I have replied to this post a few times...not because I have a parti or a tiny for that matter...(well we are not sure about baby kyra yet lol) but I just disagreed with the blanket statement about them being "sick". I firmly admire all the good breeders who breed for the betterment of Yorkies, but even they if I am not mistaken can get a tiny every now and then or sometimes even one born with a color fault. If not for those we pet owners might be awfully lonely. :)

I for one, LOVE my off colored yorkie (blue born)! Is he a fault?? Yes, but I love him all the same! He is a very happy, affectionate, beautiful little guy. He nor his parents will ever be bred... I also have a tiny girl... Had no clue she would ever be so little, but she too is a happy, healthy girl....To the op... Research a bit, and I believe your opinion about tinies and parties may change!

Well, I wasn't sure if I should post or not, but I will. Please note, these are my feelings and my feelings only:

I don't agree with deliberately breeding tiny babies and selling them for thousands and thousands of dollars!!! I was online Googling yorkie pics, and I was shocked at people selling these babies for 3,4 even $7,000 for some just because they would stay smaller than 2 pounds!!! Personally, for me, that is way too small for a full grown adult dog. I can't wait for my baby to get up some size so that I can really play with her and not be in fear of stepping on her because she's so small. Her cat bell helps, but at 2 pounds they are just so delicate. But, I guess as long as there is a deman for them, there will be sellers.

You have beautiful babies. I love the looks of the parti's fault or not they are pretty babies.

I call those that breed the very tinies that are really incapable of living a normal dog's life heartless. Some of those little things have such terrible problems and are so very delicate that their little lives can't possibly be as enjoyable as a larger dog. Having had a 3 lb.-er that I loved more than life itself and living with her many many size-related medical and other issues, I really came to understand how hard it is for a little bitty Yorkie to have a fun, healthy and full a life as a larger-sized Yorkie.

My little one was not bred for a tiny size - her littermates were normal size as were her parents (5 1/2 and 7 lbs.) and she was the "runt" so perhaps that somehow affected her differently but the fact it happened without planning still caused her so many problems. Whether they are bred on purpose to be small or just a runt, the little ones do have extra problems to have to deal with that the AKC-standard sized and larger ones don't. Just jumping off a low stool or short pile of pillows and she was in danger of injuring her shoulders - things like that. She had mal-absorption syndrome due to her size, two vets told me. When a Dalmatian attacked her when she ran at him barking -he wasn't even that riled - certainly not in a killing frenzy or anything like you see some videos on TV of fighting Pitbulls, for instance - he was able to get his whole mouth completely around her tiny body, injuring her far worse than if she had been even a 5 - 7 lb-er. He almost snapped her tiny spine from one regular bite and bruised - nearly crushed many tiny organs, her surgeon told me. He said if the Dalmatian had really been riled or in prey mode, little Jilly could have easily been dismembered or disemboweled because she was just so tiny. I could cite several other problems she had to live with and potential dangers we always had to be aware of day-to-day but you get the picture. It is just so hard a life for little doggies. So to breed for tiny size seems unthinking and heartless to me. Even at the top of the AKC standard weight, the Yorkie is a VERY small dog. That is my 2 cents!

UGH and I swore I would not get sucked into defending my dogs coloring. I take back everything I said and plead temporary insanity.

