Trying To Find the Right Breeder
A Task Easier Said Than Done

I hope you will find this guide of information helpful in finding the perfect breeder for your family.  With a little patience, common sense, and instinct, you WILL find your perfect puppy!
Signs of a Responsible Breeder:

1) They will answer a buyer's questions.
Do not be afraid to ask questions.  A good breeder will expect this.

2) They guarantee their pups free of genetic diseases common in the yorkie breed and replace the pup if any such disease appears.

3) They allow the breeding females to recover sufficiently from one breeding before doing another.
Beware of breeders who always have puppies.  This is a bad sign.

4) They keep puppies they cannot place.
They do NOT sell them to pet shops or puppy brokers.

5) They consider the puppies they produce to be their responsibility for the life of that puppy, so they follow-up with the homes of their dogs.

6)  They care who they are selling their puppies to, and want to know as much about you as you want to know about them.

7) The breeder will give you written instructions for feeding and care of your puppy, as well as a period of time to have the puppy checked over by your own veterinarian.

8) They will be able to show you a clean environment where the puppies and adults are kept, as well as show you both the sire and dam of the litter.

9) They will require a spay/neuter contract for pet quality puppies.

10)  They will provide you with all medical records for your puppy from their veterinarian.
Signs of a Bad Breeder, Puppy Broker, and/or Puppy Mill:

1) The seller doesn't ask any questions about yourself or how the puppy will be raised.
They don't care who they sell to, as long as they get the money...

2) The parents of the puppy are not on site.

3) The seller will not let you see the kennel.

4) The seller is breeding more than one breed of dog.
Huge red flag for puppy mills!

5) The seller always has puppies available.

6) The seller is not forthcoming about any genetic problems the breed might have, the names of previous puppy buyers, and/or vet references.

7) The seller is willing to place the puppy before ten weeks of age.
Especially dangerous for yorkies, that is the critical time for socialization with littermates.

8) The dogs are raised outdoors.

9) The seller says all of their pups are high quality.
Remember, there is no such thing as the perfect dog and no one has perfect lines.

10) Seller is not concerned whether or not buyers can afford to properly care for pups.

11) Does no genetic testing; ignorantly breeds defective animals or those which are carriers, thus, perpetuating disease in breed.

12) The "breeder" has no documentation and cannot provide a pedigree.




First, NEVER buy a puppy on the internet!  Many breeders will have websites but do not sell their puppies on them, only show pictures of their dogs.  The best place I can tell you to look for breeders is at http://www.ytca.org/breeder3.html.  They are highly screened and are very reputable to be listed with the YTCA.  If you do look on Puppyfind, just please be careful!  There are many bad breeders who list there, as well as many puppy brokers, and even some who have been
known to take peoples money and not give a puppy.  I found a good breeder on there, they do have some, you just have to know what to look for.  As I'm sure you know stay away from anyone who does not have parents on site or who advertises "teacup" yorkies.  THERE IS NO
SUCH THING AS A TEACUP, and they are just raising the price for smaller pups who are often sickly and not bred correctly.  If a breeder tells you they will definitely be a teacup, thats a huge red flag because that is obviously not a reputable breeder who would tell you
such a thing.  Breeders will say "these puppies are teacup" and that makes people want them when in reality they are just normal yorkies. If the seller always has puppies thats also a big red flag.  What I did trying to find a puppy I emailed everyone on there I thought looked reputable and sent them all the same generic message about what I was looking for, what my expectations were, as well as asked them several questions about their breeding practices. Many people are tempted to buy from bad breeders because they think the price is better, but in the long run you WILL pay the difference because I can guarentee you puppies from bad breeders DO have problems, even if they look healthy when you buy them. Please do not hesitate if you have any more questions or want me to look at a breeders site for you!
Reasons NOT to buy from Pet Stores:

1) HEALTH! There is a HUGE chance that the pet store puppy will develop a health problem sometime in its life that will cost you a lot of money, and you can guarentee the pet store won't help you with the cost.

2) LACK OF INFORMATION: Employees of pet stores generally know very little about the dogs that are in the store.  You have no idea about the pup's lineage, who the breeder is, what kind of genetic problems it might have, which puppy mill it came from, etc.

3) NO SOCIALIZATION: This puppy that you are buying from a pet store has spent its life in a cage. It is almost certainly never seen carpet and may never have seen grass or dirt. They have been forced to eliminate in the same area that they sleep and eat. This is obviously a bad start to life as well as housetraining.

4) SUPPORTING PUPPYMILLS: Almost all puppies that are in pet stores come from puppy mills. These operations are exactly what the name implies. They mass produce puppies with the prime motive as money. Their breeding dogs are kept in very poor conditions and are often malnourished.