Well said, Gina
 

I have only been a member for a couple of months- and I really enjoy this forum. It's so informative and funny- you guys crack me up!! :p I love reading everyone's stories and seeing everyone's pictures. There is soooo much great information on here being shared by some really great people!
I will admit that I have had questions that I am afraid to post for fear or "rubbing someone the wrong way". I usually just "lurk" and wait for someone else to ask a similar question and see what kind of response they get (kind of like this thread... :rolleyes: )

First I did not say that they ask questions they should already know. I said that they ask questions that the people responding think they should already know. I don't answer any of the direct breeding questions because I myself know nothing about it. I don't know what they should and shouldn't know. Hell I haven't even had a child of my own so I don't really even know much about human pregnancy. I agree with you its better late than never, but at the same time looking through a responsible breeders eyes if they should know something then I'm sure it can be pretty aggravating to find that they don't.
I think mmyorkies answered the question about breed standards.
Then their was the comment about not treating them right be thier standards. Really when I said that I was actually talking about abused animals not really related to breeding what so ever. I was saying that people here love these animals and when they think an animal is being abused then they are going to be upset. So of course if you are putting an animal at risk by not being well informed going into the breeding process they are also going to be upset. In their opinion maybe they feel that you aren't treating the dog right. I use you in the general form, not meaning you personally.
But you know the more I think about this topic the more I see some of thier points (although I would still never tell someone they shouldn't breed). Breeding should be a gift. You are really taking something else and saying you are going to do this for ME. Then again maybe having them spayed is saying you are going to do this for ME. But really breeding isn't a necessity as far as the dog is concerned. The least you could do is inform yourself with as much knowledge as you can, for the dogs' sake.

Ok..Here is the standard:

General Appearance
That of a long-haired toy terrier whose blue and tan coat is parted on the face and from the base of the skull to the end of the tail and hangs evenly and quite straight down each side of body. The body is neat, compact and well proportioned. The dog's high head carriage and confident manner should give the appearance of vigor and self-importance

Head
Small and rather flat on top, the skull not too prominent or round, the muzzle not too long, with the bite neither undershot nor overshot and teeth sound. Either scissors bite or level bite is acceptable. The nose is black. Eyes are medium in size and not too prominent; dark in color and sparkling with a sharp, intelligent expression. Eye rims are dark. Ears are small, V-shaped, carried erect and set not too far apart.

Body
Well proportioned and very compact. The back is rather short, the back line level, with height at shoulder the same as at the rump.
Legs and Feet
Forelegs should be straight, elbows neither in nor out. Hind legs straight when viewed from behind, but stifles are moderately bent when viewed from the sides. Feet are round with black toenails. Dewclaws, if any, are generally removed from the hind legs. Dewclaws on the forelegs may be removed.

Tail
Docked to a medium length and carried slightly higher than the level of the back.

Coat
Quality, texture and quantity of coat are of prime importance. Hair is glossy, fine and silky in texture. Coat on the body is moderately long and perfectly straight (not wavy). It may be trimmed to floor length to give ease of movement and a neater appearance, if desired. The fall on the head is long, tied with one bow in center of head or parted in the middle and tied with two bows. Hair on muzzle is very long. Hair should be trimmed short on tips of ears and may be trimmed on feet to give them a neat appearance.

Colors
Puppies are born black and tan and are normally darker in body color, showing an intermingling of black hair in the tan until they are matured. Color of hair on body and richness of tan on head and legs are of prime importance in adult dogs, to which the following color requirements apply:

Blue: Is a dark steel-blue, not a silver-blue and not mingled with fawn, bronzy or black hairs.

Tan: All tan hair is darker at the roots than in the middle, shading to still lighter tan at the tips. There should be no sooty or black hair intermingled with any of the tan.

Color on Body
The blue extends over the body from back of neck to root of tail. Hair on tail is a darker blue, especially at end of tail.

Headfall
A rich golden tan, deeper in color at sides of head, at ear roots and on the muzzle, with ears a deep rich tan. Tan color should not extend down on back of neck.

Chest and Legs
A bright, rich tan, not extending above the elbow on the forelegs nor above the stifle on the hind legs.

Weight
Must not exceed seven pounds.

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All I can say is WOW! If this is what we are expected to acheive in every litter,then breeding isnt complicated,its impossible;) I know what you mean though Courtney;) Jess is 7lbs by the way..she is on the dot;)
Im not bothered about the negative posts,to be honest I have learned to think for my self and ask all these questions to my vet or the breeder that is helping me out..the reason of this thread was to help out those that DO feel intimidated by those negative posts and feel that they should keep quiet instead of asking:) Some people dont have mentors or a vet they can chat with so they chose a forum and expect to be helped...this is all I wanted to say:)
Its nice to be able to talk about this for once with no arguments or hard feelings:)

All breeders (even reputable ones) have to start somewhere. I know that I would like to breed in like 5 years - so I'm starting to do research now so that I have plenty of time to do it right. I think that for those of us who want to do it right (following the standards, etc) are still discouraged for being inexperienced. If we can't ask questions here on this forum - then where do we go to find advice from experienced breeders that we trust? I think that this is the safest place! The people here are great and knowledgable, and understanding - most of the time! I know that it is very hard to find a good breeder in my area & I know lots of good people that are looking for Yorkies. I would like to fill that need, and I would love to do it with the support of other Yorkie lovers from YT!

