New here :)

[Naomi]

Hi, im naomi and & im new yorkietalk and yorkies in general lol :P
Well im in HighSchool, I enjoy shopping, the beach & im completly addicted to cold stone icecream lol Well im exploring getting a yorkie. Im ready for a dog & i figure that this time around, i want a small one and hopefully a girl ive done a lil browsing online but i figured id join a forum and meet some of your yorkies
(oh & dont worry, my future college accepts dogs under 20 pounds, so im prepared)

Plz introduce yourselfs & your sweet lil yorkies. also, i was wondering, i saw a yorkie at petsmart, and usually yorkies are all spunky and happy, but this one was super super small and looked tired & sick, it was like the size of a baseball and its owner was carrying it and she said "thats just how teacups are", is that true? that all teacups are sickly? i would never want a dog that small, but i went to the petshop close to my house and they have normal healthy ones.. but they are like $3000+, is that a normal price? And should i be going to a petstore? But i couldnt find any breeders in miami

Lol sorry if im totally clueless

[Naomi]

Oh 1 4got to mention, i have a cat. Her name is Gigi, heres a picture of her..
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...1/DSCN1460.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...s/DSCN1465.jpg

beleive me.. dont let the cuteness fool you, this cat is pure mischief!

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by Naomi

Hi, im naomi and & im new yorkietalk and yorkies in general lol :P
Well im in HighSchool, I enjoy shopping, the beach & im completly addicted to cold stone icecream lol Well im exploring getting a yorkie. Im ready for a dog & i figure that this time around, i want a small one and hopefully a girl ive done a lil browsing online but i figured id join a forum and meet some of your yorkies
(oh & dont worry, my future college accepts dogs under 20 pounds, so im prepared)

Plz introduce yourselfs & your sweet lil yorkies. also, i was wondering, i saw a yorkie at petsmart, and usually yorkies are all spunky and happy, but this one was super super small and looked tired & sick, it was like the size of a baseball and its owner was carrying it and she said "thats just how teacups are", is that true? that all teacups are sickly? i would never want a dog that small, but i went to the petshop close to my house and they have normal healthy ones.. but they are like $3000+, is that a normal price? And should i be going to a petstore? But i couldnt find any breeders in miami

Lol sorry if im totally clueless

Welcome, Naomi. First of all, those are all EXCELLENT questions to be asking before getting a Yorkie. You should get lots of good advice. The 'teacup' question is one that always sparks debate. You will learn that there's no such thing as a 'teacup' Yorkie in the eyes of the American Kennel Club that registers them. A Yorkie is a Yorkie, and the 'standard' is 7 pounds and under. Many breeders today have taken to calling tiny ones 'teacups' because the Paris Hilton crowd thinks the tinier the better. Many -- and I won't say all -- YorkieTalkers think tiny is not better. They are prone to more illnesses, including liver shunt. There's another problem that I can't remember the name, but the skull does not fully develop and they can have a dangerous soft spot. I would advise that you look for a Yorkie whose breeder thinks she will grow to the 4 to 7 pound range. In my opinion, the bigger, the more durable they are. Mine are 9 pounds and 4 pounds, and I worry far less about the 9 pounder's safety.

I would encourage you not to buy from a Pet Store. They don't have good reputations for caring for their pups.

I'll let others tell you how to find a good breeder.

Again, welcome. Your college sounds like it rocks by allowing little dogs.

[Buddah<3r]

if her pup was tired and sick looking it was most likely having a hypoglycemic attack. Sad that she thinks that is just how they are! It's very dangerous for the little guy.

Do not buy from a pet store. They are a total ripoff price wise and they are usually getting pups from puppy mills.

There are lots of great breeders in on YT, maybe one of them will be able to help you

[xxmxaxrxyxx]

welcome to YT...and I agree with Buddah<3r

[mommiemary]

welcome to the board

[Naomi]

Thanks you guys you guys have such cute pups! i cant wait to get to know all of you

[Yorkieluv]

Welcome to YorkieTalk and the world of yorkies

Please don't buy from a petstore, as their puppies come from puppymills. Do a google search for puppymill, and you'll understand why you shouldn't buy from petstores. Also, try to stay away from places like puppyfind...There are many people who have been scammed through there.

