Breeding question...?

Question

Okay, now before I get all the lectures about breeding, please read my entire question! I am 31 years old. I would like to educate myself on good breeding. So when all of the kids are grown and gone and we don't have 4 other animals, I can focus 100% of my time on breeding quality yorkies. I recently got one and thought about breeding her, but ended up doing the responsable thing and having her spayed. I plan on starting of small, investing in 2 quality Yorkies and starting from there. I have at least 10 years to educate myself about this and am simply asking how I go about learning. All good breeders started off having "just started". I am not in it for the money, in fact, I plan on not charging the ridiculous prices some people have the nerve to charge for these dogs! So I am simply asking for the possible future.

Answer 1

Congrats to you for wanting to educate yourself! Shadow Man has a very good answer, I think.

I just wanted to comment on your statement that you won't charge the ridiculous prices. I think you should rethink this. By charging a high price, you (almost) restrict the buyers to only those who are serious and know what they're getting into and will treat their investment/pet properly. If you have prices that are too low, you will probably have quite a few potential buyers who won't be good for the dogs.

You should always verify that the buyer will be a good owner, but I think you'll have to concentrate on this even more if your prices are lower than average.

Answer 2

QUOTE
"in fact, I plan on not charging the ridiculous prices some people have the nerve to charge for these dogs"
You will, because you will need to in order to break even by the time you are ready to breed.

What you will want to do is when you are ready get a dog that is not neutered so that you can show it. Doesn't really matter the quality or the breed because this is your dog to learn with, remember tho' that this dog will live for 10 years or more however.
With this dog in tow, you will want to join an "All Breed Club", this will be the club that hosts your local dog show. The information you will get from the members of your local club will be imposable to get from any other source.
You will then want to join a Yorke specialty club, and these will be the people that you will learn about your specific breed from. Over years of PARTICIPATION you will develop a small network of other Yorke breeders to trade breedings with.
What you will eventually want to do is through this network find a "foundation *****" to base your line on. This will normally be a retired female owned and titled by a friend in your network.

good luck

Answer 3

http://www.akc.org/breeders/resp_breeding/Articles/breeder.cfm

Here is a link to the AKC website which gives guidelines on ethical and responsible breeding. This is a really good place for you to start.

I am in exactly the same place as you, I would like to breed Border Collies some day, but it's at least 6-10 years down the line before I get to that point. We got a female puppy this summer, but I decided she's my "learning" dog and I had her spayed. So with her, we are persuing obedience training, plan to get into agility and even want to have a go at herding with her. This is the first extensive training I've ever done, and I have so much to learn. So she's the dog that will help me by participating with her in classes and eventually competitions.

In the classes my Border Collie and I attend, we are making good friends and connections in the world of dogs. We are meeting other people who are just as passionate about it and this has been great. I have been sponsored to join our local Obedience Club and should be officially a member by the next meeting. I'm also planning to join the Agility Club as well.

I am also keeping my eye out for a reputable breeder of BC's who might be willing to mentor me in the directions of learning about breeding. Ideally, I'd prefer to make a connection such as this at least 2 yrs before I'd want to have the first litter. I think this would also be a great idea for you and becoming a member of a Yorkie Club would put you into touch with some reputable breeders who might be willing to give you some proper guidance on this. For me, when I look for a mentor, I will find one who adheres to the guidelines on the link above.

You're doing this right by wanting to take the time to do the proper research to get you in the right direction. Everyone has to start somewhere and I feel that as long as a commitment to responsible and ethical breeding is there, then good things will come from it.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

I wouldn't start with two dogs. If you have a quality dog, and you network yourself among other Yorkie folks (at dog shows or other Yorkie club events), they will approach you about breeding your dog to theirs. They'll explain to you why (or why not) they want to use your dog, and you'll learn more about health issues in the lines, temperament, genetics, etc than you ever would with two dogs in your own home. Be prepared to travel a bit, and latch onto someone who you regard as an expert in the breed who can mentor you in all of this (dog folks love to take people under their wings). During this time, you'll learn from breeder's experiences, and you'll also build a base of potential puppy people. Also, look for a blog of Yorkie breeders on-line. Read their posts and you'll learn tons of information there.
Most of all, keep it fun and non-business like. Remember, you're doing this for the good of the breed and not your wallet.

