Doll Face...what's it mean?
 

Go easy on me, I know doll face is a trigger word up there but I live in Mexico and due to lack of education, buzz words, like teacup, micro, are not as offensive as up there but describe a small toy breed.

Our breeder does not advertise doll face. When he was showing me the puppies I wanted to see, I'd narrowed it down to two, the other puppy has a different mother than Pooky and his bridge was definitely much longer. Then my breeder said it, Pooky has a, "doll face," when comparing him to the other puppy. Pooky's nose is shorter, is that what it's all about or is there more to it?

Doll face is often a synonym for “teacup”. Unethical breeders use these works, because they don’t breed to standard, and hope to entice buyers with such words as they indicate a smaller Yorkie. Uneducated buyers often only understand one thing size. Like the word teacup, doll face has no real meaning because there’s no real definition, so it’s more like a buzz word. It’s important that puppy buyers understand the "standard" and the purpose of standard, even though they just want a pet. Words like “teacup” and “doll face”, do tell you volumes about the breeders who use them, and you should run the other way. The nose should be balanced on the face, but breeders do have some leeway with this, some say the distance between the eyes from corner to corner should be the same distance as the distance from the corner of the eye to the tip of the nose, like a perfect triangle. While many do like the shorter nose, it may come with more breathing problems, and I think this is one of the things ethical breeders should be checking out. I think it’s perfectly okay, for puppy buyers to have preferences, I do not think it’s okay for breeders to advertise using those words.

Thank you Nancy, our breeder does not breed for "teacup" results so I hope people will not feel the need to share their disgust for the word but the term doll face originated from somewhere. Does it mean he's petite, going to be more petite, was the smallest or runt of his litter in this case? I should have asked but the breeder just pointed out that Pooky's bridge was shorter. Perhaps this is what disqualified Pooky to be shown because his bridge was too short so the breeder was parting with him. He realized that I needed a little healthy guy and this was his most petite to offer, the "doll face"? It doesn't appear that Pooky will be anything under 4 pounds but in the healthy weight range, which is what I want. I do not desire an unhealthy dog.

Would "doll face" be the same as "teddy bear face"? I always wondered what people meant by "teddy bear face".

^ This ;)
This is what a breeder is trying to sell you when she says she has "doll face" yorkies:
http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps852aad8b.jpg

VERY (abnormally) small yorkies may have rounder faces,big bulging eyes that have a bigger gap between them,the muzzle is shorter and their tounge hangs out permanently etc
They call this "doll faced" because it´s "cute",but in reality its usually a sign of sloppy breeding and health issues to come due to the dog being extremely small.
Some yorkies are naturally tiny and have standard sized parents,it happens,but when tiny yorkies are bred on purpose,they tend to have odd looking faces and all kinds of issues.

Like I said, because it has no definition, it just different people opinion and what the word means to them. I’ve read that some people think the word means face like a doll, tiny smushed nose and wide set eyes. Others say, it means fine boned face with a shorter muzzle. Then some people try to explain how teddy bear face and doll face are different. To me, teddy bear face looks like doll face, but with a thicker coat. Pooky woundn't be disqualified with a too short bridge, the standard says that the "muzzle must not be too long." Breeders can decide on face preferences. Breeders usually like to show dogs with a little height just because they show so much better.

Pooky's breeder, in 2010 won best of show yorkshire breed on the national level here, actually told me that Pooky really has a beautiful face that could be shown but I'm not interested at all.

This is why I said go easy on me, I really didn't want a lecture about what it means up there and how bad the breeders are because this doesn't apply to me or my breeder. Pooky doesn't have bulging eyes, clearly not underweight, but he did have a shorter bridge than his 1/2 brother.

For the rest of us wondering about this, I did a little surfing that I think satisfies my wondering...doll face is NOT always a bad word and there is definitely definition to the meaning:

from ehow:

to satisfy those opposed to the term "doll face":

I think so, found a response that I posted above. :thumbup:

that is awful! :eek: and they won't live very long, so sad. :thumbdown

I happen to prefer the "doll face" look. To me it just describes a face that has a shorter nose. My Pixie has what I would call the doll face look but her show breeder wasn't breeding for tiny's. Pixie is about 4.5 lbs but needs to lose a little weight. So she is not a tiny. I know it is something many unethical breeders use to sell their dogs. In my opinion, as long as it is a reputable breeder I see no problem getting one that happens to also have a doll face. Pixie without the topknot has what I consider a doll face. (It's not as obvious in pictures). Roxie who is from the same breeder is 6 1/2 lbs and has what I consider the typical yorkie face.

OMYGOODNESS!!! They are so CUTE I could cry!!!!! I really tried so hard to find a good breeder that wouldn't sell me a sick dog and paid a pretty good price for him here. This forum is helping me realize that I did a good job. When there's a language/educational/standard barrier, it makes it a challenge. I need one that I can tote with me everywhere, I know they have terrible separation anxiety and I have back problems so he needed to be at the healthy low weight range.

How tall are yours? They're just perfect!

I'm sorry, I didn't realize my post sounded that way. It hard for me to explain something and not sound like I'm lecturing. You had said your breeder didn't advertise for that and that's all that I'm against, if a breeder is verbally describing a face and uses the term, that's up to her. I was just trying to explain it means different things to different people, but since your breeder said it means that the bridge is shorter, I would think that's exactly what she means by the term. I agree with your breeder, Pookie does have a beautiful face.

