Baby Doll Face
 

Hey YT
I'm just wondering about the Yorkies that they call baby doll faces. :confused: They actually have the cutest faces but why are there faces so different? Is it a genic problem? Do they have more health problems then the standard? Why are they usually so much smaller and why are they so expensive ( I seen one being sold online for $4500.00 :eek:) I know a lot questions but I would love to own one, one day (no time soon). Are there any books or web sites I can check out so I can do more reserch? Thanks in advance on any info! :)

It is a marketing ploy to get more for the yorkie. You can find yorkies in alot of litters that fit the description of baby doll face that breeders arent marketing them as that and they arent selling them at outrageous prices either

I hear them referred to as "teddy bear" faces as well. It's true...just cute terms used to sell them....chloe has a teddy bear face...it's round and her eyes and nose are portioned in a way that gives her that look, but she's not a special Yorkie that's bread for that.......it's like any other dog you choose out of a litter, choose it for the face, and for the coat you like best.....

Does that mean the same thing as 'apple headed?' I have read that a lot and they are so pricey!

Apple headed is actually a concerning thing to have that can be a sign of hydrocephalis

Oh my! That is scary! I'm glad I didn't purchase our baby from anyone like that. Those that were apple headed that I saw were up to $4000!!! That is outrageous and then you have a pup that might have a serious health problem. That is scary!!!!

It is scary and we have had members on here purchase them and they end up having hydrocephalis which is basically a death sentence. All you can do is do your best to keep them going and give them the best life you can for the short time they are here. It is sader than sad

My Roxie has a teddy bear face, and she is by no means any smaller than any other Yorkie. At 7.5 pounds, she is actually bigger than the 4 other Yorkies in our neighborhood.

I do love that her face is so cute...but it sure does help her get away with a lot of nonsense...LOL.

Teddy bear, baby doll, hello kitty (yes, even that!), teacup, micro, etc, the list goes on and on. Any breeder who would use any of these type of words are just trying to get you for more money. A reputable breeder would never use terms like that.

Also off colors, such as chocolate or red, marketed as rare colors, and sold for more, when in reality it is off standard, and if anything should be less money and should be s/n.

:thumbup:
See Yorkshire Terrier Club of America Code of Ethics #8 Under Code of Ethics: Use of Terms.

The smaller nose yorkies can have problem with their teeth. Teeth care will need to be kept up and checked very often, especially as they become older - 3 years and up. This is one thing that one needs to be aware of if purchasing a pup with smaller muzzle. We do not want yorkies to get too small in the face/muzzle, since it can cause problems - such as breathing, bites, teeth care, and also problem in whelping (ex. other breeds that have short face/muzzles). The standard is there and written with great care in mind for the breed.

I don't think everyone who uses the term "doll face" is referring to an exceptionally small dog or being irresponsible. For instance, Cody is coming from a very reputable breeder who breeds only for show. (They only sell those pups that they decide not to show for whatever reason. For example, Cody is actually show quality, but they have no need for him for showing, so he is coming to us as a pet.)

Anyway, the point. The breeder describes him as having a doll face. These breeders are recognized by the YTCA and have been discussed on these boards as good breeders. They're not inflating the price or anything. It just happens to be the kind of face the little guy has. He is totally to YT standards though and is 100% show quality. As such he is also within the show weight range (Cody is expected to weigh in at a healthy 6 pounds).

Anyway, my point... it's a real thing that has been massively misused by irresponsible folks. However, not everyone who uses the term is bad by default. Best to take a look at the actual dogs, the environment in which they're being raised, the breeders themselves, and the price they're asking.

ETA - If the dogs are exceptionally small or priced at $4500? Yeah, those aren't the good breeders.

It's usually in the Chihuahua breed that has apple heads. Their little heads are as round as a ball.

My Azrael has the look of a teddy bear and we affectionately call her "tedders". I love the look, but it isn't something that is bred for and should never be sold for any more.

This was a very interesting post to read. I had never heard of any of Baby Face or Apple Head before. I am glad I have been lucky enough to find local breeders who are really great and treat their Yorkies like family.

My other dog used to get the Teddy Bear haircut when she got groomed, but that was the only time I ever heard that term regarding dogs.

My pups have super cute faces regardless if there is a special name for them or not. I am just happy they are both healthy.

Thanks for an interesting post.

I agree to an extent. I think most people call a yorkie with a shorter muzzle baby doll. It's the breeders who use the term to entice people I have qualms with.

