Do I really have a Yorkie??

[Yorkie24U]

Looks like there are all kinds of people out there and YORKIES. If you just want them for pets it sounds like you have some really nice ones, they grow on you. I wouldn't go and breed them tho, there are enough Yorkies out there that are in rescue already that would make great pets. It sounds like that breeder isn't sure of what she's doing or what she's getting. Its too bad people breed dogs for the 'wrong reasons' and don't think of the animals. Like Bob Barker says " Everyone should be responsible pet owners and spay or neuter your pets". I can't go along with these " hobby breeders ways of doing things", they ought to step back and stop experimenting with the breed, they are just making it worse rather then improving it. Just my opinion.

[LBK408]

I agree that the original breeder SHOULD have known, what they were selling. The breeder who gave me all the above info and who owned Toby's supposedly grandfather said the same thing. However, unless you really know who you are mating with, how can you guarantee anything. I can go get a small female, mate her with Toby and can I really say to someone, oh...I have some smaller ones?? They can reach back into the genes..I can say that the father weighs... xyz and the mom xyz..and I guess over time, with maybe keeping a puppy, I can determine the weight..Bare in mind that we got Toby (the larger of the 2) and Monty (the smaller one) at 6 wks of age. The original breeder claims they have had 10 litters and never any problems. I know that they are selling pets, but I just think that they should let people know or even ask--what size are you looking for..They charge more for the smaller one, however if I didn't pay for a smaller one, I still wouldn't have anticipated having a puppy weighing 8-8.5 lbs now at 5mths.

[Yorkie24U]

I'm hoping you're not considering breeding Toby with a small female, she may not be large enough to carry the pups then there would be more problems. I think that breeder did not give you the correct information and should refund some of your money.

[LBK408]

No..I made this comment as an example. I will not do anything with Toby until I get his geneology information back. Then when I do purchase a female, after doing some research on breeding, I will determine IF I am going to mate either one of them. I will have to have her hip bone set checked, etc. see about Toby's structure quality, etc. before I would do anything. It had been recommended by the "informative breeder" not the seller breeder-- that females are bred until they are at least 19 mths but she personally doesn't bred before 2yrs of age and 1yrs of age for the male.

[Cookie2]

I dont even know how I would react. I searched a while online, in the papers and in Pet shops. I wanted a "teacup" I know there is no such thing but their are such things as tinies that grow to be 2-3 lbs full grown. I wanted one that I could take with me everywhere ,including my job. I have a store and I would keep him behind the counter with me Well my one and only regret is getting him from a Pet Shop! They are truly clueless about Yorkies and their main concern is your money! The only thing I did get was a tiny just as I wanted. But he would not eat and had kennel cough. He is almost totally over his cough. But as far as food is concerned I have to cook his meals. He never touched or went near any dog food. I have already bought 6 different brands . It got to the point of hypoglycemia. Our vet's main concern was to get him to eat. So I boiled 1-2 oz of skinless chick. breast with 1 tsp cooked white rice. Well he ate it all up. When I call the Pet SHop to let him know he was not eating at all unless I force fed him with a syringe. They acted so surprised. That really pissed me off. The store owner told me she feeds them chicken and rice when they are picky eaters. Well duh! now I know why he wont eat .He is still eating boiled chicken or liver with rice or peas and carrots. I also give him a daily vitamin supplement plus I always give him nutri-cal.
I never personally liked the Silky Terriers , they really dont look like Yorkies ..just the hair. I dont understand how this woman could purposely sell you a silky mix as a purebreed Yorkie. Sounds like she is playing dumb to me.
You should contact Terri Shumsky she is a breeder of 30 yrs and has a list of breeders. Just do a google search and type in Terri Shumsky.
I'm sure by now you are attached to your pup .