You're sweet Nancy, thank you. :animal-pa

It's hard on a forum to really know how people are trying to come across. :angel:

Also, these pups with the so called "Doll Faces" & "Teddy Bear" faces have a higher risk of having and/or producing pups with Chiari Malformation as they usually have a much more square head. Due to this type of breeding is why we are seeing more & more Chiari in the Yorkie breed as compared to yrs ago when this was not the head/face that was being bred for.

Thank you! I posted a few pics. It's a little hard to see the difference in size. The first picture is Nikki who was tall but skinny probably 9-10 inches, a rescue who has the long face ,Cali who is about 7 inches tall, Roxie about 8 inches tall from floor to back and Pixie who is about 6 inches tall.
The second picture is Pixie and Roxie and the 3rd all three a few years ago. Hope it helps.

would you say that Nikki is not a yorkie and she is more like a yorkie mix?
My Lola has a very similar face and ppl ask me ALL THE TIME if she is a mix. one time somebody told me she was a yorkie and french poodle mix :eek::eek::eek:.
I payed the same amount of money for her than must yorkies cost, she is 4.05lbs and almost 3 yrs old. One breeder told me that the "long nose" was the standard and that these new "doll face" yorkies with mushed noses are not breed to standard and that they are "mixed or breed" differently so they can have that short nose.
i sm not gonna lie, i like the short nose better than the longer one, but it gets annoying not knowing what to say to ppl when they ask me what kind of mix lola is or even worse : WHAT KIND OF DOG SHE IS! :mad::thumbdown

Kyra has the heart shaped face like the article described. I never considered it any different though. Laddy has the longer nose and we get asked alot if he is a silky.

That's too funny...I wouldn't worry to much about what ppl say. They don't know so they ask. I had a serious mini schnauzer mama ask me if Pooky was a schnauzer hahahaha I wouldn't believe the breeder story about mixing for a short nose. That's just silly. Heck, I think a Yorky looks like a chihuahua with long hair, hehe It's small and adorable and there's two types of chihuahuas heads...apple head or deer head. The apple is the shorter nosed fella. So the doll faced yorkie isn't a recognized breed but he is recognized as being a full bred Yorkie, that's all that matters.

Nikki was found on the streets of Chicago several years ago, an elderly lady adopted him and then had a stroke. I took him for her when she went to a nursing home. They have both since passed on. So we don't know for sure what he was. He could grow coat to the floor and had a gorgeous coat. I thought he might be mixed with silky also but others thought he was all yorkie. I always thought the longer nose was the terrier in them and in more recent times they were breeding for a shorter muzzle, not the more pushed in but not as long as Nikki's.

Both your babies are adorable. Laddy looks similar to Nikki but not as long of nose and the big ears Nikki had. Nikki looked so different from my other 3 so I think people thought he may be part silky. Your Laddy looks all yorkie.

It means whatever you want it to me. It is just a description not an officialterm. Usually the breeders using it our wanting more cash for their doll faced yorkies. My Jewels has a short muzzle and she wasnt described as doll faced just a yorkie. I only payed 900 for her though so obviously my breeder wasnt in it for the money

hhmm... strange, cos I looked at the pic of all four and immediately thought, that first one (which I see is Nikki) is most definately a yorkie. To me, (raised in Yorkshire, England, with a Nan that raised yorkies) her face & stature just scream yorkie.


Personally, I'm not a fan of "doll face" or "teddy bear" face, they look too short and squared-off to me, but I love the traditional terrier look.

Patti,
Where's a picture of Nikki?

I searched to adopt a yorkie...I searched the local dog shelters, then the veterinary offices...I found more puppy mills or large yorkies...lots of large yorkies over the standard size in Mexico. Then I found what is like national dog breeding society online and started searching for a reputable breeder that way...went to a farm even...That's when I finally called because and realized what I wanted and was willing to wait or pay for a healthy Yorkie. Too many puppy mills here and they hide it by advertising the parents are on site and then you show up and oh, they're on the other side of the city...one said the mother was in Cancun even...I wasn't interested in that. Turn out to have wire short hair and a large terrier. So, yes, I paid for what I got and am happy...hope I do the breed justice here.

I have two traditionals and a Biewer....My baby girl has the shorter muzzle, her half brother has the longer muzzle and the Biewer has somewhere in between. Personally I prefer the shorter muzzle....the breeder I bought from was/is a byb unknown to me at the time. Love them all to the moon and back, but I do believe for me it is just a personal preference, although I wouldn't buy from someone that advertised as such...'baby doll face, teddy bear face' etc. Due to this forum I've become very picky....

Here's pics of Nikki RIP

What a glorious coat!

I am dying of envy!! nIKKI'S COAT IS JUST AMAZING!!!:thumbup:

"only"?? So is that cheap there?? :eek: What is a regular normal price if 900 is cheap? For $900 you could get 3 yorkies from a reputable breeder here...I had no idea that they were that much money in the US...wow.
I paid 100€ for each of mine from a reputable breeder,and even then we had to think about it lol.


She was BEAUTIFUL! What a stunning coat she had! Absolutely gorgeous :2hearts2:

What happened to Nikki??

That is so funny! I'm so used to seeing prices in pesos, I looked at that and thought you paid about $85 US, lolol I had also wondered what people were paying for a quality dog else where.