You should be able to find alot of resources and excellent shows in Fl. My Connor is a Florida boy. I would highly recommend attending the Specialty in NY. I went last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was just starting to show and had the honor of standing ringside with Mary Lundgren. She was kind enough to share her observations with me and to introduce me to some very nice people. You learn so much from observing and asking questions. You'd be surprised how many people are willing to teach a teachable spirit. I've had Barbara Beissel show me the correct rear angulation and how a good front looks and effects movement. Georgette Franzoni has been kind enough to teach me to evaluate coat color and texture in a puppy. Suzie Keller (Monteque) has worked with me on stacking and shown me tricks to get a puppy to stack well. The education is out there, you just have to pursue it.
As far as Halston goes, he does look a bit high in the withers. It could be that it is course bone, poor layback of shoulder, an improper stack or the angle of the camera. You can't always tell a good front without your hands on the dog and being able to see the movement. Alot can be hidden by coat and a hard stack. Your best bet is to get to know the breeders, get your hands on the dog, and watch them move.

Where in Alabama are you located?

I am going to order that book today! I would not know how to begin to show a dog. If my plan works and the pups turn out great as evaluated by someone like you all, then I can be a co owner,right? I do understand a little how things work but it was sad in some of the earlier posts how people were saying they were snubbed. I am an optomist and until I go to a show and actually experience negatives, I won't take that to heart. I know I have stepped on some toes but I really don't mean to do anything detrimental to this interesting and special breed.
Aren't you all angry that a Yorkie hasn't won in so long Best in Show? I forget how many years it has been , but it seemed like alot . Tyava might break that trend.

The ABC's of Dog Breeding by Claudia Waller Orlandi is a great book as well. Though not specific to the yorkie it contains excellent information on genetics as well as anatomy, culling, ethics, pedigree evaluation, breeding systems, and modes of inheritance. The Illustrated Discussion of the Yorkshire Terrier by YTCA is an absolute must have!

Lady Hawk, your experience sounds like a dream! I don;t know who those people are but will look them up! I called the Pennsylvania Hotel across from gardens, they have rooms and let dogs stay but dang they are expensive. Still want to go tho. Will ask hubby tonight . I will be SURE to make the Specialty show.
Do non show dogs get to go into the Gardens in carriers of course?
I live in a little town one hr out of bham. gadsden
but we have intentions of retiring to Destin, FL.

I don't know about the Garden but I do know that the New Yorker ( where the Specialty is held) allows dogs. There were several dogs at the specialty that were not being shown. There are venders where you can buy some great things as well.

You need to check this site out,
It is the Kennel Club for Birmingham, you should get in contact with these people this would be your best first step to get involved and ask if you can go and watch their confirmation training classes. This will help you to get to know people in your area.

Birmingham Kennel Club, Inc.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I would love to just handle yorkies but with a full time job and many handlers in my area, alittle hard to get yorkies to show LOL....but that's ok I'll get there one day when I prove myself in the ring and that takes time. I have finished my first homebred champion from the bred by class and I finished Radar by myself so I do know I can finish a yorkie :) They have to be a good representation for me to show them but it will come in time and with patience :) I have all the time in the world to learn and keep doing what I love :) I'm showing one of Radar's breeders bitches and I've been working really hard with her and to have Kay Joiner tell me that I've done wonders with her is an amazing compliment! I just love Kay Joiner :) She's someone I love learning from :)

Donna Bird
Brooklynn's Yorkshire Terriers

I'm sorry you felt made fun of, as I was not doing so... when I put LOL somewhere it's to keep things light hearted, not meant as laughing at someone. I have found nothing yet in this thread to be funny.

No one has told you to start with inferior dogs, and work your way up.. you've missed my point entirely there. The point is to LEARN everything you possibly can (which could take decades) from people exhibiting yorkies, not the people breeding pet yorkies. Learn about the standard, learn about health issues and how they are inherited, learn to be able to see a dog and know it's a well put together dog, and why.. and vice versa one who is not, and why.. learn to do this with your eyes and your hands, learn about pedigrees and bloodlines, and what works with what and what doesn't work. Learn what the flaws in your own dogs are so you can learn to choose a sire that will hopefully help to correct them. Learn about breeding and raising yorkies from an exhibitor, not a breeder who is not an exhibitor...go to shows, LOTS of shows, you don't have to talk to anyone at first, just watch. Buy a catalog and make notes in that catalog about what you're seeing. Do you see a dog crossing over in front? Write it down, do you see a downfaced muzzle? write it down.. even if you dont know what something is called, and the dog just doesn't look right to you, write it down..don't share this book with the exhibitors as you'll hurt their feelings and really tick some people off, then you'll get nowhere. Come home and talk to who will be hopefully your mentor and discuss what you saw at the show, why you liked the dog who won, who it was, what you didn't like, and let them explain things to you...why you saw what you saw, what creates that problem..how to avoid that problem..what lines do and don't have that problem. If you can do this for a few YEARS, under the guidance of a mentor...then you are headed in the right direction. That's what climbing the ladder is all about...it's about learning, not breeding. You have to be very humble, and very willing to listen and learn...breeding doesn't start by buying a dog with the parts to do it with, no matter how beautiful.. breeding starts with learning every last detail possible in not only what you're doing, but about the breed as a whole, and specificly about the dogs you're choosing to breed. How many times do we see people posting for help with newborn puppies on this forum? They've never bred before, they have no idea what they're doing because they didnt bother to learn, and now they're in trouble... you don't want to be one of those people, do you?

I'm sorry for coming off as so abrasive yesterday. I have a tremendous amount of love and passion for this breed, and when I see someone I feel being a detriment to it, it really gets me as we say in the south "fired up". :) I hope you will take the advise of everyone on this forum and spend a lot of time learning, and put your plans to breed on a very far back burner.

