hiya,i was told by someone on line recently,that it is totally acceptable for breed standard yorkies to have really mixed (in size) litters. including those huge yorkies that you see.

is this correct???

if so why  arent they breeding true to type?

also if this is "fact" why is the breed standard not changed to accodomate this size difference.

& finally are "big" yorkies still used in breeding programmes & what good does this do for the breed?

i know sod all about yorkies,but am interested in this situation.

that it is totally acceptable for breed standard yorkies to have really mixed (in size) litters

Yes acceptable but not desirable

if so why  arent they breeding true to type?

It is called nature & genetics otherwise if you wanted a Derby winning horse you would just need to breed togeher the winners of the Derby & the Oaks. It doesn't happen in every litter & often with minaturization larger off spring are often produced

why is the breed standard not changed to accodomate this size difference.

Because they are a "toy" breed if you changed the breed standard to accommodate very size & shape of dog you wouldn't have a breed standard, they describe the"perfect"dog not every dog of a breed

are "big" yorkies still used in breeding programmes & what good does this do for the breed?

Not by responsible breeders but their are what are described as "brood"bitch type bitches which are bitches within the breed standard at the highest end of acceptable weight range. BTW most really huge Yorkies are bred from pet parents whose owners have been sold the oversized puppies as pets & who know litter or nothing about the correct size of the breed

Just like my friends Great Danes one of whom is the size of a greyhound she's from normal sized parents & is just a smaller version

if they arent breeding true to type surely thats not a good state for a breed to be in?

people on here (show/breed people) are always drumming it in to us (that know less) how important it is for there to be "type"  & if  big yorkies are popping out from tiny parents,how can this be  a good thing?& true to type..IF the show /breed type standard is under a certain size????? (unless big ones "have to be used" to stop the breed getting too small for example?)

am i making any sense????

You're making perfect sense! :)  But I think that you'll find that within well bred litters, (I have a friend who has been breeding Yorkies for 40 years) there are some pups a little bigger, which will be used as broods or put in pet homes, and some that are a little smaller, which will be shown and used at stud - the males are usually smaller than the females to regulate the size and make for easy whelpings.  So the pups will be all be around the breed standard, just at different ends of it.  Does that make sense?

The breed is still relatively new, just over 100 years I think, and was a mixture of 3 different breeds, which can still emerge to a degree all these generations later if the breeder doesn't know what is behind their lines.

The donkey sized Yorkies that you see around are invariably from pet matings where people with no knowledge about what is behind their dogs and bitches are mating big (often with big behind them) to more big (often with big behind them again).  These often have floppy ears, long tails and woolly coats to add to the picture! :(  In the parlour pet owners often ring for an appointment for their 'miniature' or 'standatd sized' Yorkie, with no understanding that there is only one size that they should be!

It would be unhealthy to breed from the very tiny bitches which sometimes occur - a breeder with a love of the breed will often use a top-size (within standard!) bitch with a smaller dog to try to make sure that the general size doesn't creep up.

thanks you too! that does make sense.

So would a "proper" breeder ever use a OVER size(note not just "top" size) bitch for a show litter?

too add, are "bigger" bitches used to ensure more pups? for puppy farmers/backyard breeders?

do small yorkies (not tiny ,but normal breed standard ones) have trouble whelping/small litters?

I'd have said it was unlikely. The bitch would have to be otherwise absolutely stunning, and be from a long line of within-standard size animals (likewise the dog) to take the risk.

I reputable breeder would use a 7lb bitch for breeding with a 4-5lb dog! :)  If they used a 7lb male with a beautiful 5lb bitch, chances are that she would need a caesarian and therefore not be desirable.  I've never known my friend keep a Yorkie over 7lb, let alone mate it! :)

cool,that clears alot up

A lot of Yorkies I see these days are really CAIRN terriers bred by puppy farmers!! Ideally the bitches are a bit bigger than the males, can't tell you how many people ask to use the boys, then 'confess' they have a MINIATURE(WHATEVER!! they are!!!) bitch and they're NOT happy to be told having a litter will KILL their bitch! I don't know why we get a variety of sizes in litters, just genetics I suppose, but the puppy farmers WANT big bitches so they can breed them willy nilly and make money!

I think you'd find that most wellbred litters of Yorkies do generally breed true to type. There were less than 4000 Yorkies KC Reg in 2004 - just imagine how many "pet" litters are bred & it's been like that for many years> So many so-called Yorkies are anything but. :rolleyes:

One that I babysat once looked liek she was half dacshund, she was so long and had flopy ears.  She was black and Tan.

Now you see Yorkies with grey top coats, balck topcoats, but not often are the giants the proper blue and tan.