Morkie? Or

[maggiesmom_2007]

I just want to put this out there .

Before you even think about breeding, talk to a breeder and let them tell you some stories of stuff they have gone through with breeding. It's not always a pretty picture. Sure you can breed your dogs and maybe even have lady luck on your side and end up with a healthy litter and everything is going perfect. That's not always the case. So before even thinking about breeding look up what genetic diseases are predisposed for this breed and if your thinking about cross breeding, the genetic diseases the other breed is predisposed for. Then you will see what you are "putting in the pot", so to speak and what comes out can be any mixture or combination. This is why testing is done before breeding so that there aren't as many unknown possibilities. But then again other unknown diseases can come into play also. And for anyone that thinks crossbred dogs are healthier than Purebred dogs they aren't. With Purebred dogs you have more of an idea what they are predisposed for and the list of possibles is shorter than with cross bred dogs. With the cross bred dogs you have 2 predisposed lists and the possibles are alot longer. Plus with pure bred dogs they are more apt to be remembered at the vets office for coming in with problems than a mixed breed is. That is what my Vet told me when I asked.

[Rhetts_mama]

@imdyll

I don't think it's ridiculous at all all to say people shouldn't be breeding if they aren't in it for the betterment of the breed. We live in a culture of "I want it, so I'll do it." with no regard to the ultimate outcome. I think it's completely irresponsible for people to be breeding because they want a cute puppy. Your analogy to people not having children because the world is over populated is fallacious because people have a conscious choice as to whether or not they choose to reproduce. Dogs aren't given that option. They aren't given the option of requiring that their owners make sure they are completely healthy before they are being bred. They aren't asked whether or not they want to risk dying at the hand of an inexperienced "breeder" if a problem arises during the whelping process. They aren't asked if they want their pups being given away in front of the local wal mart or thrown in a dumpster because the owner couldn't find
responsible homes for them.

Bottom line, a person who throws two dogs together because they want a cute puppy or they think two dogs will make a great mix is being selfish and putting their own wants ahead of the needs of the dogs.

[Dianab28]

Breeding is a lot more complicated that just throwing two dogs together if it's done correctly. Even the most careful breeders that have done everything "right" will still lose puppies, or mom or have to have a c-section. You will need to make sure she is attended all the time once she gets close to birthing and know what to do in case of an emergency and you can't get a hold of your vet. There is also the fact that YOU are responsible for these tiny beings and mom. Do you have money in case mom has complications and for additional food and vaccines? I'd ask yourself if you're ready for that responsibility because once mom is bred it's to late to change your mind.

[imdll]

Originally Posted by maggiesmom_2007

I just want to put this out there .

Before you even think about breeding, talk to a breeder and let them tell you some stories of stuff they have gone through with breeding. It's not always a pretty picture. Sure you can breed your dogs and maybe even have lady luck on your side and end up with a healthy litter and everything is going perfect. That's not always the case. So before even thinking about breeding look up what genetic diseases are predisposed for this breed and if your thinking about cross breeding, the genetic diseases the other breed is predisposed for. Then you will see what you are "putting in the pot", so to speak and what comes out can be any mixture or combination. This is why testing is done before breeding so that there aren't as many unknown possibilities. But then again other unknown diseases can come into play also. And for anyone that thinks crossbred dogs are healthier than Purebred dogs they aren't. With Purebred dogs you have more of an idea what they are predisposed for and the list of possibles is shorter than with cross bred dogs. With the cross bred dogs you have 2 predisposed lists and the possibles are alot longer. Plus with pure bred dogs they are more apt to be remembered at the vets office for coming in with problems than a mixed breed is. That is what my Vet told me when I asked.

The OP has said earlier that she does not intend to breed her dog, and Ithink that decision is wise because breeding is a very involved process and notsomething to be entered into without a great deal of study. My issue iswith the mindset that some pure bred enthusiasts seem to have about anythingthat is not "pure bred" or anyone who does not breed pure bred dogs.

Some of the dogs that are now "pure bred" dogs were nothing morethan regular old dogs that now have been determined to be "pure bred"after a number of years of genetic consistency. Dogs used to have jobs and werebred for war or to do work on farms or to catch game or control the ratpopulation etc. The body type best suited for the job and the healthiest dogs were bred andeventually there came to be consistency in dogs that were being used forspecific purposes. Herding dogs, sighthounds, dogs for protection and war etc.all have certain characteristics specific to their jobs.

The reason so much genetic testing has to be done now is because of closedgenetic pools and over breeding of particular lines for years and years incertain breeds. Some of the changes fromthe original appearance of some breeds like the English Bulldog has come from breedingtoward appearance rather than the original work purpose of Bulldog types. Themore common breeds were darned near completely screwed up and the currentgenetic testing is a way to try and fix some of those problems that wemagnified or created in the first place. Yes the situation is getting betterbut it is far from perfect. When we decided the gene pool had to be closed toensure pureness we created some of the lovely problems we now see in somebreeds. (Think about some of the health issues that are known to have plaguedsome of the royal families, in essence that is what we have done to some purebred dogs. Interestingly the more rarethe breed the less genetic health issue it tends to have because we haven’tbeen so busy messing with it.) When dogswent from working to being decorative objects the focus on what traits were desirablechanged and that in turn changed what some breeds are like now versus what theyused to be originally (so who decides what the standard should be and whatcriteria did they use and who says they are right? maybe the way the breed used to be isactually right) some people became morefocused on a certain look instead of whether or not the dog could performhis/her job. That is why there can be a marked difference in some breeds betweenworking lines and show lines and one of the reasons I take issue with theextreme physical characteristics that were bred into the English Bulldog.