Added:
Most breeders I know never intended to be breeders. It was through active participation in breed related events (over many years) that they eventually became breeders.

Answer 5

Ask several vet's for recommendations on responsible dog breeding literature, specifically on Yorke's. Make sure the material is current as new genetic illnesses are popping up all the time, or some times the breed has gone bad due to over breeding and inbreeding, this can result in biological illnesses, training and temperament problems.

Good luck, it's good to see that there are people out there willing to do their homework before taking on such a responsible task.

Answer 6

The best advice you will find is in a mentor. Find a Yorkie breeder that you trust and build a friendship with them. There is no amount of money equal to experience. It just cant be bought. Find a breeder willing to let you learn, help you, and quide you through it. Just being around the things that can and do go wrong will give you a heads up when you have yoru first litter. My first litter of Bulldogs, after studying them 3 years, mentoring over a year and raising one from a puppy, left me with losing all 6 puppies. There is nothing perfect or easy about this. The puppies over heated when the heating pad didnt kick down and I had the sheet over the crib, just like I was told by the vet. We lost all 6. That was after C-Section, A-I, and pulling the puppies to feed every 2 hours so the mother couldnt lay on them. Bulldogs are hard to raise. We were prepared. There is nothing that could prepare us for losing them. We sat us 3 days straight making sure everything was perfect. We layed down 2 hours in the livingroom and lost them. We now have them in a crib by our bed when we have babies. There is nothing you can read or experience to prepare you like the first litter. Good luck and try the mentor along with read everything, even if it is about other breeds. READ READ EDUCATE!

Answer 7

Your best bet is to learn what not to do for now. You say you are not starting now so get involved with yorkie rescue. 823,000 hits in this search.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=yorkie+rescue

Others that have been with the breed for ever and some may be breeders. These are people that will know the breed. You will be able to get a true idea of the horrible things that are done to this breed and you can use this time to help protect them from people that are out to make the buck.

I do want to warn you rescue can be extremely heartbreaking but you will be adamantly against poor breeders and my find you can benefit the breed in many other facets in the mean time.

A few current homeless death row yorkies:

http://search.petfinder.com/search/search.cgi

I hope you do the right thing for the breed. Yorkies are completely dependent on the kindness of humans help them.

Answer 8

I would invest in a few good books about breeding and about Yorkies. Not only will you be able to learn the basics of the breeding process, but you'll know enough of the ins and outs of the breed itself to identify possible shortcomings in each dog.

You should also begin looking at the equipment you'll be needing as some may be expensive. I'd recommend setting a time aside to visit another local breeder to see how they handle their business. (You may want to avoid visiting a Yorkie breeder as they will see you as competition and might not be very forthcoming about their system).

I wish you luck; I understand that a lot of people have problems with the breeding process and the abundance of animals in need of adoption, but I purchased my puppy (havenese) from a breeder and he has been a wonderful addition to my life.

Good Luck!

Answer 9

First, make sure you buy Yorkies that have papers because once the paper trail is lost, it's lost forever. Here are some things to keep in mind: read about proper vaccinations as to when to give them their shots to keep them healthy, especially from Parvo. Shots can be purchased without a vet, but they must be refrigerated. Any shot that's not refirgerated doesn't hurt them, it's just non-effective. Doing it yourself helps keep your cost down. Some Yorkies have their tails docked. My suggestion is don't, but if you do, you must do it within 3-5 days after birth and don't get them too short! Be prepared to put up with alot for 2-3 weeks when the pups become active but too young to adopt out. Around 4-5 weeks of age, start them on water and puppy food from a dish. This makes an easier transition for the owner and the pup. Make sure you put Mommy on dog food high in vitamins and protein when she's pregnant and after birth. It's best to have a vet aware of the pregnancy and on standby in case of an emergency that you can't handle yourself. Remember, dogs give birth by nature so don't feel like you need to play a big roll, just give her privacy and make her feel comfortable. All of this information is on the internet, just type in the question. You could also contact a Yorkie breeder from the internet and ask them their experiences and suggestions; a good breeder should always be willing to help. Good luck!

Answer 10

Ten years is a good start. Contact www.akc.org, learn the standard, join a club, research research research, get a mentor. Don't enter this world with the intent to breed, enter as one that loves the animal. Who knows maybe you could get involved with handling or show events? Once your in to it you may change your mind about breeding.