Too much?

[BMJ]

Hello everyone! I have a quandary and would like to hear your thoughts.

I have been owning Yorkies for over 25 years. During that time the lowest I ever paid for a pure breed was $600 for a six-month-old back in Indiana and the highest I ever paid was 1500 dollars five years ago after moving to Arizona.

My husband and I are wanting another Yorkie. Sadly, our previous breeder is no longer breeding, and I am in search of a new breeder. While doing my research, calls, e-mails etc., those have gotten back to me, well, there seems to be a pattern. All of them seem to be over-charging between 2500 all the way up to 3700 dollars. One breeder informed me that the reason for the high price is that their Yorkies are well taken care of.

Um.

OK, I understand. But I have had contacts and purchased Yorkies from breeders who were and still are in outstanding health and never charged me over 1500 dollars.

Personally, I feel with the pandemic going on some of these breeders are taking advantage of people and hiking the price up. When I see a breeder charging such high numbers for a Yorkie puppy it feels like they care more about the money than the Yorkie. No, I am not expecting to pay 600 dollars for one. But I assumed the normal cost, well normal to me, would be between 1000 dollars and 1500 dollars, maybe 1700 at max.

Am I wrong? Please be tell me so and be honest with your opinions. I am not made from glass.

Thanks and Take Care!

[Bluebells]

I think you’re correct to (at least partially) blame the pandemic.

As with most “products” for sale, a high demand combined with a limited supply will drive up prices, and many breeders will take advantage of that dynamic. Lots and lots of people have been basically “shut in” for the past year and have decided it’s a perfect time to buy a puppy, both for companionship and for more practical reasons, like being home to handle the house training.

I’m seeing many pure bred puppies, especially small breed puppies, listed for sale for $3500 and above. In fact, I’m seeing many mixed breed (supposedly “designer”) puppies listed for similar amounts. And those prices don’t even insure that you get a healthy puppy. Many of the advertisers are back yard breeders or scammers.

My recommendation is that you wait a little while and/or contact a rescue group to see what pups might be available. I’ve volunteered in rescue for years, and I can almost guarantee that as the pandemic winds down, some of those expensive puppies are going to become inconvenient and end up in shelters and rescues. And the prices from breeders are likely to come down because demand will decrease.

[matese]

Right here on YT advertisements last week was ad for Morkies (Maltese/yorkie mix) selling for $5300.00, and ppl do pay that price.

No it's not the Pandemic, cost of a yorkie depends what state you are buying the pup from. If you buy in NY expect to pay close to $5000. The average price I see in a lot of states is $3500.00. It's hobby breeders that will sell for less. If I was looking to buy a puppy I would look for a reputable breeder that shows their dogs. Reason is, they breed for their next champion, they check genetics of the breeding pair and the parents of that pair to ensure no disease will be passed down to future puppies. They feed the momma premium food for healthy puppies, and keep puppies until they are 13 weeks old. Now every litter will not produce a show quality dog, but what you will get is a healthy puppy.

The least expensive thing in buying a dog is the purchase price, it's the vet bills down the road if you buy a puppy that is not bred to better the breed.

Now I will say there was a thread where there was a breeder that knew one of her breeding dogs had (I believe) Luxating Patella but bred it knowing that gene would be passed down to future puppies. There are unethical breeders out there, it's always "buyer beware" do your homework on checking the breeder you choose. Good luck on your guest for that perfect baby.

[Lovetodream88]

The pandemic has seemed to increase prices. I have never actually bought from a reputable breeder. Callie back in 2007 was $1000 and she ended up coming from a broker which we knew nothing about at the time. Joey in 2016 at 9 weeks was not wanted by the person who had him so his rehome fee was $650. Penny in 2016 was 8 months and unwanted by the kid she was bought as a gift for and $600. Ollie in 2018 was from a breeder who could not get him a home because he was bigger and at almost 6 months with full AKC papers and a chocolate yorkie he was $750. Dixie is a completely different story that I got in the middle of the pandemic and from a bad situation, she was 8 weeks and no longer with her parents or siblings and with an older guy I paid $2300 for her. Personally I would be prepared to pay at least $2500 from a good breeder. Paying that much though I would want to see both parents, where they are living, proof of health tests, the breeder to keep the pups for 12 weeks at least, AKC papers and I would expect the puppy to have had 2 sets of shots. You can also look into adoption at a yorkie rescue. although keeping in mind you wont have any breeding history and stuff you could also keep your eyes out on facebook for rehoming. I have a feeling that sadly when we start returning to normal that there will end up being a lot of animals dumped at shelters.

