I am stressed and confused! (buying a yorkie for the first time)
 

Hi everyone! This is my first post here, although I have been lurking for months now. We are moving to our new house within the next month or so and then, FINALLY I will have the space to get my first yorkie! I did so much research when I decided to actually get a dog and I found so many lovers of yorkies, that I knew it was the breed for us! I am a single mom of one beautiful daughter and now that she is almost four, I am looking for something else to pour my love onto!::) (Plants don't cut it for me) :) I want to be totally prepared when I get my yorkie, not fumbling for info at the last minute. HERE is where my problem begins! I have looked for breeders in Washington, my state, but there aren't many. I also need one with reasonable prices, as there is not a lot of extra money around here these days. So I now am reluctantly looking for a breeder who ships puppies. Is this ok? It seems kind of harsh on a little one. . . .?? Also, there are so many yorkie breeder sites!! How did most of you choose? I don't want to lose my money and not get a puppy, obviously! I also don't want to support a bad breeder or one that is just in it for the money, etc. I am looking at a couple of ones online, Wagin'Tails yorkies and Oh Puppy Love. The latter has some warning flags though-"tea cups" and "tinies"! (ARen't these pups tiny enough at 5-7 pounds?!?!) I have enough to carry as a single mom, I don't need a designer dog! I just want a good puppy friend for me and my daughter! Anyway, just wanted to vent my puppy-finding stress and say hi to you all and I hope that I can become a great yorkie owner soon!Thanks for your time and If you have any advice I would love to hear it!!:)
~Maureen

Hello And Welcome To Yt!!
 

IMO, I would try to get a larger yorkie, They can handle the riggors of your 4 yr old better. Also a larger yorkie puppy should be less expensive. And so would a male. As far as shipping goes, I don't ship for a few reasons. It's too hard on the babies and I like to meet the people and try to match the right puppy with the right home.
I know it's hard and frustrating, but take your time.

I would think that if you are patient and keep looking, you should be able to find a Yorkie pup in your area. I live in Washington too (Spokane) and don't notice a lot for sale around here - but every once in a while, I do see some for sale.

Your little girl would love my little 8-pound Yorkie to death. And believe me, he is still a very little dog. He absolutely loves playing with little children and other dogs - and the nice part is that I don't worry about him or have to watch him every minute. Also he can get on and off my furniture on his own - which is nice. And, he's still small enough for me to carry around in one arm and easy to bath, etc. I know he'd be wonderful for a family with children. They would certainly enjoy playing with him - without having to be told to "be careful" every other minute.

Good luck and keep looking. You'll find the perfect pup!

Remember if you have a pup shipped - that adds a lot more onto the price!

Carol Jean

Thanks everyone for the kind replies! I agree, a larger yorkie would be better, even though my daughter is extremely careful, I would be too scared that I would step on a 2-3-4 lb little guy/gal! Thanks again for the advice!:)

since i was getting my first puppy, i really wanted to visit the litter and see the puppies before i purchased, so local breeder was a must. although i was willing to pay a reasonable price for a yorkie ('cause lemme tell ya, they're not cheap like $200-300), i didn't have $1500-2500 like some breeders wanted for a puppy either. and although i wanted a small puppy, i didn't want one that was too teeny tiny. so i monitored the newspaper for a couple months and visited a couple litters before i found a local hobbist breeder who had a puppy with the personality i wanted and at a price i can afford.

so i'd recommend checking your local newspaper or check here: www.oodle.com it's a search engine for local classifieds. there's one for the seattle area. just search for "yorkie" or "yorkshire" and i'm sure you'll find a few to consider. good luck!

You sound like you're gonna be a great Yorkie owner. I think the secret is being cautious and anticipating problems just like you're doing. Unfortunately, I've never had to choose a breeder so I have no advice for you there. But what you're considering -- a 5-7 pounder or more -- is what I'd recommend. I say just check out a few breeders in your price range and see which one jumps out at you. The cool thing about Yorkies is you can't make a bad choice. They're all awesome.

Welcome to YT ! Where in Wa are you?