Something else I wanted to say...
I have noticed that when anyone mentions breeding that some of the breeders here will post about how much work it is, you risk losing your pet, how expensive it is...blah...blah...blah. It really makes you sound as though you are complaining and it is not an enjoyable thing that you do. I would really like to hear the other side of breeding. What are all of the wonderful things that come out of it? Obviously you wouldn't be breeding if it was something that brought you nothing but hardship.

First let me remind you that there are a lot of people that do want to breed their 10 pound yorkies, I have seen several say they do, because they don't realize that is way too large for a standard yorkie.

The standard is just what it reads at AKC, and I doubt that you will find a yorkie that meets it exactly, but it was the guidelines to follow to keep your puppies looking like yorkies. When I chose a pair to breed I try to select one that is under 7 pounds but at least 5 pounds, I want the parents to have the blue(silver) and gold/tan coats, I want to avoid the cotton coat type (much too hard to keep mat free) not even desireable for a pet, I want their body to be box shaped, they should be as tall at the top of their back as they are long, from the base of the neck to the base of their butt. This is what gives them the appearance that they are yorkies. The breeding pair should have good personalities and not be shy, terriers are usually arrogant, self assured little giants, that is what makes them so loveable. Eyes should be clear and sparkle, like they are just waiting for you to turn your back so they can get into something. This is my idea of the standard. I am sure I don't make it as cut & clear as the AKC, but this is what I look for.

I think that there are great breeders out there and I am in no way trying to discourage people from breeding. Honestly I'm not even a breeder my opinions should not discourage anyone. I think that if you try to educate yourself then you are doing great and I understand that you are still going to have questions. On the same token though you have to understand where they are coming from they just don't want to help people who aren't going to take care of their puppies. However I feel that if you truely believe that you are doing the best that you can (which you should be for the pups' sake) then you have to know that and own it. Know that you are a good breeder and not let what people are saying bother you in fact learn from it, like you chelsie have done(you have said that you will not discourage new breeders by putting them down). But again I say that if what these people are saying is turning you away from breeding maybe you aren't cut out for it. Think about it I don't know any of you from Adam. What do I really care what you think of me, and even further lets say you tell me not to breed then I do, how will you know I did. If you can't take it from people over a computer then what are you going to do when you go into you vet's office and he/she asks/says the same thing.

The reason that is said is because it is true, and a lot of pet owners really don't want to take the chance of losing their pet, and don't think about that before they think about breeding. It is a fact, and a good many bitches are lost in the process of carring on the line. On the other hand, when it goes well it is wonderful. It is great to watch the tiny little puppies that are born grow into the cute adorable puppies that we all get at 12 weeks. It is exciting to see them open their eyes, and to see them start to waddle, first backwards like a human baby does, then forward on wobbly legs. And to watch momma tend to them, clean them and cuddle them. Hearing the little mewing noises they make as they grow. Hearing them growl about something when they are 4 weeks and you can hardly hear that little growl. I posted pictures of my last little one that was just born. One pup, born a week early, by C-section. She did make it, but the pictures I posted from day one shows how incomplete she was in her developement to her 4 week picture with her eyes open. Last time I had a premie he did not survive and it was devistating to me, but I know the risks. You have to be prepared for the bad, which is why every one tells about it. It is easy when it all goes right, but with little toy dogs the risks are greater than with the larger dogs.

There are several ways to interpret the A.K.C. standard . It might be impossible to follow it to the rule . If someone have the " perfect Yorkie " , let me know .

The standard is only a pattern on what a Yorkie should be .

Thank you very much for sharing the good things. That really made me smile. But it does seem that there are scare tactics going on. Most anyone would know that the pregnancy and birth for any animal has many risks.

But there really are some that don't or don't think about it and I think that some people just want to make sure that when someone starts breeding they know that there may be problems, and if they know then they should just overlook those comments and undertand that those people were just trying to help. I wouldn't want to breed my Reagan knowing that she may die, and if I didn't know that and was about to start breeding and someone told me I would definately change my mind. Not saying anything if you do breed just saying that I couldn't.

I also want to say that I am jealous that you know so much and have so much experience. I hope to know as much some day. I realize you do not have to share your knowledge with others, you worked hard for it. But I guess it would be nice that when you do share that it isn't done in a way that feels like you are attacking. In the other thread about the mating problems, you posted without knowing anything about the person asking. She could have been a show breeder, mating her two show dogs for the first time or any other scenario. I know, I know, some people ARE just plain ignorant and want to throw two dogs together without knowing anything. Not everyone is like that and should be given the benefit of the doubt.

Believe me, a show breeder would have had a lot of information from the people that he/she associates with in the show world. Even a first time show breeder has someone that she got her bitch from and would be helping her with her first breeding. One thing I had to get through in the show scene is that when you get your first show dogs, it is always co-owned and you can not breed without the breeders permission, and if you have a bitch, you probably will have to return the bitch to the original breeder for the first breeding. It is not easy to get a show dog, and even harder to get a bitch to show. Show people are real careful who they will sell their show quality dogs to, and it is very hard for a newcomer to get one.

Yt
 

Gina, Sweetie, I think the members here are angels. I was reading a few posts on Sophie's Isle of York...the same questions are met by a "Get the FXXX out of here"..I think people have mellowed and learned it is so much better to educate then tell people off...the Yorkie is the one who suffers from breeder ignorance, we must bite our tongues in some posts and help all we can.

The way I look at this post , I am extremely glad that my two babies have been spayed . If I have another one , it will be the same thing .