[BMJ]

Thank you for your replies. It feels comforting knowing I was not overreacting.

While speaking with a few breeders another concern came up.

After asking a few questions (the price being one of those) they ask me if I want to be put on a waiting list. Breeder 1, said the waitlist would be all the way to September 2021. While Breeder 2, said it would be Jan 2022. To me this was a red flag, I promptly said, "No. Thank you."

In previous discussions with breeders one of the following has happened:

A. "We are expecting a litter at X time. I can call you when the puppies are ready for homes."

B. "We currently have a litter, would you like to come see the puppies?"

My concern is more towards the well-being of these Yorkies. I feel as though some of these breeders may end up over-breeding their dogs just to meet demand.

[Bluebells]

I don’t know that a breeder having a waitlist is necessarily a red flag. A waitlist could actually be a sign that a breeder doesn’t overbreed his/her dogs and only breeds at decent intervals (rather than breeding as often as possible to meet demand). That said, being asked to pay to be put on a waitlist could be a red flag, unless you’re talking about a waitlist for the offspring of two grand champion dogs.

One issue many potential buyers are seeing during the pandemic is that demand is so high they can’t find a breeder with a litter of puppies for sale. Most breeders (even lesser quality back yard breeders) can get away with asking for deposits on newborn (or even unborn) puppies, and desperate buyers are paying those deposits. By the the time the pups are ready for new homes, they’re already spoken for.

[Bluebells]

Originally Posted by matese

Now I will say there was a thread where there was a breeder that knew one of her breeding dogs had (I believe) Luxating Patella but bred it knowing that gene would be passed down to future puppies. There are unethical breeders out there, it's always "buyer beware" do your homework on checking the breeder you choose. Good luck on your guest for that perfect baby.

Jax came from a back yard breeder. The breeder continues (last I heard, anyway) to breed a pair of dogs whose offspring, statistically, have a one in four chance of having the same vision impairment and a two in four chance of being carriers. I don’t know if that’s what you were thinking of. She charges big bucks for normal looking puppies, and I don’t know whether she tells anyone about the genetics.

[matese]

Originally Posted by Bluebells

Jax came from a back yard breeder. The breeder continues (last I heard, anyway) to breed a pair of dogs whose offspring, statistically, have a one in four chance of having the same vision impairment and a two in four chance of being carriers. I don’t know if that’s what you were thinking of. She charges big bucks for normal looking puppies, and I don’t know whether she tells anyone about the genetics.

To start off with, many reputable breeders will have several breeding pairs and reason why there is a waiting list for puppies, not all mating pairs mate at the same time, all depends on when the female comes into season. It’s not unusual that breeders have a waiting list, in some cases this is a good sign, a sign that this is a good breeder in high demand and ppl will wait for one of their puppies.
Secondly, there is a big difference between a BYB and a Hobby breeder. BYB are all about money, not quality. One neighbor has a female, the other neighbor or a friend has a male, hey, lets throw these two together and see what we get, sell the puppies make big bucks, these are unethical ppl, as bad s puppy mills. A Hobby breeder will breed only one litter a year and take better care, do research on the breeding pair, feed the dam good quality food, have healthy puppies, puppies live in the home and treated as family until they go to their new homes. There are many good Hobby breeders out there, you just have to find them.
The person Jax came from is disgusting, breeding puppies knowing this defective vision gene can be passed down to future puppies. Horrible and there is nothing anyone can do to stop this person from breeding defective puppies. I don’t think they tell buyers the possibility of vision impairment, who would take that chance they could end up with a puppy with a vision issue that cannot be reversed. Jax is a very lucky baby that you came into his life, vision impaired puppies are a big challenge, and a huge responsibility that many ppl won’t take on.

