Originally Posted by ARCHIE

Yes, I do think location also has something to do with the money asked for these pups.
Buddy was $1,400.00 ECK Registered. He is not show quality but I wanted a pet not a show dog.
Yes, I think that was a lot of money but I paid it. I live in NY and the prices here would make your head spin. $1,200.00 is a great price for a healthy Yorkie pup, IMO. Carol & Buddy:aimeeyork

Originally Posted by Dennis

Back in 1991, my first purebred Yorkie cost me $350.00 which at the time I felt was very high. My second Yorkie which if purchased in August of this year cost me $850.00. I honestly doubt the prices will ever go down. We have to remember that Yorkies are the third post popular dog in the USA, right behind labradores.

Originally Posted by ButterflyYorkie

There would be far less "one timers" if only breeders would ENFORCE their spay/neuter contracts!!

Originally Posted by Willow

So labs are the second most popular dog? They don't sell for thousands, not the ones I have seen! In our area, yorkies go for $800 and up and labs are anywhere from $150-$500 with papers. Sometimes people are giving them (labs) away. Maybe it is just our area, but for being the second most popular dog, they are no where NEAR as pricey as yorkies!

Originally Posted by FlDebra

For a person having a first and last litter with 4 puppies and no health problems, it probably does seem like they are over-priced and she may be getting more than deserved. But..... if she was going to have more litters, she might find the next one to only have 1 puppy to sell, the mom might need a C-section and she might be in the hole money-wise -- then she would think... We are not charging enough for these puppies!

Just because nothing untoward happened with this litter does not mean prices should be set by this experience. Prices need to be set by the breeders that have several litters a year, know the averages on puppies, complications, and expenses AND need to make some sort of profit. Sure she made out, but there are probably just as many that had one litter, lost money, or even lost their precious mother Yorkie that would not think the price nearly high enough.

A one-time breeder probably should not charge as much as an experienced breeder -- Why? Because she cannot offer the lifetime experience, training, and sense of security someone who has done this over time can offer. That is JMHO.

When I was looking for my Yorkies, I saw $600 - $2000 Yorkies. I looked at several places, talked to others only on the phone. I paid $1200 and $1500 for the two I chose -- First, I bought from people whose mother and father were on premises and looked like the Yorkies I have in mind. Secondly, I bought from people who sounded like they had the experience, knowledge, and caring attitude to ensure the best experience overall. I don't feel fleeced -- I could have bought cheaper ones -- but these are little additions to my family and saving a few dollars doesn't really seem important over the long haul. It will be a drop in the bucket to what they will cost to raise and spoil.

Originally Posted by feminvstr

Something to ponder about the one time breeder. Does a one time breeder give a health guarantee? Does she health test her breeding adults to assure
liver shunt doesnt rear its ugly head, LP's, heart problems etc??

Imagine if one or all of the above happened to one of the pups, then what? did she already spend the money on a big screen TV or that over due family vacation?

Average cost of a repair $1800.00 on any of the above operations. God forbid the puppy dies! Then what? how does she replace the puppy? breed the pair again? refund the money? ignore the buyer? or stress there is nothing wrong with the parents so it had to be YOUR fault!

Just because she think she is lucky to make such a profit upon placement at perhaps 8 weeks of age (because her vet said it was ok) her responsiblity doesnt stop at placement or does it because she had planned only one litter?

Originally Posted by feminvstr

Something to ponder about the one time breeder. Does a one time breeder give a health guarantee? Does she health test her breeding adults to assure
liver shunt doesnt rear its ugly head, LP's, heart problems etc??

Imagine if one or all of the above happened to one of the pups, then what? did she already spend the money on a big screen TV or that over due family vacation?

Average cost of a repair $1800.00 on any of the above operations. God forbid the puppy dies! Then what? how does she replace the puppy? breed the pair again? refund the money? ignore the buyer? or stress there is nothing wrong with the parents so it had to be YOUR fault!

Just because she think she is lucky to make such a profit upon placement at perhaps 8 weeks of age (because her vet said it was ok) her responsiblity doesnt stop at placement or does it because she had planned only one litter?

Originally Posted by SnowWa

I need to go back and talk about different breeders and different puppies again.

I said that if a person is very particular about their puppy meeting the standards - or if the person buying a Yorkie puppy (or any puppy) wants to add this new little pup to a breeding program or wants a show-quality puppy -then "YES," they should be willing to pay a much higher price. This should be true with any breed.

