Opinions please
 

I'm posting this here because I figure that you all know much more than I do about coats and I'm trying to learn. So, can you help me figure this coat out? It's not super thick, especially around her legs and face. And her ears are already tan/gold and the rest of her head and face are turning as well. The first picture is her at 8 weeks old. The rest are of her now at 14 weeks.

Coat looks like my Remi's. I'd say you have a silk coat there, could be slightly modified towards the hard side. If he's (or she's) starting to come in gold already you should have a nice rich adult coat color.

Ok, so I guess I need to understand the differences in silk coats. What you've said Tammy, is what I've been thinking about these pups. What is the difference between a hard silk and a regular silk? And for showing, which is preferred?

coat
 

Her coat looks silk and her eye flash is green also...I would restrain from cutting her ear furnishings so far back..it makes her ears look too severe. Just cut a third of the tip and let the rest grown and drape down.

Cookie Rogan explains the modifications in the silk coat and the grooming requirements really well on her website. It's Jon-An's Yorkies, she's at members.cox.net/jrogan/. She has alot of good info on there from showing to breeding to grooming. Give it a look see! A true silk is preferred for showing but you'd be surprised what can be done with grooming. :) :)

Thank you, I will definitely check it out!

Yes, I normally just trim the top 1/3. However, she had a little trouble with her ears going up so I shaved them completely. Even so, they are still up and down. Her sister is the same way.

I appreciate all her (very specific) grooming info, but didn't see where she described what a "modified" silk was?

Also, I was confused by this:

Thin?! I thought cotton coats were usually very thick??

She then goes on to describe a "wooly" coat, and that sounds like what my impression of a cotton coat has been.

I also got confused reading that.

I think I can understand what she meant by cottony coat which is thin and breaks easily.
My youngest has cottony coat. Although he is a huge ball of fur, his coat breaks so easily and not silky at all.
Cottony and coarse. I had a hard time maintaining long coat for him :(

She looks like a slow growing silk.
I visited your webpage and noticed you say you have show quality??
I notice a lot of breeders that have never shown are offering show quality pups? What gives with this?
How can you offer show quality when you have never shown etc?
I would be very leary of doing that because of all the lawsuits you are seeing these days about misrepresentations of dogs being sold etc. it kinda constitues on the side of fraudulent claims.

Juzme:aimeeyork

quality
 

If breeders offer AKC show pontentials, they are wise to actually get in the ring. Ther eis more to a show pups then what it looks like, that is not even the first thing I look for.....BUT if they are selling at a pet price and the buyer is willing to gamble, then I don't freak too much...remember there is a BIG different in a show potential and show quality...and I would ask for my money back if I did not get what I agreeded to buy.

PS...her legs remind me of a red legs Yorkie.

Pat,

I agree with you, breeders that offer AKC show potentials or show quality, should be and the ring and finished a Champions

Yes...I am confused...
 

Was there a concrete answer as to what type of coat is the best? And what is the difference.? I know the green eye thing.....I think....but, then if you have the green eyes, then there can be differences in silk too right?????

What is the difference if the eyes are green.....modified, hard, soft??? this is where I get confused.....

Also, lets throw color into the equation.....color breaking on the head.....I think Kim or Pat may have sent me something a while back that was helpful....but I cannot remember where I put it...LOL....

Any help is appreciated...

Another thing....
 

Do you state in your sales agreement if the puppy is "show quality" or show potential?....and where is the difference...


I told you I am a sponge....:D :D

Joan Gordon explains coat texture best. http://dandugmore.netfirms.com/color.html


Here's some info on the eye shine:

First Yorkies are almost "unique" in the dog world. They carry a silk gene, and if they are breed correctly carry 2 blue (bb) or 2 black genes (BB) and 2 progressive graying genes. In addition, they also have a delute gene.....this is what determines how light or dark the blue pigment color of the saddle is. When all these genes are present in the correct combination in one dog you have one beautiful animal. There's a lot more to this part of the blue coat.....but you need to read Dr. Little's "Inheritance of Coat Color in Dogs". He did much study on many breeds and although written long ago is still considered the bible of coat color in dogs.

The eye in all animals except pigs and man have a reflective layer along the back of the retina called the tapetum. This layer serves to reflect light to allow maximal usage of the available light. In some animals the tapetum is colored in others it is not.

The reddish color that you see in human eyes is the reflection of the blood vessels in the back of the eye because the tapetum is NOT colored. This is the same in the "red eye" of the Yorkie.

The blue and green you see in the Yorkie's are from a pigmentation in the tapetum -- how this relates to coats I am not sure.....but could be that pigmentation of the eye and coat texture are related genetically. Tapetums are very beautiful -- metallic, brilliant colors in most animals.

You can watch Yorkies, clipped down or in full coat, outside in the sunshine ... and you can easily separate them into two groups - those with a "blue cast" to the coat, and those with a "gold cast" to the coat.

