I've a client that has bought two of my puppies. However, she adores the sire of one of the girls. The sire is the boy in my Avatar. She always says if you ever want a home for Charmer, I'll take him. I always joke back at her, well if you've got $10,000 and a new model Mercedes we'll discuss it.

CKC (Canadian) is the same. Or at least I think it is, I don't show but my breeder and I talk about showing a lot, and I've groomed for her at shows before.

I know a 10-15lb Yorkie. his name is Newton, and we always joke that he ate way too many Fig Newtons.. I absolutely adore him, he's a lot heavier than my little 3lbs boy, he's like a big fluffy teady bear, next to my little beanie baby. :)

A lot of my friends or people I know have asked me how much I paid for Dolly, especially when they see how sweet and entertaining she is. If it's someone who I think is asking because they're starting to want a cute small dog to put in their purse, I tell them she cost me more than $5,000 in the 1st 6 months, including vet bills, good food to prevent health problems, toys, treats, puppy school, gas money to go home at lunch every day to let her out since she's so small, etc etc etc. And I make sure to include that I keep at least $1,000 in savings for an emergency vet bill because small dogs get hurt so easily.
I think a lot of people ask because they want a cute little purse dog, more like an accessory than a pet. I hope to give them a dose of reality by always including the cost of owning the dog, not just the initial purchase price. A lot of my friends have asked but once they hear all that they change their minds!

OMG parents used to have me do that to thier children who wanted horses (I'm a riding instructor) and that totally works, never thought of using it when people ask me about price. Another thing I always add in when I'm asked is that I don't feel comfortable telling a price because price is subject to change. I don't feel it's my place to quote the breeders price if she doesn't display it online. One day she may have a rescue for sale at cost (obviously to a good home) and the next she may have pups from champion parents.

You can see Jackson compared to his little friends, Nala (5.6lbs) and Bandit (4.5lbs).
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/att...h-img_8585.jpg
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/att...n-img_4508.jpg
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/att...s-img_2504.jpg

This is when Nala was a pup, so she was probably only like 2-3lbs. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/att...s-img_2501.jpg

I've told people who have asked "Not as much as I'll be spending on vet bills, food and keeping them happy."

hahaha. (im laughing because im the person that asks that question!)

i dont own a yorkie yet & still looking....but when i ask "how much..." its not to make it seem like your dog is some kinda product....i just want to get a good idea of how much i should be paying for a healthy yorkie. now im not just a bandwagoner whos joining the whole "purse puppy" trend...ive wanted a yorkie for years but never could (my mom finally agreed to let me get one:D)! when i talk to owners i also ask bout vet bills & food & good yorkie products. im only 19 & never owned or bought a dog...so all of this is new to me....prices...what to look for...pedigrees... so me asking how much is only me doin research. if i didnt i would go out & buy a $5000-$10,000 dollar yorkie thinkin it a reasonable price!

BUT!....now that ive found yorkie talk...theres no neeed for me to piss off owners askin them how much they paid. ;)

IMO, yes, it's rude. Just as I would think it inappropriate to ask someone how much they pay for their car, or house or anything else that can be considered a personal finance. (My husband's family does this all the time and it drives me nuts. Mainly because I know when they do it, it's always with some hidden motive....something they can run back and gossip about.)

If I'm ever asked, I try to skirt around the subject. I'll say, "Why, are you intrested in getting a Yorkie for yourself?" Generally, that's usually enough of a hint to the other person.

Yes I think its rude.When people say how much did she cost I just say well she was worth it regardless of price.

I didn't read everyone else's posts....BUT I get asked that by nearly everyone too!! :eek: It's amazing how no one seems to understand just how RUDE that is, isn't it?! My canned response is, "just as much as any other purebred dog!" Really, I thought Yorkies were alone in how much they were...only because we only had mutts when I was a kid...but most other breeds have about the same price range. (Of course, there's a wide range in price for Yorkies...just like all the other breeds too!) Sometimes I also say "Well, she wasn't free!" No one ever persists with that line of questioning after I say either of those 2 things.

(Note: I HATE to lie, so that's why I came up with those 2 responses. They're both true, but I also just side-stepped their question. AND I don't really care if it's obvious I side-stepped it....maybe a little light will "ding" on in their heads that they were being rude for asking. Probably not though :rolleyes:)

I don't think anyone answered your question (I might have missed it though???)....

The AKC, CKC, and KC (the Kennel Club in the UK) breed standards are ALL "not to exceed 7 lbs". HOWEVER, there are lots of purebred Yorkies that are larger than 7 lbs...and that doesn't make them any less "Yorkie"!!!

My Bella is ~4.5 lbs, and some people say, "Wow, she really tiny!!" because they've only seen larger Yorkies. And some people say, "She must be a bigger Yorkie" because I guess they've only seen smaller ones?! Either way, I always say, "The breed standard is 7 lbs and under, and she's on the small side of what reputable breeders breed for...anything larger than 7 lbs is considered "off-standard", but that doesn't make any difference for a pet, and anything smaller than 4 lbs is usually the small one in the litter (or runt)." Not sure if that's true, but some people seem to think 2 lb'ers are the norm, so I try to "educate" them that 2 lb'ers are extra tiny, and shouldn't be considered the norm!!

