Help me decide on a puppy.
 

The first one is the one I had picked out to buy, but she looks a bit different from the other puppies. Is she standard? I just want to make sure that I'm getting the best puppy I can. The first two are from the same breeder although I don't think they are from the same litter. Which of these guys looks to be the AKC standard? I know they change so much as they grow and don't want to pick the wrong one.

Thanks!

Have you met any of them? The only way I would purchase a puppy is by meeting them or from a very REPUTABLE breeder? Who are the breeders your considering? My gosh they are all cute though!!!

Do you know anything about the pedigree of both parents? Have you checked out the breeder's references, what the vet is like, living conditions? As lynzy said you really need to meet the breeders and meet both parents to get a better idea of the pups and obtain a lot more general info. It helps if the breeder is quite well known and has great references from reputable people The only thing I can tell by the pictures is that the one puppy's ears are not up yet but ears are a tricky thing. They can go up and down. That is another reason to know about the parents and their history so you can get a better idea of what you are going to have several months down the line. Puppies do change a lot over the months so what it looks like now could be totally different when it matures. Another very important aspect to consider is the personality, temperament.

I haven't met them yet but have spoken to the breeders. They seem reputable enough but I'm not sure what to look for as far as the breed standard goes.

Thanks, I of course will meet the puppies and the parents before making my final decision. The breeders have been very open with all of my questions.

There is no way to tell if a puppy is going to be standard but making sure it comes from a good breeder and is a healthy pup is very important. Make sure the breeder did genetic testing and knows there lines. If they have many litters I would be worried about the individual time they have to give to each litter.

She looks standard to me she looks like she will have a silk coat where the others coats look thicker like they could be cotony

Maybe if you go to the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America and the AKC website and study the breed standard it will help you get a better idea. As stated it is so hard to tell with a little puppy but you can tell a lot by looking at the parents. If the parents look like what the breed standard describes then you have a better idea. Also try to look for pictures of good examples of what a Yorkie should look like. What you will find from a back yard breeder is going to be quite a bit different than what you see from people who show their dogs. I am in no way saying that you will always get a perfect pup from a show breeder. Sometimes it is hard to imagine a pet Yorkie when seeing a show dog in full coat but you can look at the bone structure, size, ears shape of the face, etc.
Right now there are so many different types of breeders breeding different types of Yorkies that it is just impossible to predict from a picture. A puppy is small and could have color characteristics that look like a Yorkie but that is about all.
You have to decide what is important to you. If you are looking at pups from a google search online......beware. Most of what you get in those searches are BYBs and puppy mills. Reputable breeders rarely come up on a google search.
Maybe someone in the breeders forum area could help direct you to a breeder in your area if you need help.

They are all very cute. I think the first is the cutest, but make remember the breeder is the most important thing... Do they do genetic testing on their dogs? Do they have a health guarantee?

Plug the name of the breeder(s) in the search tab to see if theres any info here about them.

Or start threads in the breeder review section.

Good Luck!

Thanks everyone!

All great suggestions - Let me share my experience with Italian Greyhounds, I purchased my first good show dog from what I believed to be a reputable breeder, she sounded good on the phone, her dogs had good show records, she really knew the TALK about genetic testing and all that crap, so I purchased a beautiful male puppy from her. 3 years of showing, 2 champion titles later, I bred him to a bitch I'd purchased from another breeder - First litter was without a problem, then the 2nd litter, my dear Aiyana was born - She's deaf, she has epilepsy, she has addisions disease, she has horrific allergies, and has been a real challenge medically in many ways. By then I'd purchased a second puppy, a little girl, from that breeder. That puppy was diagnosed with Legg Perthes, has brittle bones, and at only 18 months, I've spent almost $10,000 in vet bills on her, and she only matured to be a tiny 6 lb, 13" girl, far from the "special quality" puppy the breeder had told me to expect from Sara. Even if she was a little bigger, she's far from Specials quality. Then I dug deeper and found this breeder talked a good talk, but wasn't as good as she made herself seem, and others had reported issues to the IGCA about her. And I will never breed Italians again now, I love my Aiyana and my Sara, but the heartache of the health problems I've had to go through with them when I thought I was doing it all right breaks my heart, especially Aiyana since it's my breeding that brought her into this world - I'm just thankful that the other 8 dogs out of those parents never had any problems, although one of Aiyana's nephews has patella issues, her older brother from my first litter had been bred once before she was born.

Point to my story - Don't take the breeder's word for it. Call their vet. Call references. Contact the Yorkie club and really dig in. Ask to see PROOF of genetic testing. REALLY do your research, it'll pay off in the end.

Your right. Three years of show experience is not much when considering the knowledge base that is needed to even begin to breed purebred dogs succssfully. It is not as simple as putting 2 dogs together and see what happens as most people think. There are certain genes that keep any breed "looking like the breed." Line breeding has to be done to maintain the best charistics of the breed without getting too close in the blood line. It is such a delicate balance and even some of the best have thier problems. Sometimes new people get into show/breeding without really learning the multitued of things that they must know. They may buy good stock but out crossing to the worng line can cause huge problems. I consider the breeding of purebred dogs a serious undertaking. Those who take it lightly or think they know everything after only a few short years are going to run into trouble very soon.
As in any walk of life there are the good bad with a few excellent as well as the clueless. With what is going on with so many of the toy breeds it is especially important to do the research before buying. There are some out there that have been lucky in purching from irresponsible breeders but there are also many that have had the horrible heartache of seeing thier precious baby suffer terribly.

Exactly. I had actually been involved in the breed much longer then that (that was just how long I showed that particular dog before I bred him), and had been researching and looking at individual dogs I'd seen shown, advertized, etc for several years before even getting my first show IG, but this is also why I no longer breed, there's to much I didn't understand when I first got involved in showing, I still enter the show ring on occasion just for fun, but I will never get into the serious showing or breed, I'm much more involved in the rescue world now - But I do admire and respect those that do it and do it right!

Breeders who show and breed right. Don't cheat ppl or there dogs. Breed for health I like. But ppl who rescue dogs is alot of work also and probably harder to do? Everyone wants the perfect looking dog. But rescue dogs maybe more or just a fulfilling. Just makes me sad when I go to the Humane society and see all those dogs. I like to visit and still am waiting for the perfect pup for me to save.