South East Texas Yorkies

Choosing a puppy

What am I looking for :

 Buying a puppy is a long term commitment.  The first question a buyer should ask is, “what is the puppy’s purpose.”   It is a family pet, breeder, or show dog.  Once that is out of the way, do your research. Be familiar with the standards of AKC and YTCA.  By doing this, you will be able to recognize good quality puppies.  Also, think about the environment in which the dog will live.  A hearty, healthy dog does much better with kids and other animals than a shaky shy purse puppy.  However, you may be looking for a dog small enough to have as a travel companion. 

Where do I find a quality puppy:

Once you have decided on your expectations, contact several area breeders and visit their kennels.  Many good quality breeders will invite you out even if they don’t have any puppies available.  Most breeders are good sources for information.  They will also enjoy talking forever about their dogs and kennels.  Many breeders have a network in which they will call on in the event they don’t have puppies available.  Be aware of breeders who have negative things to say about other breeders.  We know the breeders we recommend personally.   We visit with them, visit their kennels, and know their stock. Many buyers wait months for their personal Yorkie to be born.  We prefer to breed only when we have good quality homes already available for our puppies.   If you decide you really like a kennel and breeder, be patient, wait on the perfect puppy. 

What traits do I look for:

Most breeders keep their puppies between 10 and 15 weeks of age. At these ages the puppy is only 1/3 to 1/2 it’s adult size.  No breeder can accurately guarantee size, temperament, and characteristics of an adult.  To help in choosing the traits you would like, a buyer needs to see the sire and the dam of the puppy. If the sire and the dam are the quality of an adult Yorkie you want then you have a greater chance that the Yorkie puppy will also be the quality you want as an adult. You will find times that the sire is not on the premises and this is not uncommon because breeders will often use another one’s stud to improve their own Yorkie line. If the dam isn’t there, it probably isn’t worth your time.  Also, seeing related dogs can help.  Puppies from previous litters often carry the same traits.  When we want to acquire new dogs, we view the kennel as a whole. We like seeing the entire breeder’s stock. If all of the stock is of high quality you just have a better chance of getting what you want. There still isn’t any guarantee; you just are increasing the odds in your favor.   I’m not always sold on pedigree as being a huge factor in purchasing a pet quality puppy. Sometimes pedigree can help if you see champions in the 1^st few generations of any particular line.  We often improve our line from time to time with the use of champion dogs.  If you are looking for a show quality puppy, that is a whole other topic.  You will have to wait to purchase the dog between 6 mo. to 9 mo. old to have any idea what you are getting.

Temperament:

Temperament is also a very important issue.  Remember, just like kids, not all puppies are going to run up to play.  Some are shyer than others.  AKC gives limited verbage on temperament stating: “The dog's high head carriage and confident manner should give the appearance of vigor and self-importance.”  We believe yorkies that are overtly shy and “shaky” or scared tend to be prone to more health issues than robust, confident puppies.  Look for puppies that exhibit a playful, yet confident attitude.  When buyers visit our kennel, we place the buyer and the puppies only in a large area.  We encourage the buyer to interact with the puppies and let the at be the judge of the puppies that peak interest rather than choosing only out of female or male, large or small.  Which brings us to male or female….

Male Yorkie vs. Female Yorkie

Many people feel prefer females.  This conclusion is usually based upon inaccurate information. There are a lot of misconceptions out there, and these ideas are only based on our experience. Remember, there are always exceptions to every generalization.  These ideas are only generalizations.

I can't dress up a male.

Males can certainly be "dressed up."  At the least, they can have a top knot with a bow and all the trimmings.  

Female yorkies are more affectionate.

Our experience is that male yorkies are usually more affectionate, exuberant, and attentive. They make much better “family” companions. They also tend to be less moody. They are more outgoing, more accepting of other pets, and take quicker to children. The female may be less likely to wage a dominance battle with you, but she can be cunning and resourceful in getting her own way.  Females can be very moody or grumpy.  Females also tend to bond to one member of the family versus the family as a whole.  This is fine if Dad is who the puppy was bought for; however, I generally doubt that is the case. Males on the other hand will sometimes want to be in the company of the females of the house.  It is a strange phenomenon; but one I think crosses all species of animal.

Female yorkies are less dominate. 

