In need of puppy picking help

[ukeka]

Hello all, I have been on YT for some time and I have steered clear of buy one puppy or another because of the advice given me by YT .. (Thank You)

Recently i posted links to Choclate yorkies..(which I see now most are puppymills or people looking to gain an extra buck ).. Even about a year ago I thought I found a perfect little girl, Well with the Puppy mill cues of the place no I didn't get her ... So my search is still on, Could you guys tell me what you look for when you visit a breeders home, what you look for in a puppy.

I appreciate YTer's opinions ... And Plus I have been looking for 2 plus years ..
I take finding a puppy very seriously ... So thats why it has taken me so very long ... Please advise & give your experience when finding the "RIGHT" Breeder

This would not be my 1st dog but its like a new baby.. It all seems so new and I want to do it right ... As you see I can be a little OCD about things like this LOL

Thanks in advance

[pepe mint]

I looked for over 5 years for a yorkie pup. it took so incredibly long because I, too, wanted to steer clear of the puppy mills and such. It was so hard because every time I would go to the flea market they would have puppies there...several different breeds of puppies, including yorkies. and i would just cry because I wanted one so bad but refused to buy from what could be a puppy mill. I was so close to taking one home one time, but they didn't have any females so I passed. yes, it was a puppy mill but the wait was just becoming soooooooo long and I wanted a puppy so bad!! well, the wait paid off. I...once again....looked in the newspaper and called every number in there. the first question I asked was "do you have any females left". I usually got a NO and that would end the conversation. Nothing against males, I just have always had better luck with female dogs. my own personal preference. Anyway...if they did have females, I would say "what other breeds of dogs do you breed". if they went off on this loooooong list of breeds, forget it. If they only named one other breed, I would keep talking. Because some in home family breeders may have another type of dog in the house. example...a friend of mine breeds danes and pekinese (don't know how to spell that hehe). Anyway...I was determined that my puppy was going to come from a family that raised the puppies IN THEIR HOUSE. not out in a pen. My puppy will be socialized...meaning that when the breeder had company over, the puppies were around them. I did not want my puppy to come from a pen. I have found in the past that they are just harder to potty train if they came from living in a pen their whole lives. just my past experience, not a professional opinion. I am sure there are others out there who have not had the same experience, but this is just my personal experience in the past. ( I am trying not to tick anybody off, can you tell ?? ) Anyway, if you are as picky as I am, I think that these are the things you should look for. Also, look for a breeder that can show you the mom and dad...as well as possess the previous qualities I mentioned. Make sure that when you go into their house, ask if you can use the bathroom this way, you know they are not afraid for you to see anything they may have in another part of the house. when I got maggie, she kept me in the front room that she called the pupppies play room. and only brought the females out to see me since that is what i was looking for. Well, I wondered why she was coralling me in there, so I ased to use the restroom. she was more than happy to let me use the bathroom and then proceeded to show me where the mommy, daddy, and puppies were. They were in her bedroom...puppies in an xpen and parents laying on her bed. I felt really good about this. I was able to meet the parents and knew for a fact that they were raised inside their home.
I would also be sure to have a list of questions...ask about the parents health history, what the puppies have been eating and how much/how often, ask if they use the bathroom outside...or if they have ever been outside. I only mention this because maggie had never been outside. they were "paper training" the puppies. of course, at 11 weeks old, they were not trained but she had never taken them outside to potty. That was kinda difficult because when I first took maggie out to pee, she freaked out on me. but we are doing just fine now she rings her bells and goes out

anyway, these are just the things I looked for. and no one gave me this advice, it is just the stuff that I found that I really wanted in a breeder after looking for more than 5 years and finding a lot of dead ends.

Good luck!!! it will be so worth the wait and dedication that you are taking to finding a good breeder. I hope you don't have to wait 5 years

Let me end this by saying that I really hope I am not ruffling anybodys feathers here. I know there are a million yorkie owners here on this site and I am sure that there are people here that breed more than one breed of dog and I am not bashing you at all...just saying what my own personal preference is. There are some people out there that breed 4 or 5 different breeds of dogs and they are not puppy mills...so I don't automatically jump to that conclusion. just thought i would let you know

[FlDebra]

I am no expert but having bought one the wrong way, I did a little more research and made sure to buy my last two at least a better way.

First of all, how did you hear about the puppy? It seems like to me, at least in our area, the best breeders do not have to advertise in the paper. You have to seek them out (in my case, I talked with the best grooming shop in town). Then you get on their waiting list. Before they allow you to do that, they want to meet you, and ask a lot of questions about how you will care for the puppy. They ask about children and other pets, experience with small dogs, where I live, and I can tell they are sizing me up.