On another note, show breeders that have pups they think wouldn't be a show prospect sell those. If they are a show prospect they wouldn't sell them, they would show them. But there have been many times I've heard that a breeder sold one they didn't think would be a show prospect, only later to see them a bit older and change their mind. :p

When I was first looking at breeders, I found some who referred to some of their pups as having an "apple head", it simply refers to a round head like a ball and isn't enlarged which could be indicative of hydrocephalus. One breeder guaranteed that all puppies with apple heads would be very small. I agree, these terms are used for selling the pups, usually to say the puppies will be small.

We agree. ;)

As far as Cody goes, it doesn't really matter either way because I wouldn't have shown him anyway. He's coming to our home as a family member and nothing more. :)

Just wanted to add that you can tell if a pup has hydrocephalus if you can easily see the whites of their eyes in the inner corners. If you look up some "breeders" who advertise on youtube, a lot of these pups will have this look. Like their eyes are looking too different directions. So sad.

I never knew that. It explains why Pixie my baby doll faced one has terrible teeth. By 3 she already had teeth extracted and needs another dental soon.

WOW never knew so many terms relating to Yorkies. So far we have been very lucky.

Does hello kitty yorkie face mean a yorkie without a mouth like a hello kitty?
(my attempt at a lame joke)

I'm so curious about this!!!

But yeah, i too learned that all these are money making name schemes just like teacup yorkies

Yea the muzzle is so short they have no mouth! No I'm jk. Really, I think it was from an asian puppymill, and you know how popular Hello Kitty is in Asia, heck I love HK too. But it's just another marketing ploy. :thumbdown They will come up with anything to make more money.

The first time I heard of a micro... I had Uni, a girl and her bf came into my shop. They said oh Uni is cute, we just got a yorkie too, but she's a micro. I said, what's a micro? They said, it's smaller than a teacup, she's like this small *cupping hands*. Turns out they got her from the pet shop down the street. :rolleyes:

Many years ago when I started researching Maltese I noticed that some of the breeders said their puppies had "baby doll" faces. That sounded good but I had no idea what it meant at first. Seems some breeders breed toward a shorter snout and that is considered a baby doll face. It's pretty obvious that some of the show breeders are breeding Yorkies for a shorter snout as well as other things. In the show business there are usually trends towards particular looks. I didn't realize at first that Yorkies were doing the baby doll look but when I saw what was winning in the ring it was pretty clear though I don't think they would call it baby doll.

There are good and bad breeders in the show world but the ones that care about their reputation are breeding to the standard and arent breeding for a small muzzle. There are also health problems that can come with small muzzles and they are aware of that.

Factually speaking, those that are breeding "apple headed" yorkies are breeding outside the standard, as the standard states for the head, small and rather flat on top, the skull not too prominent or round.
But then there is this..
the muzzle not too long, with the bite neither undershot nor overshot and teeth sound

When does not too long become too short? Saying not too long implies that the muzzle is long.. But only implies it, without directly saying so. Perhaps there should be a codicil that also states not too short as well.
The other night, I was doing my usual yorkie website trawl, and I saw the most appalling thing, IMO... Yorkies with muzzles so short, they were damned near pugs!!!
There were baby pictures in profile and they had no face! I mean, it looked like someone smashed their poor faces into a wall and flattened them.

I'm not stating if this trend is good or bad. It is a fact that the show world can be very political and trendy. You can look at how many breeds looked 50 years ago and what is winning in the ring today and you will see that although many characteristics of the breed are the same there are many that are very different. I could name several breeds that have been effected by this trendy type of breeding. There are those who have been breeding and showing Yorkies for years that are concerned about what the trend has become in the Yorkie show ring while others continue to breed toward what is popular. It is evident that smaller dogs are popular in some circles.

If you compare the Yorkshire Terrier of even 30 years ago to the current show dogs you can see an obvious difference in face and body type. There are all kinds in the show world but the fact is if you want to win in the ring these trendy looks are what tends to get the ribbons with certain judges.

Apple head, Hello Kitty, BabyDoll, Teddy Bear??? wth? It's supposed to be a yorkie...a terrier.

I see those things with the round dark eyes, set wide apart on round lil heads...looking like some anime creature. I think they look downright creepy and more than slightly mentally deficient with their vacant stares. Can't believe people would pay money for that. Those kind of descriptions remind me of those creepy looking critters on that luxpup site.

LuxPup.ca -

Sorry for duplicate posts!

There are many publications that will help in judging Yorkshire terriers (as well as other breeds). I go by the following (which I have seen online in several places as well as the same information in books on showing and breeding Yorkshire Terriers):
Young Yorkies Present AKC Standard Yorkshire Terriers Explained by Carolyn Hensley You get to see pictures of what constitutes too long and too short on muzzles along with several other characteristics that are left somewhat subjective in the actual standard. It does help define the ideal much better when you can see it in a picture!