I wanted to address something else you'd said about not wanting to be on a waiting list for your girl... Breeding requires TREMENDOUS patience. It is so not an instant gratification kind of thing...neither is getting the perfect (in your mind) little girl. Because we who breed for show dogs do not breed for small "cutesy" girls, it takes a while before we will get one. I've only had two EVER that would have fit the criteria you were probably looking for, because it's simply not what I breed for.. so if I get one, I consider it to be a failure on my part. the point is, it takes time to get what you want.. and if it's worth it, you'll put in that time. Do you not think we breeders aren't on a constant waiting list per se? I want a gorgeous new show puppy... so what do I do? I have to WAIT until I make one that is as close enough to my vision (and the yorkie standard!) as possible. I am SO Picky this could take me a very long time.. lol I have a litter due on Christmas that could very well bring me exactly what I want (and with my luck they'll be gorgeous, and all be boys!!!!).. so lets look at the time invested so far.. bitch's first litter.. so 2 years to raise the bitch, 2 months of pregnancy.. then once they're born, I'm going to put in another 8 or 9 months or longer to determine if what I've bred, and kept as potential is actually my next show dog or not... so when you add that up that's almost THREE YEARS I'm waiting for my next show puppy...and even still there's no guarantee I'm going to get what I want.. if the genetic dice don't roll the way I anticipate they will, then I'm back to square one. So the point is, great things... are worth waiting for.

I hope you'll take all of this into consideration...and just go on a mission to LEARN.

Best of luck to you!

Donna, I think that's FANTASTIC.. You are an inspiration to me, who is a TERRIBLE handler and a TERRIBLE groomer (LOL).. that maybe I just need to get out there and DO IT more often and maybe I won't be so terrible after a while.. lol Having a baby really through a wrench into my ability to owner handle, but he's getting older now (2 next month!) and my ability to get away more often will increase sooner than later. I found that when Hurrah finished, I had this strange feeling of incompleteness. It took some serious soul searching to figure out what the heck was my problem.. and I realized I didn't feel fufilled because I didn't owner handle him..wow I'm actually choking back tears here.. I realized I had more joy in the day I realized he was actually GOING to be my first champion and I had produced what I felt like was an incredible dog than the day he actually finished. I never once got to see him show, other than his first 2 puppy shows where I owner handled him (badly..lol).. and it hit me that I need the satisfaction of doing it myself more than I needed the satisfaction of finishing the dog. So now as I set goals for myself.. 1st champion.. check, Top 10 Yorkie...check...1st homebred champion.. check.. now it's first OWNER HANDLED homebred champion! Whew...I have to admit, I'm terrified, but so very motivated..and it's people like you who are doing it that are my motivation, so thank you. :)

Becki

By the way, I really love Hurrah. He reminds me a bit of Stratford's Diamond Jim with a bit more substance, just my kinda guy!!
I have to agree, my goal is a bred by champion. At the moment my sights are set on Gidget but as you stated you never know. The next year will tell. You should come east and show with us in Salem next year. We had a ball at the Mardi Gras party this year and next year I'm determined to do the ChaCha slide!

Thank you :) I can say this tho....I will always finish from now on my own yorkies and not hire a handler but not to say I won't hire one to special one until I get known in the ring and my face gets out there when I do finish my own or others dogs. It's just a goal I have and I know I will achieve in time and with patience :) Like I said I am still learning and growing and still have lots of knowledge to gain. I have wonderful people here to help me learn and encourage me and one is Kay Joiner and she takes time to explain to me what I need to look for and I guess one of the best compliments I've gotten from her was she loved my grooming skills LOL coming from her that's a HUGE compliment I think ;)

Donna

No one has EVER complimented my grooming skills!! LOL I am not as lucky as you.. I've litterally had NO mentor, and the closest other yorkie person to me is 3 hours away, so I have had the cards stacked against me since the beginning..but determination is an amazing thing, and I have PLENTY of that. :) My next one out will likely have to go to Trish as she will be ready before I will...but the NEXT ONE will be up to me, I've made that promise to myself, and will stand behind it. It's so difficult to be able to get away as not only do I have to trust my hubby to take care of the munchkin, I have to trust him to take care of the dogs.. he's NOT a dog person, doesn't know any of their names, much less how to care for them.. and it's not easy to try to take care of them AND Mason even for me. When I went to the KY specialty last March I actually TOOK mason (omg..I will never do that again!! lol) and all hubby had to do was feed, water, and let out the dogs every few hours...oh yes, and pick up poop! LOL I got home to find plenty of poop, and my dogs so thirsty you'd think they'd been in the desert, and I was only gone 24 hours. Apparently I needed to specify how MUCH water to give them..argh! lol One show I went to a few years ago before Mason was born and left him in charge of the dogs (this time for 2 days) I had my first litter of puppies on the ground.. mom came and went as she pleased out of the xpen as the pups were about 9 weeks old. I got home to find the top of the expen was closed.. mom was dried up, he had inadvertantly weaned my puppies for me, thank GOD he fed them and they were eating crunchy kibble well. He said he didn't know which one was the mom, they all looked alike to him... LOL (hmm.. the one crying to get in with her babies with MILK..first clue???) So I'm seriously thinking I need to find better kennel help.. lol Oh well, we all have our challenges. I will eventually overcome mine.. LOL

Becki

Thanks Tami, I really love Hurrah too. :) I've never seen Diamond Jim in person, but I'll accept that as a compliment.. :) Hopefully I'll get to get Hurrah out and play with him a little as a special..nothing serious, just for fun and then you can meet him in person. Are you referring to Salem VA, or Winston Salem NC? There will be no cha cha anything for me.. my cha cha days were over after my 3rd child.. LOL! :)

Becki