Future Yorkie Owner question
 

I've been wanting a Yorkie for quite some time now, and with the help of this forum I've been talking to one of the breeders that was recommended on here. Anyways, the yorkie is going to a present from my boyfriend, and after mentioning the price :D He thought the price was too high, and I just wanted your opinions on this price.

$650 for a puppy with limited registration
Will have:
Tail docked
dew claws removed
Seen the vet twice..
First shots...
These puppies are raised in a home, not in cages..

I guess I just need reassurance. I thought it was a good deal, so I'm pushing for it :p I've seen people selling yorkie pups for almost a grand or more, and simply think that is out of the question for me to pay.

That seems like a pretty good price. I think they are hard to find for less. Is there a health guarantee?

If you puppy has a Lifetime Guarantee then I say go for it! :D

The price is exceptionally cheap. You often pay for what you get. Be careful. Would you rather:

pay a little, and possibly have lots of problems or is paying 1800 ie $100/year for the long life of a healthy puppy worth it? After paying a $1000 (I went on the cheap side)for a dog 6 years ago that had major OCD in every joint, and the pain of having to put him down or give him back because of a bad breeding- I will never make that mistake again. It broke our hearts. I found out when I took him back to the breeder that the bitch had only been rated fair for OCD.

If you have to wait a little while and save- it only makes it that much better. If you want my breeders name, let me know and I will send it to you.

Best,
Deborah

I think that is a GREAT price. I don't think you need to spend 1,000 (or more) to have a great pet. As a matter of fact, I am sure their are LOTS of people who spend thousands of dollars on their yorkies only to find out they are sick. If you have spoken to the breeder, visited her home, seen the parents, go for it!

Seems like a great price to me.

Go for it its a good price for a yorkie and if its healthy:)

price
 

Sounds like a steal to me..LOL Most breeders I know charge 2 and 3 times that amount. Best wishes

I didn't know a breeder who will have a guarantee for life . $650.00 is maybe a good price . I doubt the breeder will guarantee for a lifetime . I paid much more for Jade and don't have . She have a health guarantee .

I think that's a great price and the puppy sounds great. What's important is checking out the parents and the conditions in which the puppy was raised. Does he/she seem friendly? Oh, and tell your man that your happiness is worth the $650 :p

I'm sorry Deborah, but I could not disagree with your post more. Health problems in Yorkies (or any dog for that matter) cannot be avoided by paying more for the dog. The only way to get a good Yorkie is to go to a good breeder. My yorkie was $475 and his parents were tested for genetic defects. He is healthy as a horse and fits perfectly into the AKC breed standard for Yorkies. $1,000, to me, is not on the cheaper side of the Yorkie spectrum. Coming from a big city, the prices of purebred dogs, especially small dogs, is going up due to the high demand for them. YTCA members in my area rarely have puppies and most people are forced to look to other states. Breeders who charge $1000 for puppies are not necessarily bad breeders; in turn, breeders who charge $3500 dollars for Yorkies are not good breeders -- just check out some of the "teacup" sites. I am sorry for the loss of your puppy to OCD. That must have been horrible for you. I just wanted to say that I don't think that you can chalk a healthy Yorkie up to the fact that you paid a lot.

I couldn't AGREE with you more! I paid only $400 for Fred and he is the most healthiest, purebred lil' rascal I know of yet! At first, before I got him, I thought he would come home and have trouble eating or have hypoglycemic problems or anything at all.. but he didn't! The only time he's been to the Vet was to get his shots updated! $1,000 is wayy out of my price range. I don't think you pay for what you get. You just have to find a great breeder that doesn't do it for the money.

$650 is cheap for such a great dog. I'd say go for it!

I also say "Go for it!" Sounds like a steal to me! I only paid $400 for my Maddie and wouldn't trade her for the world!

[QUOTE=moonvalley]The price is exceptionally cheap. You often pay for what you get. Be careful.

I have to agree with Deborah! I would be suspicious of such a cheap price but if you take the time to educate yourself, look at lots of yorkies and decide exactly what you want and he is IT, then go for it because that is a steal.

Health is always our first and foremost concern, but once you have established this from speaking to the breeder's vet and checking the pedigree, etc, then you get to "looks" and temperament because most yorkies do not look alike! There are great differences and if you have a "picture" in your mind of "your perfect yorkie" you really need to research how to acheive that with a puppy, because it takes a "trained eye" to be able to look at a puppy and know what it will look like as an adult. No one knows for sure, but if you see both parents and even other related dogs you can get a fairly general idea.

Do you care for example how big it will be, whether it will have a "wolf" face (long snout) or a teddy bear face or a flat, pekinese face (very popular right now)? Do you want small ears (preferred) or big ears, do you want a silky coat like human hair (preferred by most) or a cottony coat that mats more easily. Do you like long legs or short legs (preferred by most). Do you mind a disproportionately long body? Most breeders want a perfect square, height the same as lengh. A full coat or a thin coat? And then color....oh, my, the variations are too numerous to mention. Do you care about a straight topline? Do you care if the tail is docked or long?

I am sorry if I am overwhelming you but I wish someone had told me all this when I was looking for my first yorkie. I think all yorkies are "to die for" and you really can't go wrong, but it helps to go into it having a basic understanding of all of this.

Welcome to YT and good luck in your search!!

Thanks everyone for the replies! You guys are so helpful :thumbup: I see both sides of people telling me its a good buy, and to watch out.

Anyways, my mother is a nurse, and one of her patients (she visits them at home) dog's had puppies--its no yorkie :( Its some kind of mix...And they agreed to give us one, a sort of thank you to my mom for caring for the patient and their family, I'm excited about that, but I still want a yorkie :p

So I don't really know what dog I'm taking home yet...

After reading the replies I'm definately going make sure that if I do get the yorkie I'll have all my research and what not, and make sure this is the puppy I really want. I plan on visiting the breeders' home hopefully sometime in the next couple of weeks.

--Ashley

My Boyfriend bought my puppy for me too! Maximus was $500, but we found him we were lucky to find him for that price. (We got him from a wonderful young family who didn't plan on breeding their two dogs.) Anyway during my search for a puppy I didn't see a better deal than $600-$650... Soooo... I say go fo it!