But - if you want a little Yorkie for a pet - and have no intention to breed or show it, you certainly don't need to pay as much. However, I do think anyone buying a purebred is entitled to a little dog that is a good representative of its breed. After all, that is why we chose to buy a certain breed.

bMy friend's little Yorkie (the one that was bred) is a very good looking little girl. And, I know the little Yorkie that fathered her litter is also a handsome little Yorkie. And - they are both happy, healthy, well adjusted little pets.
She has little reason to believe their puppies would be any different or have any problems.

And - NO - the dogs were not tested for every imaginable problem a Yorkie can ever have. There was no DNA testing - no genetic testing - none of that. But - everyone was entitled to learn about and see the parents, and given their health history. (And - my friend can even give a good account of the history and health of her dog's parents.....which by the way - has been problem free.)

When I got my pup - I was told to take him to the vet - and if the vet found any serious problem, I could return him and get a full refund. That was it. And - I was perfectly satisfied with this arrangement. If my dog had gotten sick six months or a year after I got him - I wouldn't have gone back to the breeder. I would have considered this my own responsibility.

Most of the problems that Yorkies have are problems that have been bred into them....sadly, a lot of these problems are the result of trying to downsize the breed. And - then, because all these problems have been realized - it has become very expensive to breed them and get healthy puppies. What is wrong with this picture!

Any dog can need a C-section (even a great dane) -- but little Yorkies certainly need them much more often - why! And - why are little Yorkie puppies so often sick and need so much special care and attention! My vet goes off on a tirade everytime she starts talking about some of the "little Yorkies" that she ends up having to take care of. She calls it "an unnecessary shame!" She told me that people can have all the ideas and opinions they want, but said, "I'm the one who ends up having to take care of these little dogs - and I'm the one that "shares" all the heartbreak."

So - we just keep breeding our little Yorkies - even the tiny ones - and we charge high prices because they are so prone to have so many delivery and health problems - and we think this justifies our charging these high prices. We just have to have that bankroll in case some of the puppies we sold get sick or in case we run into problems, C-sections, etc., with our next litter. And, our time and trouble is worth a lot too....

I truly believe that if Yorkies were bred responsibly - they would be a little larger (not 2, 3, and 4 pounds), and the mothers and their babies would soon be much healthier and not prone to so many problems. Then the mothers wouldn't die during or after delivery - they wouldn't need so many C-sections - and the babies would be stronger and healthier. And, of course, this would also mean that they wouldn't be so expensive - because you wouldn't have to charge so much to justify covering all the problems that they might have. And, of course, (with Yorkies), we end up with - have we had genetic tests, DNA tests, etc. Do we know the parents, the grandparents, the greatgrand parents? Are we getting health guarantees - for how much - for how long??? Etc. Etc. Etc. It seems like it never ends.

Smaller animals than Yorkies (like mice and hamsters) unadulterated by the human desire for $$$ seem to be healthy and have healthy babies with few problems. There is no doubt that irresponsible breeders have created most of the problems that Yorkies have.

One more time --- those of you who have invested a lot in your Yorkies and are breeding to get outstanding representatives of the Yorkie breed - puppies that would quality to be bred and/or be shown.....are entitled to get a high price for your Yorkies. And - what you have - is what a lot of people want, and these people should be willing to pay more for the puppies you are breeding. I think this is a given with any breed.

** The end result is that if breeders were more responsible, it wouldn't be long before the breed, itself, would benefit, and there soon wouldn't be the extent of problems that we are now experiencing with this breed.

Back again - to remind you responsible breeders - that I know there are a lot of you are out there. And, I couldn't be happier with the work that you are doing, and the care and concern you share for this breed.

***** Tell me no more about C-sections, mother's dying, puppies dying, hypoglycemia, liver shunts, etc. etc. etc. We have caused all these problems ourselves. And now we want to charge for them.....


Carol Jean

PS: My little Yorkie is the healthiest thing in the world. BUT - he sure shouldn't be bred - and he definitely can't be shown. He's too big, a little long in the back, has wavy hair - etc. etc. etc. But - he is a wonderful, healthy, little Yorkie pet. He's neutered - so whatever he lacks regarding breed standards - will just have to stay with him...... But - he is as cute as a button and the joy of my life -- just like all your Yorkies are.

If I did breed my little/big guy. The one thing I would probably be sure to pass on is "good health."