[matese]

As a PS to my above post, to put a deposit to hold a puppy not born yet is normal but, you absolutely need to know the breeder you are dealing with to ensure they are not scammers. Anyone can say yes, they want a puppy from the next litter, when the puppies are born ppl could have already purchased a puppy. Giving a $500. deposit to hold a puppy is the breeders insurance you are sincere about wanting the puppy, if you give a deposit and at some point change your mind, 99.9% of the time you will not get your deposit back. If the breeders mating pair usually has 3 or 4 puppies per litter they are spoken for by a deposit, if a person changes their mind, that breeder is left with a puppy they now have to find a home for. So it is not a red flag if a deposit is asked for.
If a breeder is chosen and you go on a waiting list, if it was me, before giving a deposit I would ask to see the breeding pair, see where the puppies are kept, see their living conditions, meet the breeder in person. Even if it meant flying or driving many hours to another state. Now with this Pandemic that's not possible, it would have been before. If a breeder refused my request that would be a kinda red flag.
I say kinda because, YT had a fantastic breeder that allowed ppl to see her puppies, see their living conditions until someone tracked Parvo into her home where she did have a litter of puppies and her mating pairs. She shut down her business for months while constantly disinfecting her home, Stopped her mating program during that time. I cannot remember how many months this took to cleanse her home of the Parvo virus. After that catastrophe anyone coming to see puppies had to remove their shoes outside of her home before entering. With this Pandemic many things have changed.

Example, I was looking for a kennel in my area in the event I ever have to be hospitalized for a period of time. I found one close to my home, asked could I see where my dog would be kept, I was told because of the Pandemic they would not allow this.Before this Pandemic it was risky finding a reputable breeder, now it's doubled.

[Lovetodream88]

I have heard of many show breeders still breeding dogs with health issues if everything else lines up for a good show dog. It is apparently not abnormal for a show breeder to breed a yorkie with grade one or two Luxating patella. When my eyes were opened to this it really opened my eyes to not liking the dog shows. Sadly dog showing has destroyed many breeds and made them a lot less healthy due to changing the standards of many breeds. I think it has hot German Shepard’s the worst to the point a show Sheppard can almost not walk it’s crazy. So just because they are a show breeder doesn’t mean they are good in my opinion.

[BMJ]

Originally Posted by Bluebells

I don’t know that a breeder having a waitlist is necessarily a red flag. A waitlist could actually be a sign that a breeder doesn’t overbreed his/her dogs and only breeds at decent intervals (rather than breeding as often as possible to meet demand). That said, being asked to pay to be put on a waitlist could be a red flag, unless you’re talking about a waitlist for the offspring of two grand champion dogs.

One issue many potential buyers are seeing during the pandemic is that demand is so high they can’t find a breeder with a litter of puppies for sale. Most breeders (even lesser quality back yard breeders) can get away with asking for deposits on newborn (or even unborn) puppies, and desperate buyers are paying those deposits. By the the time the pups are ready for new homes, they’re already spoken for.

Originally Posted by matese

As a PS to my above post, to put a deposit to hold a puppy not born yet is normal but, you absolutely need to know the breeder you are dealing with to ensure they are not scammers. Anyone can say yes, they want a puppy from the next litter, when the puppies are born ppl could have already purchased a puppy. Giving a $500. deposit to hold a puppy is the breeders insurance you are sincere about wanting the puppy, if you give a deposit and at some point change your mind, 99.9% of the time you will not get your deposit back. If the breeders mating pair usually has 3 or 4 puppies per litter they are spoken for by a deposit, if a person changes their mind, that breeder is left with a puppy they now have to find a home for. So it is not a red flag if a deposit is asked for.
If a breeder is chosen and you go on a waiting list, if it was me, before giving a deposit I would ask to see the breeding pair, see where the puppies are kept, see their living conditions, meet the breeder in person. Even if it meant flying or driving many hours to another state. Now with this Pandemic that's not possible, it would have been before. If a breeder refused my request that would be a kinda red flag.
I say kinda because, YT had a fantastic breeder that allowed ppl to see her puppies, see their living conditions until someone tracked Parvo into her home where she did have a litter of puppies and her mating pairs. She shut down her business for months while constantly disinfecting her home, Stopped her mating program during that time. I cannot remember how many months this took to cleanse her home of the Parvo virus. After that catastrophe anyone coming to see puppies had to remove their shoes outside of her home before entering. With this Pandemic many things have changed.

Example, I was looking for a kennel in my area in the event I ever have to be hospitalized for a period of time. I found one close to my home, asked could I see where my dog would be kept, I was told because of the Pandemic they would not allow this.Before this Pandemic it was risky finding a reputable breeder, now it's doubled.

