So you want to breed your Yorkie

10 Reasons NOT to Breed:

1- Don't Breed your dog if your goal is for any reason other than advancing the breed.  Finanacial gain as a reason is unacceptable.  Responsible breeders stand behind every puppy in their litters, ensuring that each dog has a forever home with them should they ever need to be returned.

2.  Don't Breed  if you do not have the physical and financial resources to keep every puppy --whether the litter produces one puppy or 10 puppies -- in case you are unable to place them in responsible and appropriate homes.

3.  Don't Breed just because your neighbor likes your dog and wants a puppy from him/her.  There is no guarantee that your dog will pass it's looks, temperament, or personality along to its offspring.

4.  Don't Breed if you have not don't the appropriate health checks on the prospective parents.  Diseases are rampant in the dog world.  Without the due diligence up front, you increase the odds of breeding offspring with undesirable, inheritabe conditions that could have been avoided.

5.  Don't Breed if you are not informed.  Know the ins and outs of the type of care that both the puppies and their mother will need.  Puppy care can easily take many long hours each day.

6.  Don't Breed if you don't know a thing about socialization.  Puppies need introduction and exposure to household noises, children, dogs, and a variety of experiences to build the strong confidence and character that will make them good members of society.

7.  Don't breed dogs with poor temperament just because they are structuarlly "a good example of the breed'.  Conversely dogs that are not structurally sound will pass their physical flaws to their offspring.

8.  Don't Breed if you don't realize that you are putting the life of your dog at risk.  Yes, my friend, some bitches die in the process of whelping puppies, to say nothing of the fact that the puppies often die too!

9.  Don't Breed  just becuase you think if would be good "sex education" for your children.  If something goes wrong if can traumatize a child.  Children can get good education from watching Animal Planet.  There's no need to put their own beloved pet at risk.

10.  Don't Breed if you are willing to let your pups go to just anyone who comes along. You need to consider lifestyle and financial resources of any prospective family and then make the appropriate match, which may include no match at all!   Don't be afraid to reject prospective adopters if they're not quilified to be puppy parents.  Good breeders take responsiblitiy for every pup in their litters.  Written by Dobie Houson

Reasons why you shouldn't breed your Yorkie Breeding Dogs is Expensive Breeding can be expensive and repsonsible breeders generally do not make money on breeding a litter.  If anything they are in the black after breeding a litter.  There is the purchase of a 'breeding' quality female, the health testing, the pre-pregnancy exams by the vet, the extra supplements and food she will consume not to mention missed work to meet heat cycle target days with the stud, missed work around her due date and if anything (God forbid) should go wrong with the litter.  Here are some amazing links that break down the costs for you. O'Mal Malamutes Cost of Raising a Litter Leema Kennel I haven't raised any money from breeding Cryslen Kennels Cost of Raising a Responsibly Bred Litter Good Dog What actually goes into the cost of a puppy from a responsible breeder Powder Mals Cost of a Well Bred Puppy

I want my kids to experience the miracle of birth Oftentimes puppies are whelped in the middle of the night.  Sometimes puppies can come out still born (dead), sometimes they come out and need a helping hand to get going, which can be scary and confusing for young children.  Birthing puppies is a messy undertaking there will be green fluids, blood, and placentas coming out of her.  What if something goes wrong and your dog requires a C-Section?  What if something goes wrong and you end up losing your beloved family pet during or after the whelping process, how will you explain that?  It happens.  It's a part of breeding.  There are many YOUTube videos on the Miracle of Birth that you can watch or Animal Planet for that matter.  Don't risk your dogs life just to teach your child.

I want another dog just like mine! If you are breeding to get another dog 'just' like yours most oftentimes while they may have some charactertistcs of the mom they also will have characteristics of the dad.  Our yorkies are siblings from the same litter yet are polar opposites in personality and temperament.  You will have to find a male who has a similar personality as your female which is often luck of the draw as Studs can be slim pickings in this breed.   If you want a dog 'just like mine' go back to the breeder you got your dog from.

My Friend Wants a Puppy! More often than that by the time you have a litter your friend who once said this will be 'no where to be found'.  If your friend wants a puppy direct them to the breeder you got your dog from.  Leave breeding to the professionals.  Don't breed for greed, don't breed to supply a false demand.  Don't risk your dogs life for naught.

Every Bitch Should have a litter This simply is not true.  Did you know that EVERY single heat cycle your dog goes through increases their chance of developing cancer later on in life?  Bitches are not improved by having a litter.  Oftentimes having a litter can make them crabby (during the whelping/rearing) process and your sweet dog will be nothing like the dog you are used to.  If they do change once the puppies are out of the house they oftentimes go back to the same old dog they had.  Having puppies does not change their personalities.  Not to mention unspayed females are also prone to getting pyometra which can be a deadly infection they get in their uterus.

Final Thoughts As a responsible breeder dedicated to the yorkie breed I leave you with this.  Yorkies should only be bred to improve the breed.  You should only be breeding if you are willing take full responsibility for the puppies you bring into this world for life.  They are your responsibility no matter what.  Yorkies are a delicate breed, oftentimes needing a C-Section which when done under emergency circumstances can be upward of $3200.00 at an Emergency Clinic.  Do you have that set aside for an emergency?  Are you prepared for that?  We breed to better the breed through stringent health testing protocols, puppy rearing techniques and through looks by breeding only dogs who fit the AKC Breed Standard.  We have been breeding dogs for over 20+ years and have seen the good, bad and the ugly.  We have lost puppies and had to have C-Sections.  We have had to stay up all night with a whelping bitch just to make sure she was okay and didn't have complications.  Breeding is not for the light of heart.  Make sure you think it through.