For way under $3000 you can get a quality yorkie pup from a reputable breeder. Make sure you ask the breeder lots of questions and make sure they offer at least a 1 yr health guarantee for genetic diseases.

I see that you're from Miami. There are many reputable breeders here in Florida, and I'm sure the people on this forum will be able to direct you to some of them

I loooove Cold Stone too!! It's my favorite

[blondflava]

Welcome to YT!! It's very wise of you to ask, there are a lot of people who bought a sick store puppy, you should find a breeder. Have you looked at ytca.org in the breeder section? Also, there were a few YT breeders selling pups in FL (you can't go wrong with that ). Good luck!

[SBeckett668]

Welcome! Lots of good info here - agree with everything stated thus far. Do LOTS of research before you buy and make sure you feel comfortable with your breeder. They should have had their breeding stock tested for liver shunt prior to breeding and should be able to show you those test results if you are in doubt.

Yorkie's are wonderful little dogs - you can't help but fall in love with them!

[Christen10]

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

Welcome, Naomi. First of all, those are all EXCELLENT questions to be asking before getting a Yorkie. You should get lots of good advice. The 'teacup' question is one that always sparks debate. You will learn that there's no such thing as a 'teacup' Yorkie in the eyes of the American Kennel Club that registers them. A Yorkie is a Yorkie, and the 'standard' is 7 pounds and under. Many breeders today have taken to calling tiny ones 'teacups' because the Paris Hilton crowd thinks the tinier the better. Many -- and I won't say all -- YorkieTalkers think tiny is not better. They are prone to more illnesses, including liver shunt. There's another problem that I can't remember the name, but the skull does not fully develop and they can have a dangerous soft spot. I would advise that you look for a Yorkie whose breeder thinks she will grow to the 4 to 7 pound range. In my opinion, the bigger, the more durable they are. Mine are 9 pounds and 4 pounds, and I worry far less about the 9 pounder's safety.

I would encourage you not to buy from a Pet Store. They don't have good reputations for caring for their pups.

I'll let others tell you how to find a good breeder.

Again, welcome. Your college sounds like it rocks by allowing little dogs.

I think the word you are looking for is Font Nail. I think that is how its spelled. lol I had a very small Yorkie female with a font nail and the vet said there was nothing wrong with it. That like a baby it would grow together. You just have to be very careful with them like a baby until its fully developed. She was the best Yorkie I had ever had but that was also the Yorkie my dad sold behind my back. She was a sweet tiny baby. I miss Bridgette!

[Naomi]

Ok, i get most of that. but sorry if this sounds dumb, but whats liver shunt?

Also, i got a few books and all the yorkies have these looonnggg coats, they are very beautiful, but i dont think id be able to care for that. could i see the hair cuts you guys have ur yorkies in? i went to a couple of groomers and one of the really pretty ones wanted to know if i wanted to give my yorkie highlights or bangs?!

[MsCheryle478]

Welcome to YT Naomi. Great group of people here. I would also caution you NOT to buy from a Pet Store. In most cases they are puppymill babies. I have a puppymill baby and within the first few months of having her my vet bills were a whopping $1,000. Glad you are hear, learn all you can. I rushed into things and paid the price.

[Naomi]

OMG! I JUST LOOKED UP PUPPYMILLS AND OMG! SHOULDNT THAT TYPE OF THING BE ILLEGAL?! Y DOESNT EVERY1 KNOW ABOUT THIS?! Im completely shocked! i just thought pet store puppies where from breeders like the ones in newspapers and stuff.


i feel bad saying this.. but it kinda makes me wanna save all those puppies in the petshop

[Yorkieluv]

Liver shunt is a genetic disease...Unfortunately, I know many people whose yorkies have this condition. You just have to make sure the breeder that you choose has tested the sire and dam for this disease...

Basically, it means that there is a blood vessel that is causing the blood to bypass the liver. Therefore, the liver is not detoxifying the blood like it should before it goes into the rest of the dogs system.
When a dog ingests protein, the byproduct is ammonia which is filtered in the liver, but with a liver shunt, the ammonia is bypassing the liver and it's not being filtered. This can eventually cause the dog to head press, get seizures, become lethargic, get bladder stones, etc.
http://www.malteseonly.com/shunt2.html