13. What grooming tips or hints would you like to share? Weekly baths for a start. I do not totally brush out a coat before bathing but will separate any tangles with my fingers. I then bathe the dog using good products/oils and gently blow-dry the coat. I have found that you will lose less coat using this method. That’s not to say a badly matted coat does not need to be combed out first. 14. What makes this breed a great show dogs as well as a companion? The Terrier attitude not only makes for a “look at me” show dog, but again fun to live with. Their aim to please and devotion to the owner is also reflected in how they respond in the show ring. 15. What tips or advice would you offer the newcomer?
Be patient and do your research. Go to shows and watch the judging. If you see a particular dog that catch- es your eye, visit with the exhibitor. However, please wait until after the judging is over as the exhibitor is busy trying to get the dog ready for the ring. 16. How do you determine the stud dog you will select to breed to your bitch? If I like what I see in the dog, I ask myself if he would be compatible with my bitch and then study the pedigree. I also look for what he produces first, not how much he has won. 17. If you were starting a ken- nel would you buy a bitch first or a dog? Explain I would buy the best bitch I could afford. I feel this is the best approach in starting your kennel. If a breeder
had what I was really looking for in a bitch and only had a dog, I might go that direction. After proving myself to this breeder, I would then wait for the next available bitch. It’s hard start- ing out, as most breeders are not will- ing to let their best dogs go to a new- comer. You have to be patient and “pay your dues”. 18. What three words best describe your breed? Fun, devoted and beautiful when in full coat. 19. What is the single biggest mis- conception about your breed? In my opinion, parti-colored dogs being a Yorkshire Terrier. 20. What is the most defining physical characteristic of your breed? The gorgeous natural blue and gold silk coat.
with CINDY WHITEHEAD
By now the show bug had bitten and who can stop at one? My first show girl was a beautiful bitch from Carl Yochum of Tapyoca Yorkshire Terriers: CH Tapyoca’s Party Ain’t Over, “Car- la”. Hank and Carla produced my first homebred bitch champion, CH Honey- bee Party, “Diva”. These beautiful dogs became the cornerstones of Honeybee Yorkshire Terriers. 1. When and where did you first become interested in your breed? As a child, I went to a local dog show. That show was where I saw my first Yorkie. Love at first sight is an under- statement! I had to put that love on hold until much later in life. The rest of the story is above in my bio. 2. What attracted you to the breed? Several things attracted me to the breed. The first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful, long coat! The cocky self-assurance they possessed as they pranced around the ring while sporting their little red bow was anoth- er thing. I loved their “ten feet tall and bullet proof” attitude! 3. Do you inbreed, linebreed or outcross? Why? Most of the time I line breed. This helps to set the desired traits and remove unwanted traits more rap- idly than doing an outcross breed-
ing. There comes a time when an outcross is necessary. When I do an outcross breeding I take the best puppy from that litter back to the most correct line of the parent. 4. How do you house your dogs? (together, separate, runs or pens) I have a climate controlled dog room with outdoor limestone runs for dogs that are no longer in show coat. My dogs have separate areas to eat and sleep. I have a covered, con- crete area for the Yorkies in show coat. The girls play together but the boys are kept separate at all times in their own play area. I have all tile flooring in my home so everything is dog friend- ly, except all the corners of my furni- ture have been eaten! 5. Do you feed supplements? I feed high quality, dry kibble to my adults. The moms, puppies and dogs being shown get the dry kibble mixed with canned food. I give calcium tabs to the moms with bigger litters after the first two weeks. 6. Where do you whelp your bitches? All my bitches whelp at the foot of my bed. They are moved to my bedroom within their last two weeks of pregnancy. I can hear every move throughout the night…and I sleep with one eye open!
Thank you for this invitation! My name is Cindy Whitehead and my ken- nel name is “Honeybee”. I purchased my first companion Yorkie years ago and I have been a breeder/exhibitor almost ten years now. Gosh! Where did time go? I had pet Yorkies for sev- eral years and decided that I wanted a Yorkie to show. I attended several local dog shows before making the big move. The decision was made…I was getting a show dog! That was easier said than done! My first two “show dogs” were not show dogs at all. I was a newbie, had a lot to learn and boy did I! My quest for a show dog did not end! I contacted Thetis Neal of Nealstar Yorkshire Terriers for the possibility of a show prospect puppy. Thankfully, she gave me the opportunity to begin my journey. My first show dog was CH Nealstar’s Honeybee Blues Man, “Hank”.
90 • T op N otch T oys , J anuary 2017
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