Those with gold or bronze cast to the coat have eyes that reflect a flash bulb or flashlight with the "red eye" or "shiny" red reflection to the pupil.......no pigment.

Those blue cast dogs always seem to reflect blue or green from the pupil.....pigment.

The "red eye" dog has a thicker, softer, more opaque (not shiny silky) coat ... silky coated pups look kind of straggly.

What is going on is that those with the gold/bronze cast has LESS eumelanin (black) and more phaomelanin (yellow). Typically phaomelanin (yellow) does NOT get put in the tapetum. So NO tapetal pigment results in red color from the blood vessels. Whereas the blue cast dogs have more eumelanin resulting in a pigmented tapetum and the reflection that you see is bluish or green. It's very similar in chocolate and black Labs-- chocolate labs tend to have pale gold or red tapetums while the black labs have brilliant green and blue tapetums.

Again it has to do with overall production of melanin (pigment) and where it is put. It also has to do with whether the dog carries the genes for true blue, clerical blue or black AND whether they also carry the gene for progressive graying (delute). That is my explaination I have learned from study of the breed and genes and pigment.

Is it any wonder that Yorkies are difficult to breed to the standard......<

Ok.....
 

I got the eye thing....I think.....Let now pretend that I have 4 puppies.....(which you all know I don't have), but for the sake of learning about this coat thing....lets try this.....


Ok, hypothetically speaking....say you have 4 puppies

If you have green eyed pups, one with thick dark, and beaver, very shiny, looking straight hair...

and the other with black hair with less shine, a little different texture..looks thinner, but not at all thin...

and the third is little more wavy, lighter color...appears lighter in the saddle area...

The fourth has lighter coat., staight hair...more pewter looking color...green eyes....

Which one is the best coat for showing..?????Which one is the judge going to like?????


Ok....i know this is probably second nature....to most of you show gals, and one day it will be that way for me too....but, not yet....


Would you call each type a different type of coat, and what would they be??
For instance.....Puppy 1 is??????Puppy 2 is?????


Thanks,

Mary,...thanks for the coat article.
 

Thanks Mary,.....that should help me with my "scenerio".... I just have to break it down to "ENGLISH" LoL.:D :D :thumbup: :thumbup:

puppies
 

If you have 4 puppies of the texture and color you stated, then they are at least 6 months and perhaps closer to 12 months..none of these 4 can be 8/12 weeks..at that stage they are still very dark..at least they should be. If a puppy is breaking color at 12 weeks I find they get too light. Looking face on they may appear dark, but lift up the coat and look at the roots, epseically on the belly area. Better to have them break slowly over a peroid of 12 motnhs,.then they hold color better..at least males do..bitches tend to fade with hormones and heat..worse if bred, so most potentials are not breed until finished.

I like a Yorkie with blue skin...it has a bluish tinge to it. Those have a good deep blue in my line..if the skin is very light and pinkish, I know they will lighten too fast.
I will forever go by eye flash...and it does not have to be emerald green..some are yellowish green..many good slik coats have a wave while growing out, but they should not be curly..look at the back of the ear, at the roots, it gives you a glimpse of the true gold coming in...same on the legs..life the hair on the shoulder area..you will see true color breaking in those areas first..hips also (under hair close to body)

I would pick the best temperament, showy type, best structure and bite, good ear set top line..and not freak out if it is a bit too light or dark, just so the texture is good..I can work with color, but there is no compromising the other stuff...

I don't think you can break it down by coat texture and I'm not sure the puppy thing is a good scenario, just because you're speaking about puppies.......I'm just going tell you what my mentor has told me and I find it very true when in the ring. A judge is going to 1st put up their own personal preference.....it may not be coat and I hope it isn't just based on coat. Some judges do prefer darker coats and soft coated, some are into the light blue (which I hope a puppy wouldn't have). And some judges are looking at coat length.

I was in the ring with my class bitch, now a champion. With the most perfect silk medium blue silk coat. Beautifully structured, wonderful movement and expression. On each side of me were 2 black dogs. I have never felt so wierd, because the judge literally moved his head completely over me and looked at the 2 bitches on each side of me. What I'm saying is your dog is different, you'll be over looked.

Your little girl's coat, while sparse in many areas, does look to be a silky coat.

If you're selling a dog for Show it had better be show quality. That's why you hold them back alot longer than a companion yorkie, to assess them as they grow, make sure they don't fall apart and have all the right qualities.

puppy
 

I went to the posters web page and there is an updated photo. She does have a silk coat, leg hair has grown in well...as to being a show potential, I think you have decided not to show her, correct?

I believe the dog in questions name is "Blossom". If so, the poster has a photo of her clipped up into a puppy cut and so I'm guessing that she has decide not to show, at least not in conformation anyway.