Personally, I think making comments on her size (as being either too small or too big) is about as rude as asking how much!! She's perfect just the way she is! :D

(A lot of people do ask me "How old is she?" and/or "How much bigger will she get?" or "Will she get any bigger?", and for some reason these don't bother me at all. I think they're trying to ask about her size WITHOUT being rude, and I appreciate the effort! ;))

i feel really mixed about this subject. YEA i understand it can be rude to ask people how much they paid on ANY living thing....but from SOME of the responses ive read on this thread i feel like your putting it in peoples heads that yorkies are nothing but a Finacial burden...& "if you dont have enough money...then you dont deserve one!" i have a BEAUTIFUL 10 year old cat me & her been through so much together...i consider her to be my baby/ lil sister. ive had people come to my house..they'll see her & go " omg where did you get her from....how much did you pay for her!?" (i actually got her for free!:D)...But if i did pay anything i would tell them....& ill also mention the pros & cons of having her. who gave us the right to judge who deserves a yorkie & who doesnt just by a simple question? if you dont want to tell us how much you paid....tell us you dont like talking about your yorkie in that way...we'll understand.

PERSONALLY, i feel like theres nothing wrong with that question. maybe because im on the otherside. but a REAL RUDE question would be..."what color underwear are you wearing?" ....now thats something to be offended at!!:rolleyes:

I don't think it's a matter of feeling like someone doesn't 'deserve' one. Just more a matter of it not really being their business. I wouldn't ask someone how much they paid for their house, or how much they make at their job. Same scenario, IMO.

:thumbup:

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:....

& your rite it is the SAME situation!....
example #1: if you're looking to buy a house & you know someone who just recently bought one...you see the house & you think its Gorgeous...you're gunna ask them how much they paid for that house!...because your looking for one & your doing a lil research.

example #2: you're looking for a job....you're thinking about applying for the same position that your friend is in. you're gunna ask her how much she gets paid...because you want to be sure about what you're getting into....to decide weather you want to go through with it or not.

when people ask these questions...its not to offend you or to have some kinda evil agenda....its just research...to know what theyre getting into.

& to think about....i remember asking this older lady how much she paid for her (tiny, aggressive) yorkie...& she snobbishly said "an arm and a leg!" i just laughed it off & walked away...what i SHOULDVE said sarcasticly was "Well i dont know what country youre come from...but OVER here we buy things with MONEY!!"

i just feel like if u dont like talking about it...tell us. you dont have to lie or be rude. thats just MY OPINION...:rolleyes:

Maybe a friendlier way to respond would be to say 'Oh are you thinking of getting one?' and then go on to give them more of a range from pet quality to show dog. That way you're telling them how much a Yorkie can cost, but you're not divulging any personal info either.

I can understand the reasons you are giving, but regardless, I would never in a million years fathom asking someone those things. Just a difference of opinion.

exactly!:D :thumbup:

thats helps me better.....rather than saying $100,00 or an arm and a leg!:mad:

^^^ sorry about all the typos :(.

I think it's rude as well. i don't go asking how much their car costs them so why ask me about Sadie. but i do use it as an opportunity to let them know that paying a low price on a pup doesn't insure that you get a great one and it also doens't insure you get a bad one. it's not about price they are all priceless (i liked that line as well) it's about whether the breeder put in the effort to perfect that dog and did health testing and made sure it was the perfect healthy pet for you. that's all that matters. $50-1500 it's still about perfecting a breed. that is priceless and worth so much.

and btw. Bentley is a shelter dog and cost only a whopping $50 less than Sadie did...if that tells you anything about shelter vs. BYB they cost about the same and shelter dogs are WAY WAY more rewarding!! they are better behaved, come ready to go (vaccs. neuter/spay ext) and they are amazing to love...adopt adopt adopt whenever you can it's so worth it.

i totally agree with you. i guess certain things may be rude to ask. im the kinda person if i dont know....i ask. my mom always said "theres no such thing as a stupid question....if you dont know about something...or youre not sure ASK!!"

i just want some of you guys to see it as someone who wants more information...rather than someone just asking you for a price.

i wish more yorkie owners on the street were more understanding & told me all of this...instead of being sarcastic or just flat out telling me the price.

eh, i dont know.......it just seems like everything is taboo now-a-days. :confused:

Just say, if you have to ask, you can't afford one.

im just going to ignore that IGNORANT comment^^^.

but thanks for proving me right!:bananna:

Layla had her four boys a few weeks ago, and now I get this question a lot "How much are you gonna sell the puppies for???" asked by wide-eyed friends. I always wonder what their motives for asking that are. Makes it easy to remember to lock my doors at night.

If they are your friends, why do you feel the need to batten down the hatches?

Who knows? I think either everybody has a different idea of what's appropriate, or I'm just hyper sensitive (due to my extended periods of time spent on yorkietalk).