While I don’t agree with people chargingexorbitant prices for today’s “designer dogs” I don’t see a great deal ofdifference in the mentality between the designer dogs of today and the mindsetof those who developed the current English Bulldog or any other man made breed. A dog created to have a specific set ofcharacteristics is a designer dog whether it has AKC papers or not.

As long as the people have made sure theanimals involved are healthy and not genetically predisposed to some horribleillness why should it bother me if somebody wants some kind of unusual mix of dog? As long as it’s healthy and is placed in a goodhome why should that be seen as such a threat by some pure bred dog enthusiastswhen really it has nothing to do with you? Some very fun and interesting dogs have resulted from mixes ofbreeds. As long as people aren’t doingdangerous mixes of large and small breeds etc. I really don’t see the reason to be in a panic over the mater as long asthe health of all concerned is kept in focus and the animals go to goodpermanent homes. It doesn’t affect thepure bred world and wouldn’t affect the shelters. If people want a pure bred dog they will buyone instead but I don’t condemn people for liking or desiring some of theinteresting mixes that have been bred, I do however condemn those who prey on thatdesire. I have gone from having all pure bred dogs tocurrently having all cross bred dogs and they’ve been a blast. I hadn’t planned it to be this way, it justsort of happened but the mixes we have are wonderful and it’s kind of sad thereisn’t a pure bred dog that is like any of them.

Understand that I am not opposed to pure bred dogs I've owned severaldifferent breeds over the years and will likely own other pure bred dogs in thefuture. I just take issue with the attitudes of some pure bred enthusiasts andtheir narrow view of things.

Many years ago we wanted to purchase and English Springer Spaniel. Trying tofind clean lines in that breed was dang near impossible, reputable breedersadmitted the breed had major issues. We finally went with an English CockerSpaniel because the breed was not as common and therefore did not have the samehealth issues. We quite by accident got a male from the top male in the countryat the time. Ourmale was apparently the spitting image of his father, oh how people drooledover that dog. As beautiful as he was hewould have been terrible as a hunting dog which is what his breed is actuallymeant to do. Not that we planned to huntwith him, my point is he was bred to be pretty not to do the job his breed isactually for. Dogs that were originally meantto do specific jobs are now being bred to look good in a show ring and havedampened or lost some of the attributes that were originally part of the breedin the first place. I don’t considerthat “responsible breeding” even though the dog may theoretically have goodgenetics. If people want to bred showdogs I don’t have a problem with that I just have a problem with the attitudethat sometimes goes along with that world, that their way is the only way andanyone who doesn’t agree is simply wrong or irresponsible.

Not everyone is interested in having AKC or CKC etc. registered dogs. Thatpiece of paper is not important to everyone. Some people are more interested ina dog’s working capabilities rather than what the dog can do in the show ring. Somepeople who know a great deal about breeding different breeds and their specificqualities like to breed cross bred dogs. There is a science to that as well and recordsare kept and certain lines are known for certain attributes but the focus is onability rather than looks. An example isLurchers and Longdogs but there are others. People in the Lurcher and Longdogworld genetic test their dogs and have discovered that different crosses bringout the qualities they want for their particular needs. Their dogs competedoing things that those particular types of dogs were originally designed todo. Both show people and Lurcher/Longdog people and others have the right to moveforward and do the things they do as long as they do it responsibly. It doesn’t make one better than theother. Just different.

I do not agree with people haphazardly breeding whatever dog, but I amsaying there are people who are not interested in creating a new breed and aremore interested in a dog’s ability to perform specific tasks rather thanappearance and who responsibly breed cross bred dogs and it has been going onfor hundreds of years and isn't likely to stop any time soon.

We all know that improper breeding goes on both inside and outside of thepure bred world, it’s just gets tiresome to hear the extreme views of some, notall, pure bred enthusiasts who seem to base their strong opinions on a smallview of the whole picture and the rhetoric that is rampant in the dog showworld rather than actual facts.

[LunasMomma]

I just want to say that I'm glad that you have changed your mind about breeding. It is so much harder than it seems. Even when someone knows what they're doing and is very experienced, tragedies happen like one posted here about the Dam going into labor early and not only losing all the pups, but her life as well

I, at one time, thought that I would like to someday breed Yorkies, as I love and adore the breed and I thought that I would be good at it. After reading a while here, especially the Breeder's Forum, I quickly came to my senses. It takes TONS of work and includes too much heartbreak for my sensitive soul The breeders that show their dogs and breed the most prime examples of the breed and are doing it for the right reasons have my UTMOST respect. Heck, from what I understand, it you are doing it right, you'll not only NOT make any money, you'll probably go into debt There is so much testing and other stuff involved.

Rescuing a Yorkie from the pound can be done, there are MANY here that have done it! If you're really dedicated and check the shelters frequently, you'll get lucky eventually, I'm sure. There are many surrendering their dogs, purebred and all, due to the hard economic times now and it's not uncommon to see Yorkies at shelters any more.

Good luck to you in finding your next baby!!!