Gen

[bettyeanne]

Hi & welcome Cookie2!
We too searched and searched for a "tiny" Yorkie for the same reasons you did! We travel a lot and I wanted one small enough to fit in my bag and take to work. We finally found a wonderful breeder, who only raises show dogs, through a vet who also raises Yorkies to show and she specializes in the breed! After reading so many horror stories such as Toby's Mom is going through, we realize just how fortunate we are! Our Toto is an absolute JOY!! The breeder and the vet's evaluation was that she would weigh 2-3 lbs. max. Dr. Lucy told us over and over that she probably would never reach 3 lbs.! We were ALL shocked the day she hit 3 lbs. She too was a really picky eater ... our fault! During the adjustment period after we brought her home at 16 weeks she lost 3 oz. and she just wouldn't eat dog food! Soooo ... Dr. Lucy gave me a receipe she uses for this problem ... and we began cooking for her ... and continued to cook for her! After the 3 lb. visit came the 3 lb. 7 oz. visit!! Dr. Lucy really scolded us ... evidently we should have gotten her over the rough spot with cooked food and then weened her back to the dog food!!! She told us we had to get tough and get her back on dog food and we did! Next visit [we take her at least once a month] ... she weighed 4 lbs!!! She weighed her three times in disbelief!! She had gained 9 oz. more just having the dog food!! Most of it was fat ... we found her a personal trainer to work with her on the leash and teach us how to work with her ... now she feels like muscle and I'm hoping that next visit she will be back down to a healthier weight instead of a "Porkie Yorkie"!! If you would like the info on the dog food we finally got her to eat, I will be glad to give it to you? Good luck with your beautiful baby!

[Cookie2]

I got home tonight determined . I took out the 2 oz chicken breast and boiled it in little water and then instead of mixing it up with the dry food. I added about 1 tbsp of Purina puppy food and also cooked it with the chicken. I took out a lot of the chicken to save for the next day and left it 50% dry food and 50% Chicken. And I also waited until 7:30 pm to put the bowl down. Cookie was in the kitchen the whole time walking arund me in circles lol. Finally I put it down and he ate all of it! What shocked us the most is that he ate it all in less than 5 min! He usually eats very slow and comes back for a few bites later. I even gave him like 7 pieces of the dry food out of my hand and he ate that too! I will keep taking away more of the chicken or liver until he is eating the dry food only. This purina brand dry food are super tiny pieces,like the size of a sweet pea.He eats about 4 oz of food for the entire day usually 3 oz. I'm wondering how much he will get up to. He is 4 1/2 months old and weighs 2 lbs exactly.I hope he gets up to 3.5 ? At 12 weeks he weighed 1.8 lbs.
Genie

[bettyeanne]

Genie .. Good job!! Sounds like you're on the right track!! Toto eats her food pretty quickly too ... sometimes eats all of it at one time ... sometimes eats a little and them nibbles the rest off an on ... sometimes looks at me like "I am not eating this"!! She's still pretty picky at times. For her dry kibble we give her the Royal Canin 28 for Yorkies and it's the only dry food she will consider although there are days when she won't go near that either! She is tooo funny ... sits patiently at the edge of the kitchen and occasionally "talks" in her tiny "baby" voice as I am getting her food ready ... when I put it down and tell her it's ready, she will "saunter" over to it and look at me as if to say "Thank you!" It is so sweet! She especially loves the Natural Balance roll ... I chop it in tiny pieces [just a little more than 1 tablespoon], microwave it in Saran Wrap for 20 seconds and add a teaspoon or more of sour cream and that's her "fave"!!

[Higgin's Mom]

Higgins is eating dry kibble (Natural Choice Puppy) really well now. But he has his picky days and other days when he gobbles it all down at once. I usually try to make sure he has two Lamb Jerky treats a day -- one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon -- to make sure he has good nutrition. I have used these treats since the first day we had him on the advice of a wonderful alternative, holistic vet in Florida. She says they are like a power protein bar and perfers them in lieu of Nutrical. I don't know about that, but I do know that BOTH dogs LOVE them.

Higgins is the most active dog I have ever had! He runs from morning 'til night, with a morning and afternoon nap. He is getting SO STRONG! Littls Mr. Muscle, that one. Haven't weight him lately, but I get he's 6 lbs. at 7 months.

[fasteddie]

Yup, Yoda gets Royal Canin 28 as well! He usually only eats it as a last option, but he does chomp on it from time to time. His favorite is ANY meat we try to mix in with the Royal Canin, although many times, he just picks out the meat and leaves the kibble to eat later on.

