Originally Posted by ellie81

I don't know what some of you guys want, a trophy to show around or a pet to love.
What is the meaning of quality anyway? The most important thing is a healthy dog, but sometimes even if it comes from a champion bloodline, and from a reputable breeder it may still develop health problems. It happens with us, humans too. A baby whose parents are beatiful, very healthy and great atlethes, a who is raised in the best atmosphere, can still have health problems and be ugly.
Some even if you pay 3000 for a yorkie, it doesn't mean you are going to get a better dog.
I would say, you can pay $500 or $1500 and get the same dog. It's like a lottery. Still, you are better of getting it from a reputable breeder, more chances it's going to be healthy, but you don't have to pay a fortune.

Originally Posted by chachi

I did not want a trophy dog but a dog from a reputable breeder who tests her lines and also has champions in the background. Puppies from that type of breeder usually cost a llittle more than from a BYB.

Originally Posted by k2p1e

I do not completely agree, I took a seminar on the reasoning for the importance of conformation (fascinating!!), why we should aim for champion bred dogs.
For example legs being too far apart, too close how it affected their sketal health as they age. They showed probelms with toplines and how they age (often probelms would be affecting the dogs lives around age 6 and gor dogs that generally live 16 years 10 years of pain in long) The seminar did say this was not gurantee that this would occur but the likelyhood was higher.
Many breeders attempt to cover their costs of breeding, (health testing, equipment like incubators, etc...) A yorkie for around $500 makes me wonder. But there are many yokires that were not very much money and neve rhave a health problem.
Many show breeders work hard at healthy lines and spend thousand at improving their lines...they aim to produce a great dog that is as close to the standard as possible. If we say that theis is foolish why be so picky? Well the lines of what a yorkie really is will become blurred...to a point one would wonder if the dog they are looking at is a yorkie.
I don not mean to start anything...lol...but rpices vary for many reaons. I do not feel breeders should be offended if you ask why the is that price the price it is. So many facotrs play a part...smaller ones are often more expensive not only because of the higher market value but because of the extra time and effort breeders must put into them, females because most litters are male dominated and the market value, halth care, testing , lines, etc...