I don't think that just being AKC and a health guarantee makes someone a good breeder. After not knowing about breeders and brokers when I got Callie there are many things I would require and be checking for if getting a new puppy.

That's how I was thinking.

I very much agree.

Well Sadie is 100 percent Silky and she weighs 7 pounds. Go figure

What ever one uses as their authority, will define what a Good Breeder is.
My idea of a good breeder may be simple and based on my life experience, like : A good breeder is someone who has takes good care of their dogs. The dogs are healthy, sweet, friendly and cute and I think the price is fair. OR My definition could formed by things I have studied, read about, heard and personal ideas. It may be complicated with a very long list of things I think a good breeder should do. I may even think the only people that should breed dogs are people who devote their life to producing the perfect purebred dog. OR I may define a good breeder somewhere between the two.
On this forum we often see pictures or hear about dogs that are not good examples of the AKC Breed Standard for a Yorkshire Terrier. People often say, oh it doesn't matter I love them anyway. I wonder if they would have bought the puppy if they knew the dog, would be huge, have floppy ears, bad knees and have a cotton coat that never grows very long. Not really the Yorkie they dreamed of is it ? Yet every dog that comes into our life has so much to teach, if we are willing to learn. When we get a real dog, one who is not perfect, we find that they are just right after all.

I was in Greyhound rescue for many years, had up to 5 dogs (adopted) at a time and now have 9 urns sitting in my garage. I lost my beloved and best friend, a Whippet named OJ to congestive heart failure this past summer and then my last greyhound to mammary cancer a few weeks ago. In between all the commotion, it was determined that our mother needed to be in permanent nursing home care and we had to deal with all that as well.

We got Smokey between these catastrophes after not much investigation, mainly to ease the pain in our hearts and the severe and sudden separation anxiety our 13 y.o. greyhound began to suffer without OJ. Though he was in dire need of a haircut, it was love at first sight. Smokey's breeder turned out to be a complete jerk and interestingly enough, stopped calling to check on when I told him about Smokey's undescended testicles and his subluxing kneecaps. (We took Smokey to the vet two days after we got him).

We didnt pay a great sum for Smokey, he doesnt have AKC papers, his tail isnt docked, (which we prefer), and the vet has seen him twice and pronounced him in great general health. I was and remain too numb and too exhausted to think much about the sucker punch I took from Smokey's breeder and even after two days, there was no question about ever returning him. He will have competent medical care and the constant devotion of two parents who love and treasure him

It wasnt our intention for Smokey to show or breed and what he has accomplished so far is to restore joy, laughter and HOPE in what had become a very dismal house and to win the hearts of all the staff and residents at Mom's nursing home. Though his lineage may be dubious and he obviously does not conform to Yorkie standards, he is a REAL DOG and we are proud to be owned by him.:animal-pa

What a beautiful heartwarming story! As I’ve said before, we don’t support good breeders because we want a perfect dog, we support good breeders, because we want someone in the future to be able to have healthy dog that looks like a yorkie. Thank goodness, people in the past did this! I hope all dogs in the future are loved and wanted and have great homes.

My Tibbers is going to be 8 months old very soon and has stayed around 6lbs my tiny Bella is 8 weeks younger than him and she is only just now 3 lbs lol!!! but I love them all sizes!

this isnt about a pet owners love for a dog no matter what size. We all love our dogs for whatever qualities they possess. s.This is about breeders producing a consistant good example of the breed. You may not be showing but you should still be able to expect breeders to breed the best quality yorkie according to the standard yorkies are supposed to be bred to. There really should be no one asking does my yorkie look like a yorkike or a mixed breed? How come my yorkie that had 6 lb parents is 15 lbs? Why does my new yorkie look nothing like my first yorkie. There should be alot more consistancy in the way a yorkie looks and temperment. There also shouldnt be so much liver shunt, lp and other disorders affecting so many yorkies. Not only are breeders not breeding to the standard they arent breeding for healthy yorkies either. That is just debilitating to the breed.

I'm all for pure bred top of the line quality breeders for those who want that. If that's someone's goal and they can shell out $1500 - $2000 for a 3 pound Yorkshire Terrier, it's a good thing. We can't stop bad breeders from breeding for cash, no more than we can stop drug cartels from smuggling and selling drugs. But once the puppies are born, they need a home. Maybe it's a risk buying one, but then again, maybe it's the perfect companion for those who don't have the money.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but we can't stop them so we might as well home them. I couldn't tell you where Bailey came from other than the young couple we adopted him from. He's not a tea cup, he has his full tail, his facial fur had been chopped off, he had all kinds of health issues and he needed a bath! But now he's a part of this family and is loved as much as he loves us. We didn't pay much for him, but to me he's worth millions!

I disagree. It's simple economics. If a producer can't sell, they will stop producing or change their production to that which does sell.

What you're saying is the equivalent to "we can't stop puppy mills, so we may as well home them". I disagree with that concept. If we all agree to not buy puppy mill pups, they will go out of business. It's impossible to maintain a sales business without sales.

He is so cute !!!! My are worth millions too !!!

Happy Holidays
bark@ulater!!!!!
manina,miley,max,reirei,rudy

I dont agree but I quess we will have to agree to disagree. It is all in the consumer hands what type of dogs or what type of breeding facilities exist. If people stopped buying from pet shops puppy mills would no longer exist because there would be no profit from it. If consumers only bought from breeders that bred to the standard, bred for health and temperment then only breeders who wanted to meet that goal would exist. What we have are consumers that want teddy bear faced. doll faced, smallest yorkie that they can get, unusual colors, and easiest cheapest way to purchase a yorkie and those are the things alot of breeders are breeding for

Buying a "cheaper" yorkie can end up costing you more in vet bills then if you find a good breeder and pay a little more. The problem is a lot of people look at it the way you do and it is keeping puppy mills and greeders in business and do you really want to be apart of keeping those people in business?

That's like saying we can't stop drug dealers so we might as well buy drugs. :p Breeders do stop breeding when they have a problem selling the dogs, it happens here all the time. When you buy from a bad breeder they usually breed more, and not only that, they will sell breeding rights to other bad breeders, and this really destroys the breed. No one is criticizing people for giving a home to a dog, and many of us got dogs before we were aware of the problem, but once you are aware, I hope your next dog comes from the best breeder who will sell to you or you can rescue from an ethical rescue, one that does not pay bad breeders for their dogs.