I think it also has something with the hype. Yorkies are just "in" right now. Terrible I know but that's what it is. Fact is that pure bred dogs are more expensive than mutts.

Sometimes I get a little frustrated when I see people on Craigslist wanting a purebred Yorkie, preferrable female, under 4 pound, 12 weeks old, with papers but can "only afford $300". I feel that they have no idea that getting a dog this young means multiple visits to the vets for shots, etc, potty training, obedience...all things that cost money. The list just goes on and on.

When I got my Yorkie, $1000 with papers, seemed like a real bargain to me compared to some of the prices I saw. In the two month following though, I must have spend half or the same amount for all the things that come with having such a young puppy. It is totally worth it though when you come home and those little ones jump up on you...wouldn't give that up for the world. Hell, I would pay much more for my little piggie...

Check out this thread http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...t=cost+raising and it will give you some idea of what it costs a good breeder to raise a yorkie puppy until it is old enough to be adopted. Most breeders will tell you, if you don't figure their time at all, not even at minimum wage, it costs at least $1000 if your provide the mom and litter with the best vet care and you keep the puppies to 12 weeks and it is even more for a tiny who needs 24/7 care from birth and usually stays with the breeder to 16 weeks. I have no problem with the fact that tinies are more money for this reason.

The initial cost of the puppy is nothing if you look at it over the lifetime of the dog and the unconditional love and joy you will receive. If you pay $2000 to get the puppy of your dreams and it lives to be ten years old (most live longer but I am using a hypothetical example for illustrative purposes only) that is $200 a year or 54 cents a day for that dog!!

I gave up a vacation and delayed a new car for a year or two because I wanted my yorkies and I have never regretted it. My life is so enriched as a result, so much more than a vacation or a new car. You also have to realize that the initial cost is just that, only the beginning, as these little dogs can be expensive and you cannot be so afraid of the vet bill that you delay or hesitate taking them in when they need to go.

I think you get what you pay for and I am not trying to offend anyone but when you ask a breeder to accept only $500 for a puppy you are asking them to lose money imo. I feel that I want to fully compensate my breeder for giving my puppy and its litter mates and mother the very best start in life. $500 means no vet checks for mom, breeder does own dew claws and tails, puppies leave mom and littermates at 6 or 8 weeks so breeder incurs no extra costs, etc.

Yorkies are difficult to breed and it is hard on the moms and not all females are suitable for breeding. Breeding is tough and i give a lot of credit to those who choose to do it because I never could!

One lastthing...if you ask anyone what they would take for their dog, most would tell you they are "priceless" and they wouldn't let them go for any amount of money. :)

Yep they are a lot of money , but worth every penny.

here we go again anyway :rolleyes: emmsmom, my advise is to tell your friend to pay what she can afford and what she feels is fair.

:) :) I agree

I was going to not say a word on this but I think the prices are NUTS too...there are MANY yorkies out there for a reasonable price - tell your friend not to fall for the hype & to be patient...there are many reasonable GOOD breeders still left in the world :) :) :)

I believe that a lot of it depends on your geographical location. Males are around $600-700 in my area and females start around $800. Good luck in your friend's search.

I paid 1,400 for my Gus and worth every dime!!! I'm in awe with the breeders I got him from. They are sisters who are in the biz together. Spending that kind of money was crazy,,,,, so I thought. But after wanting one so badly as I had, it was so worth it. We are getting a Chi in about 3 months. (keeping our fingers crossed for a female to be born with this litter) but I still will not give up hope on finding my red or cherry blond Yorkie. I just hope I can aford her when I do find her!

I agree, the price is rather high. My first thought was to refer your friend to one of the rescue organizations, but a word of caution: I ran into one who thought I was some kind of monster because I had two Yorkies. A spayed female and an :eek: UNNEUTERED male that I had someday hoped to use as a stud. She sent me the most nasty e-mails accusing me of being one of THOSE breeders who produced all the unwanted and undesireable pups that wind up being in her rescue. :eyeballpc She vowed she would send my name to all the rescue organizations and have me blacklisted. It was the most horrific experience I had ever had with someone I had never met.

BE CAREFUL with the rescue organizations is all I have to say. I agree there are pups there that need homes and love, but the organizations themselves seem to jump to conclusions about the prospective homes.

Dawn

I am only speaking about what I'm comfortable doing:

I own 12 so off the bat take the routine vet care you pay for one yorkie (dentals, shots, food, toys, vitamins, pee pads, grooming supplies, flea prevention, heartworm prevention and any other unexpect vet bills that may come up) per year and multiply that by 12 and that's what I pay; mabye a little more because my vet specializes in canine reproduction. Then add to that the xtras I do because I want so badly to make sure that i don't breed one with hereditary defect that can take away from the quality of life or be life threatening. I have all my Yorkies BA tested, my females have vaginal swabs and progestrone tests done prior to matitng to make sure I breed them at peak. I dont' just breed them for days and hope they take. Once bred, I have my female ultra sounded and then xrayed a copule days before due date. Because I work full have my moms-to-be stay with a mid-wife that my clinic has. She has a set up at her home to keep expecting moms on labor watch for 24 hrs round the clock. I send my mom's there 2 days before they are due so taht they can be monitored and watched by someone experience who can handle any situation in my absense. That alone costs me $80 a day. Then a c-section if there was a problem. Once the puppies are here I pay to have tails and dews done, all shots are done by my vet they have at least 2 sets before leaving. Stools are checked, they are on flea prevention, and will have a full blood panel to clear them of LS any other health problems that can be seen in the blood. I aslo alter my puppies before placing them now. I also have a VERY nice pupppy kit I send home. I offer a full guarantee for 1 yr for hereditary defects but lifetime support, you can call me any time. My Yorkies range from $1200-$2500 females are more expensive becuase the spay is done by Laparscopy which costs twice as much as the traditional spay. If i have a tiny puppy I do charge more becuse I have to keep them longer which is more money I have to pay. the money i make covers expenses for my Yorkies. I COULD charge more but that means I would have a smaller selection of homes and I wouldnt be able to be as picky. I try to be fair but I need to recoup my expenses too.

I get a lot of grief from some breeders because I do all this. :confused: But it's my choice, I'll tell ya, I can sleep better at night doing it this way. It's just how I am. I'm not saying this is the only way or that anyone that doesn't do things the same as me is a puppymill or byb or disreputable..it's all personal preference.

Hugs,
Wini and da' million dollar gang :D

I agreed the prices are insane. I paid for Gucci $900. I guess that price is great considering the outrageous prices you can find out there. Tell your friend to keep looking she might be lucky and find a great pet at a reasonable price.

I have to say have your friend to into rescue organizations, there are sooo many sweet yorkies that need a second chance. If they have health issues she will know what they are upfront.

Best of luck to your friend!

Hugs,
Wini

Rini! You are one of the GREAT ones!! I commend you for your high standards! Your babies are worth every penny you charge and then some imo!

Thanks to celebs such as Paris Hilton... :rolleyes:

:confused: I thought she only had chis. Did she get a yorkie?

The breeder I went with charged me $1200.00 for her female. She has one female left and she told me is going to charge $1500.00 for the last one. The males are going for $1000.00. Thank god I had to only pay $600.00 when she was first born (deposit), then the next half when I pick her up in 12 weeks. I pick her up in January right after the holiday.