When it comes to dominance, females usually rule the roost.  Much like the saying at my house.  “If mama isn’t happy, no one’s happy.”  If you don't already know this, you haven't lived with many women. Dogs are “pack” animals.  Females normally determine the pecking order and maintain control of the pack.  Therefore, they can tend to be more independent, stubborn, and territorial at times. If two dogs are going to fight, it is usually two females.  

Female yorkies are easier to train than male yorkies. 

When it comes to training of all forms, males tend to be more easily distracted, but females tend to be more stubborn.  At this point, you should be seeing some similarities in yorkies and humans….  

Female yorkies don’t display alpha behaviors such as marking or overt sexual behavior.

Over the years I’ve had one Yorkie that displayed this type of overt sexual behavior (at my horror when company was there) and it was a female.  It is often a display of dominance. Males will often “mark” places where other dogs have urinated. Neutered males rarely exhibit secondary sexual behavior such as humping, or marking or lifting their leg. Males that are neutered at an early age usually don't ever raise their leg to urinate.  Many of these behaviors are only exhibited when the household has multiple dogs.  Some traits are never exhibited. In our opinion, nether makes a better pet than the other which is why we focus on pet / buyer response first.

Disorders to know about:

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is a disorder common in small breed puppies. Basically it is low blood sugar as found in humans.  This can be often misdiagnosed by veterinarians unfamiliar with toy breeds.  It is important to recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia and know how to treat it. Hypoglycemia is easily treatable in the early stages, but fatal if allowed to progress. It is important to understand that just because a puppy has an episode of hypoglycemia; it may not be a chronic problem.  Yorkies can have an isolated hypoglycemic incident in reaction to stress or lack of nutrients.  Even a brief period of fasting or stress can be a trigger.  These attacks are almost always preceded by a stress of some kind. Some examples of common stresses include: vaccinations, weaning, housebreaking, over-handling, cold temperatures, intestinal parasites, infections, anorexia, etc. Many puppies simply play too hard and stress their system or forget to eat.

Symptoms:

Slowing down, listlessness

Trembling / shaking

Weakness, confusion, wobbly gait, frothing or drooling from the mouth

Seizure

Gums will be pale, almost a grayish white

Treatment

Call your vet immediately

Apply Nutri-Cal or Karo syrup  to the puppy's gums, under the tongue, and on the roof of the mouth. Slowly warm the puppy to proper body temperature with a heating blanket or pad.  Once you have a response and the puppy is willing, feed  a high quality, canned food (you may want to mix an egg yolk in it)  Monitor the puppy to be sure that the condition does not recur.  More advanced stages require treatment by your veterinarian and /or your breeder.  This is another reason to carefully select your breeder.  You should have complete confidence that your breeder will help you any time day or night in a situation such as this. 

Patellar Luxation

The knee cap (patella) fits into a groove in the thigh bone (femur). The patella slides up and down in this groove as the leg bends and straightens. Patellar luxation occurs if the knee cap has slipped out of the groove.  This is generally due to malformation and can occur occasionally or continuously.  Sometimes, the patella will slip back into the groove on its own, or your veterinarian may need to push it back into place.

Porto systemic Shunt (Liver Shunt)

The short of it is abnormal blood flow in the liver. Blood should flow from the digestive tract to the liver via the portal system into the blood vessels of the liver, and then to the caudal vena cava which is the large blood vessel carrying blood back to the heart. In a Porto systemic shunt, as the name implies, portal blood by-passes the liver and goes directly to the systemic venous circulation. In PSS toxins are not cleared by the liver, and circulate in the body. This causes neurological issues most often.  Hepatic Encephalopathy is a term you may hear associated with behaviors manifestations of liver dysfunction.  Porto systemic shunts may be acquired over time or at birth.  Most animals with congenital Porto systemic shunts show clinical signs before 6 months of age. Where signs are subtle, the condition may not be diagnosed until much later.

Retinal Dysphasisa

In retinal dysphasia, there is abnormal development of the retina, present at birth. The disorder can be inherited, or it can be acquired as a result of a viral infection or some other event before the pups were born. 

Tracheal Collapse

Tracheal collapse is a narrowing of the inner diameter of the trachea that fluctuates with the stage of the respiratory cycle. It can be an inherited trait, although many other factors can contribute such as obesity and age.  

Healthy Puppy / Dog:

Body tem of 101 – 102 degrees F

Bright pink gums

Clear bright eyes

Steady unlabored breathing

Playful

Eating

Drinking