[J-Mac]

Hello all!

My first post, so I won't make it too long.

As for size, I may have you all beat!

I have two yorkies, Rocky and Max. Rocky's the "big" brother - just over seven years old. Max is his "little brother" - a year and a half, and he recently weighed in at 15 lbs.! Rocky, by comparison, is a svelte 6.5.

Oh.....that's Max (or Mad Max!) over to the left - my avatar - when he was still a tiny thing.

Purchased from a breeder who was recommended by the person who runs a well-respected Yorkie Rescue. Well, sorta recommended. Actually another breeder was the recommeded one, but had no pups. She in turn recommended another breeder - a friend - who had two. I called back my friend at the rescue and she knew the second breeder also, but not for as long. So we went and had a look - the house was filled with beautiful Yorkies! One had such a cute light face and was mischevious as heck. Snapped him up! $800. Not a bad price.

I got my first dose of suspicion when I tried to get Max's record of shots. The brochure she had given me was woefully lacking specifics, but was from a reputable vet. I called the vet to find out just what shots had been given, and found out the pup was simply wormed and checked there. With seven others. Papers were to be mailed to me by the breeder, and no contract was given - she had run out and needed to get more printed.

On and on.....to make this story shorter, I'll get to the facts:

1) She hadn't bred Max, but a breeder in a nearby state had.
2) When I got inquisitive she got indignant and wanted Max back - yeah, right!
3) Wouldn't send papers - wanted to buy Max back again.
4) Found out that when I had told my friend at the rescue she had immediately put out an email to the Yorkie-L list that this breeder was brokering - thus her eagerness to get Max back!
5) My vet told me Max was older than we thought - had some "big doggie" teeth already! Maybe 16 weeks, not 10.
6) Breeder tried to say my contract gave her the power to take Max back if she didn't think we were "right" for him. I reminded her we didn't have a contract!
7) Breeder was EXTREMELY anxious about her rep now. Finally sent me Max's papers when I threatened to take action. I wouldn't give Max back - justed wanted the promised papers. That's when I found out who the breeder was. (Legit, by the way!)
8) Max grew big - quickly! Not your average Yorkie! Max climbed over gates; teased and baited Rocky - pretty much made a fool of him most of the time; caught soft "plush" little frisbees - four feet high!

Currently Max is the most athletic Yorkie I've ever seen. I say Yorkie because my vet swears he is. So does my groomer. So do his papers. I don't show or breed - just love them! He's also the smartest dog I've ever owned, and I've owned many retrievers---over many years. I thought Silkie for awhile, then took a good look at some Silkies - I don't think so.

There was never any intention to return him. Never took action against the breeder - best outcome there is we swap again: my money back for Max - and you know once you hold one, you're never letting go!

Besides, how many of you ever have to yell at your yorkie to get off the dining room table? (Yes, he can get there in one quick leap!)

And when Rocky hides, which he does often, in closets and the like - I just say, "Max, go find Rocky", and he sniffs, cocks his ears, then runs right to where Rocky's hiding and comes back and drags me to him!

I wonder sometimes if he's really an alien!

I'll post some pics when I get a chance. (BTW, as you can see in his avatar pic, he WAS once a cute little cuddly ball of fur!)

[bettyeanne]

J-Mac ... even if Max isn't a Yorkie, you have one fun dog!! That's what's most important! I gotta admire anyone who can handle two Yorkies!! And you're absolutely right ... once you hold them ... you're not letting go! If Toto should get the size of a St. Bernard I wouldn't love her any less!!! Again, welcome to the forum!!

[fasteddie]

Wow, that's quite the high jumper you have in Max! How tall is the kitchen table?

[J-Mac]

Standard 29".

I'd post pics, but I don't see a gallery. Does the board support in-post pics?

Or do I have to provide a link to another site?

Thanks!

[fasteddie]

Yes, J-Mac, you can post pics within a post, or you can put any Yorkie pictures in the Photo Gallery (link near top of page)... Or you can provide a link to another site as well if you would like, it's all up to you!