she spayed a dog before she breed, due to reason it was not to quality for breeding?

Yes I did mean spayed or neutered prior to ever making it in my breeding program. Many reasons for that and not just health. I will hold back or purchase a pup only to down the road have a coat that is not silk and straight, nose or ears that just are wrong, one I purchased was nice and square as a pup but ended up no so as a young adult or as stated I have had one end up with BAT that were questionable from one breeder and at 9 mons recheck be off the charts, and one that had fair hips on an OFA. Those are the ones over the 12 years so far. Not counting the 2 males and one female that were altered after breeding due to cleft palates, open fonts, and just real tiny pups. I freely admit all health issues and have on YT. I have nothing to hide on that. We all have problems from time to time, it is what we do when they rear their ugly heads that stands us apart, and not if we show or not.
I just think that reading your post does more than lightly educate people though. I take it that if I do not charge from 1500 to 2500 for a pup and show that I am breeding substandard pups or am in it for the profit and that simply is not true. The most I have charged for a pup is $1200. The least was free or even one that was a teapot for sure went for $200 to cover his neuter and vet exam only. It also greatly varies from state to state and region to region. Up here in Maine good luck getting 1500 for even a good quality show prospect from most. But scoot down to Boston and I could charge 2k for a teapot and none the wiser. I however choose not to do that.

Just because one shows does not put them in the #1 in my opinion. Maybe I am reading it wrong or taking it a little personal.

The pups all have a health exam, stool testing (regular, coccidia, and giardia), shots, and microchipped. I do not do the full testing?? they are too young at 12 weeks for that. I could do BAT but my vet recommends they be at least 16 weeks and prefers 6 months. But if a pup is still here at that time then yes I have BAT 2 of them and rabies done.

Thank you for this information. I am lucky I got a healthy pup with a great disposition but I know so much more now than I did when I got Keoki. His breeder saddens me because I believe she is in it for the wrong reasons :(

Sorry, I don't know how to make it any clearer. The thread does not mean if you don't charge $1,500 to 2500, you are not a good breeder. A bad breeder could charge that much. If a breeder does charge a lot, there should be reasons behind it, and those reasons should not be because it's a tiny or has a fault that is considered "rare." I've heard of some great breeders who have retired from showing and sell dogs for $1,000. Remember that showing is very expensive, and breeders who show really need to charge more just to break even. I do not believe in breeding as a way to suppliment your income, there must be a higher purpose. I agree with you that just because a person shows it does not make them #1, people show for different reasons, and some show so that they will earn more money, and that is not the purpose of showing.