Once I pass muster, I can look at their home. Are the dogs obviously a part of the family environment? Make sure you see where they eat and sleep. I did not want another "concrete-building-out-back" bred dog! Are the parents well cared for? Do they meet the Yorkshire Terrier breed standards? Are the dogs well socialized. Do they obviously like people? You will be able to tell if they are used to lots of people play or if they are kept in cages.

I did not want them to own more dogs than they could personally care for. No multiple breeding centers. No mixed breeding going on. Breeding parents kept in the home is what I wanted to find.

Then I want to know about pedigree. I insisted on AKC and did not even go look if they were not. The breeder should be willing to show a pedigree and let you know about champions -- just making Champion does not give a guarantee the dog was wonderful -- but it says at least more than the breeder evaluated the dog. I want to know that the line is free from genetic disease. The parents at least should be tested for infectious and genetic diseases. Ask about other litters -- any health problems? How often are they bred? Some breed every other time, some twice and then skip a heat. At least make sure the female is getting some recovery time. Realy look the parents over well to see that they are healthy, well-cared for and good representatives of the breed standard.

Try to avoid breeders that specialize in "teacups." Some puppies are going to be small and they will need a home. But the breeder who purposely puts the tiny mothers at risk is no one to do business with. I personally do not believe Yorkies of off-color should be bred either. Yorkies are meant to be black/blue and tan/gold. Those are the only 4 colors that are accepted as not being a fault. If a chocolate turns up naturally in a litter, I think they should be loved, spayed and a good home provided. But .... I do not believe in breeding chocolates to propagate a fault. Same with any other color outside the breed standards. But this last part about color is hotly debated and others feel just as strongly about bringing new colors to the breed. You will just have to research and make a decision about your own opinion on this.

Then you need to see the health guarantee. Make sure it is clear what happens if illness is found in the first few days, genetic diseases are usually covered for a year -- some actually do lifetime on genetic disease. Make sure it is clear whether vet bills are taken care of, puppy return allowed, puppy replacement and/or refund. What happens if you put down a deposit and the puppy dies before you get it?

What sort of support will the breeder provide? Will she be willing to answer questions for the life of the pup? That is what both breeders I bought from told me. "Anything, anytime as long as you have that baby -- call me!"

Check the AKC banned list just to make sure their name is not on it. Make sure they do provide the puppy registration request form. If it is not provided at the time you take the puppy, then I would defer some of the cost until the papers are provided. I have heard too many promised papers "as soon as they come in" that never get them. Most organized breeders would have requested the litter registration in plenty of time to have them for delivery with the pups.

These are just some of the things I tried to keep in mind. I am sure there are lots more and I am forgetting a lot of what happened when I got mine. I did most all of my research (except for the actual visual evaluation) before I got to the breeders. I wanted to make sure about as much as possible BEFORE I saw the puppies as I am such a sucker for a sweet puppy. Luckily, all went well at both places and I think I have wound up with two exceptional puppies!

[pepe mint]

Originally Posted by FlDebra

I am no expert but having bought one the wrong way, I did a little more research and made sure to buy my last two at least a better way.

First of all, how did you hear about the puppy? It seems like to me, at least in our area, the best breeders do not have to advertise in the paper. You have to seek them out (in my case, I talked with the best grooming shop in town). Then you get on their waiting list. Before they allow you to do that, they want to meet you, and ask a lot of questions about how you will care for the puppy. They ask about children and other pets, experience with small dogs, where I live, and I can tell they are sizing me up.

This is something else I forgot to mention. I did find mine in the paper but she said she was only advertising because she was leaving out of town for christmas for 2 weeks and had to try to get the word out. If I get another yorkie...not that I have any issues with the breeder I chose, but I would definitely talk to my vet and get names of people who breed. I agree that the best way to find a good breeder is going to be word of mouth...wether it be a friend, a vet, a groomer...word of mouth is the best way to find almost anything.

[JeanieK]

You are so wise to check out the breeder before purchasing. If you find one you are interested in post their website on here. People here are real good at spotting Puppy mills, and misleading statements. They are a regular bunch of detectives.

Get references. There are a lot of people here from NY, find out what breeder they got their's from. You may have to get on a waiting list.
My breeder is in Ca and she ships. You don't get to meet the puppy first, but she is more than happy to take it back if you are not happy with it.

There are breeders on here. Someone surely has one for sale. Or they know breeders who do.

[pepe mint]

Originally Posted by JeanieK

You are so wise to check out the breeder before purchasing. If you find one you are interested in post their website on here. People here are real good at spotting Puppy mills, and misleading statements. They are a regular bunch of detectives.


There are breeders on here. Someone surely has one for sale. Or they know breeders who do.

again...very good idea.