7. How and when do you deter- mine a show quality puppy? There is usually one puppy that stands out from the littermates. It has that certain spark that says it is special! As it matures, I look for the qualities and faults and judge it by the breed standard. My goal is to keep better than what I have and eliminate unde- sirable qualities that can be passed to the next generation. You have to pick your battles. Not every dog is going to have everything you like and some will have things that you do not like. There isn’t a perfect dog. 8. At what age do you begin training? Please share training tips. To me, the key to a happy dog is early socialization. My puppies are han- dled several times a day from birth. I start stacking when they start waddling around and table training starts when they are about four months. I usually wait until about six months to start lead training. Let the fun begin! 9. Do you think your current standard is adequate? If not, what changes would improve it? It would be nice to have more emphasis on structure but I think the current standard is adequate. I’m sure the color DQ will be rewritten to clarify as many misunderstandings as possible. Many members had issues with this from the start, as did I. How- ever, I believe it would have been detri- mental to the breed if the DQ had not been implemented. 10. What is the greatest health concern to breeders today? Liver anomalies are probably the number one health concern for Yorkie breeders. Hopefully one day there will be a genetic marker to reduce this in our breed. Hats off to the YTCA for encouraging CHIC testing. All of my dogs, of required age, have their CHIC number. I think this is a great starting point and I would love to see everyone get on board by getting their dogs CHIC tested! 11. Is dental care important? Why? Dental care is very important in the Yorkie breed. Yorkies are notorious for retained deciduous teeth. These teeth should be pulled early on to keep the bite in correct alignment. I would sug- gest yearly cleaning to help keep the teeth in top shape. Some dogs are more prone to plaque than others so I do
“YORKIES ARE TRULY LIKE A HUMAN. EACH ONE HAS A VERY UNIQUE PERSONALITY AND DISPOSITION AND THEY CAN LIFT MY SPIRITS.”
scrapings between cleanings for opti- mal oral health. 12. What do you enjoy most about owning this breed? Oh my! Where to start! They are the most loving, craziest, fun seeking breed! Their antics never cease to amaze me. Yorkies are truly like a human. Each one has a very unique personality and disposition and they can lift my spirits when I am having an otherwise awful day. I cannot imagine life without one… or more! 13. What grooming tips or hints would you like to share? I keep my show dogs in a rinse of Neutrogena Bath Oil. They get a bath every 5-7 days. This helps the coat on multiple levels. The coat needs to be clean and tangle free. A topknot keeps the hair out of their eyes. 14. What makes this breed a great show dog as well as companion? The insatiable desire to please their owner makes this breed great show dogs and companions. Yorkies should not be enervated with broken spirits. They should have that terrier spunk that lights up any ring! There is noth- ing as pretty as watching a Yorkie glide around a ring with a gorgeous coat and a winning attitude! 15. What tips or advice would you offer a newcomer? Hold on for the ride! The dog show hobby is one big roller coaster. There are ups and downs along the way but do not get discouraged. There are many fun and exciting things that go along with having show dogs. However, know that when disappointment comes…and it will… pull up your bootstraps and carry on. Having a mentor is key! There
is no substitute for having someone that has experience to help you along this journey. I was blessed to have two very special mentors. They always took the time to help and guide me. It has been a few years since I started exhibit- ing but I know they are both still cheer- ing me on and only a phone call away. 16. How do you determine the stud dog you will select to breed to your bitch? I look at genotype and phenotype. The dog’s physical traits need to offset any faults that I have may have in my bitch. I generally linebreed so I want common ancestors in the pedigree. I look at what the dog and the dog’s par- ents have produced to help determine the best match for my bitch. 17. If you were starting a ken- nel would you buy a bitch first or a dog? Explain? I think that both sexes are wonder- ful! A new person would most likely be able to purchase a dog rather than a bitch. However, I would choose the available sex that closest met the York- shire Terrier breed standard. 18. What three words best describe your breed? Gorgeous, animated and spirited. 19. What is the biggest miscon- ception about your breed? The biggest misconception to me is that some people think because a Yor- kie is a small dog they are girlie, lap dogs. So not true! Yorkies are terriers in every sense of the word. 20. What is the most defin- ing physical characteristic of your breed? The most defining characteristic of the Yorkshire Terrier breed is their beautiful, flowing, silky coat!
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