Because of the genetic make-up of the Yorkie breed, ALL Yorkies have a recessive white gene in their DNA. The white gene was bred out for many, many years....in order to conform to the traditional breed standard. It is well known that when "famous, highly successful" show kennels/breeders had a breeding pair of high style, top dollar Yorkies, that produced a litter of puppies, with one or more showing excessive white, this was considered a "fault",..... OMG!! cant have THAT produced by MY kennel!!!..... and these babies were quietly CULLED. Then, one day, someone decided not to cull but rather to breed and try to get that recessive white gene to become dominant....thus was born the Parti colored Yorkie. These dogs are purbred Yorkies, NOT mutts or mixed breeds, and they are NOT unhealthy simply because of the white coloring. Just because a breeder breeds Parti's, do not believe this alone makes them villians or evil or puppy mills or back yard breeders! Parti's are now registerable with AKC, although they have not yet been accepted in the conformation show ring, where the breed standard considers them non compliant. Breeding these beautiful Yorkies does NOT make breeders that do so, evil or not reputable breeders, although show people will beg to differ. Read about Parti Yorkies, get CORRECT, unbiased information on them and how they came to be, and do not be discouraged or ashamed or intimidated by opinions from those that look down their noses on Partis. They are wonderful, devoted, beautiful, pure bred Yorkies that are every bit as healthy as a traditional yorkie. Their only "fault" is one of color, not a health issue. One day, the breed standard will include this variation in coloring, and then they wont be so looked down upon. I do agree, they should NOT be considered "rare" and pricing jacked up to compensate for that "rare" quality. I also agree no one should deliberately breed for tiny Yorkies...these occur in litters, and are called runts, terminology which does not garnish the price "tiny" or "teacup" does. If a tiny Yorkie is sold for a higher price, it is probably because of the intense labor requirements from the breeder and extra vet bills that were possibly incurred to keep that baby alive. These little fragile babies should go to homes with no children, and to people that are well educated, well experienced with Yorkies, as they are "special kids". And, here again, just because they are tiny, does NOT automatically make them sickly and unhealthy....I had a 1.13 pound runt that lived to the ripe old age of 15.

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:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: (Following in AlaskaYorkie's footsteps - I could not have said it better!)

Anyone notice the OP has not responded back?

I will speak for myself, this has been a very educational thread. I knew what a Parti was as far as looks but now I understand the "why".

Thank you to everyone who took the time to educate us.

:thumbup: Wow, thanks for this post. I am not new to Yorkie world but I only knew about Parti on Facebook as I have only seen the Parti photos from my USA friends. Not too sure if they even have them here in the UK, but I bet if they are, they would be very expensive. Now I understand more about Parti.

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Blue born pups are also in the yorkie genetic make up but it doesnt mean you should breed for it.

The problems I have with parti breeding is the breeders think it is so wrong to breed for a type when it comes to breeding for tinies but its okay to breed for a type when it comes to color as in the parti breedings. That and charging a for a rare color extreme high pricing same as with the tiny breeders charging an extreme high price for rare small size. There is no difference in that type of breeding

I was just going to say this! some people like to come on here and stir the pot...I would say this person was successful!

I sure hope the op comes back and reads all this info.

You are right but I think the OP was referring to those breeders who are setting out to breed wrong colours, teacup undersized disasters. That is very sad to do that. This is a very noble breed to be learned about, know the standard rather than trying to see if it can be changed to meet greeders marketing strategy to get more and more bucks for their wares.
The reason to do any breeding any reputable breeder would be striving for is to produce the best they can and are hoping for towards the breed standard.

Genetics is VERY complicated and requires lengthy, in depth study in order to understand what genetic color "codes" are actually "tied" to health concerns and which ones are nothing more sinister than pattern distinctions. Parti Yorkies are a pattern issue with the breed standard, NOT a health issue, UNLIKE the recessive "dd" gene attributed to blue born pups. We do not ever want to intentionally breed to get blue born pups, nor do we deliberately try to get Albino pups. These are health issues tied directly to gene combinations. There is a major difference in color issues that are just "not acceptable" to a breed standard versus gene color issues that predicate genetic health defects.

It is still breeding for one attribute color

I am satisfied that I have apparently managed to share a little knowledge with several people about Parti's and how they came about, and that they are NOT a proliferation
of "sick" dogs, being bred strictly by unscrupulous, greedy breeders. I will leave the arguing about what constitutes genetic diseases and how they differ from simple genetic color patterns, to others! My intent was not to argue for the validation of Parti coloration being accepted by all....it was to allow people that are relatively new to the breed and own a Parti, to understand the Parti they own and adore, is not some genetic monster or misfit.....their baby is currently accepted for registration by the AKC, and will probably one day, even be accepted in conformation classes as well....There are some very well established, old bloodlines that have been throwing Parti and Parti carriers, as far back as the 1980's....If these MAJOR, benchmark Old World, respected established bloodline breeders decide tomorrow to accept this additional color pattern in the breed standard, well......another dimension to this wonderful, noble breed....!!!