Thanks for all the information.

Despite this information, I still feel uncomfortable being put on a waiting list. It's like this small voice in the back of my head telling me, "Don't do it" along with a few butterflies. Suppose it stems from the slim chance I end up becoming part of the breeding problem. :/

First, I cannot get a new video card for my PC gaming machine and now a Yorkie all because of the pandemic. I got one "strike" left. LOL! Maybe I should play the lottery.

[Bluebells]

Originally Posted by matese

The person Jax came from is disgusting, breeding puppies knowing this defective vision gene can be passed down to future puppies. Horrible and there is nothing anyone can do to stop this person from breeding defective puppies. I don’t think they tell buyers the possibility of vision impairment, who would take that chance they could end up with a puppy with a vision issue that cannot be reversed. Jax is a very lucky baby that you came into his life, vision impaired puppies are a big challenge, and a huge responsibility that many ppl won’t take on.

Jax has been quite a challenge, but he’s also been a joy. And he’s definitely provided a huge amount of entertainment during our pandemic stay-at-home period.

[Animal_Lover]

Originally Posted by matese

Right here on YT advertisements last week was ad for Morkies (Maltese/yorkie mix) selling for $5300.00, and ppl do pay that price.

No it's not the Pandemic, cost of a yorkie depends what state you are buying the pup from. If you buy in NY expect to pay close to $5000. The average price I see in a lot of states is $3500.00. It's hobby breeders that will sell for less. If I was looking to buy a puppy I would look for a reputable breeder that shows their dogs. Reason is, they breed for their next champion, they check genetics of the breeding pair and the parents of that pair to ensure no disease will be passed down to future puppies. They feed the momma premium food for healthy puppies, and keep puppies until they are 13 weeks old. Now every litter will not produce a show quality dog, but what you will get is a healthy puppy.

The least expensive thing in buying a dog is the purchase price, it's the vet bills down the road if you buy a puppy that is not bred to better the breed.

Now I will say there was a thread where there was a breeder that knew one of her breeding dogs had (I believe) Luxating Patella but bred it knowing that gene would be passed down to future puppies. There are unethical breeders out there, it's always "buyer beware" do your homework on checking the breeder you choose. Good luck on your guest for that perfect baby.

I agree with very much of what you said. Caution is called for.

I bought from a very well known breeder that I had wanted to buy from for years. The price was $2500.00. Many on here have bought from her and are happy with their pups. I will not reveal because I do not want to start a war.

I finally bought one from her. A 'doll face' which is a look that I like very much. She is beautiful, sweet, loving, obedient and all of the things one wants in their Yorkie. However, she was diagnosed with luxating patella and collapsing trachea. I also believe she has a roach back because her back does not make a straight line but curves in a mild 'hump'.

I love her very much. I would never choose to return her.

So in the end, all you can do is your very best research, ask lots and lots of questions. But actually, no matter how careful you are, you can never be certain about their health because things change as they grow. I wish you the very best in your search and know that you will love your baby no matter what.

[Valentine13]

I think it depends on the area in general, but specifically right now the prices are due to the pandemic. If your in a metropolitan the prices might be more expensive than people who live in the country.

I have 2 Yorkie at the moment and was looking for a third puppy Yorkie or not. I paid $600 for one 3 years ago and $550 the same week we went into quarantine. I got in contact with the breeder for my 3 year old and they now sell puppies for $3000. I then got in contact with my 1yr old and they sell their puppies for $1500. I personally thought I would never pay past $1000 but due to me wanting to get a puppy before going back to work I am paying the $1500. This mentality is probable held by many people willing to pay more than normal.

[matese]

The Pandemic did cause a rise in puppies because ppl that worked either had no job or could work at home, perfect time to buy a puppy, they could be home all day training puppy. This drove the price of puppies sky high. Disgusting the world is in such danger and breeders, puppy mills you name it, are taking advantage of this.
Speaking for myself only, if I wanted a puppy badly I would pay the asking price.
For $1500. I would have bought two if I trusted the breeder bred healthy puppies lol.
Yorkie puppies are soooo much fun, work yes, naughtiness yes, mischievous yes, but still makes ya laugh at them.
Congrats on your new baby.