I got exactly what I wanted when I got Puddin'. I didn't want a tiny dog, but one that conformed as closely as possible to Yorkie standard and at the upper end of the weight range. Why? Because we thought we might breed her, hence no tiny bitches with itty-bitty pelvises that would inevitably bring birthing problems.

Puddin' is one of a litter of 7 pups, all of which survived birth and puppyhood. Her dam is a full-sized Yorkie with good colour and conformation, while her sire is smaller and has a bit of an undershot jaw. Together, however, they have produced large litters and, at least in Puddin's case, a very nice offspring. She weighs 3 kg. or 6.8 lbs, just under the top end of the breed standard of 7 lbs. She has good colour, a nice level back, a good bite, but is just a little long in the body to be called "cobby" but we don't mind that, since a long body is an asset during pregnancy. She is instantly recognized as a Yorkie when we are out, so she conforms to the public's image of what a Yorkie is supposed to look like as well. SOOOooooo....

We just got back from a 5 day trip to Durban and took Puddin with us. And we took her everywhere with us, too...malls, shops, restaurants, you name it...if we went, she went too. And, as usual, she collected a bunch of new fans, people who wanted to pet her, hold her, feed her treats, and just generally fuss over her. Except for two women, Yorkie owners, both.

Why couldn't they just admire her and move on? I saw a really pathetic little Yorkie in a shop a few weeks ago, snipey face, white toenails, spindly legs, ratty fur...but she looked loved and recently groomed and her owner was carrying her like she was the most precious and beloved little dog in the world. And I greeted the dog with a smile and a scritch and told the owner I had a Yorkie and weren't they the sweetest little dogs ever? Why would I even want to say anything negative about a dog she obviously doted on? What good would it serve?

So, why did the one woman who saw Puddin' feel compelled to say "My, she's BIG isn't she?" and then tell me her Yorkie weighs only 1.6 kg? And why did the other woman have to boastfully tell me that she had a "rare chocolate Yorkie...even her nose is chocolate!" Should I have told her the dog has a genetic defect so that my dog would look better in her eyes?

What compels people to make a competition out of something as simple as having a dog? Obviously the first woman felt her dog was superior because of its size, the second though hers was superior because of its rare colouring. Why did ANY of the dogs have to be "superior" in any way? I've met Marilize's dog, Cash, and he is larger than standard and not standard in colouring, either. But he is a beautiful dog just the same (that silver coat is gorgeous) and a lovely little boy. Outside of conformation as tested in the show ring, who is to say one dog is superior to another? And why try to boast about your supposedly superior dog to a complete stranger and find her dog wanting in the process??

I thought it was terribly rude and I am just grateful that Puddin' wasn't able to understand what was said and have her self-esteem bruised like a friend of mine who overheard a woman remark "my, your daughter has a really unfortunate shade of red hair, doesn't she?" when she was about 8, and who hated her hair for the next decade!

WOW!!! SHOCKING!! I get the same comments SweetViolet! It is really disgusting! You know what, if they knew yorkies as well as they ACT, they would know that these tiny ones are not up to Standard!! People have bred them that way because that is what the public demands!! And sometimes we do get a tinier yorkie in a litter but that doesn't make it a better quality dog than the bigger puppies!

I received a phone call from a guy wanting a tiny male to breed with his 1.1kg female! ?????? When I told him that she can't be bred, his answer was that he will continue to search for a male because he knows he'll find SOMEONE who will sell him a male to breed her. When I explained that she'll have to have a ceasar and that he might loose her, he said it's fine, she can have a ceasar! SHOCKING SHOCKING SHOCKING!!!!!

OOOOOOO those people irritate me! yes everyone thinks their yorkie is the best, like you think your children are the best but that doesn't mean you can't appreciate a yorkie and ooo and aaaa at it and it's owners stories!
I really think that size is a competition for some people! this really gets my blood boiling!!!

That is quite shocking!!!!

I am a fan of all dogs!!! big or small and think they are all just too adorable!!!! People making such remarks really upset me!! So what if ones yorkie is slightly bigger and the otherone smaller. They are all adorable to their owners as they are!!! Its people like that, that spoilt the breed in the first place!!

I totally agree. Some people just can't feel good about themselves unless they can look down their nose at others. When I see these tiny little Yorkies, all I can think is shame! My June is 2kg and she is happy and healthy, but I wish she was bigger! Everyone wants me to breed her, but sorry, there's no way that her little body can carry babies (she's spayed). Especially because her littermates are bigger than her, meaning that she will have bigger puppies.

Anyway, my Yorkies are beautiful to me and everyone else's Yorkies are beautiful to me because they are all unique and special in their own way. There's only one way that I judge Yorkies and that's based on the breed standard if I know that the dogs are used for breeding. With all the rescues out there, it's unforgivable to breed a dog who won't improve the breed. It's the breeding practices that I judge, not the beautiful puppies

I agree with you Marilize, Misty is only 1.6 kg and healthy and I also wish she was bigger! I am always so scared she will get hurt! I also cant even think about her having babies!

I'm sure people with other breeds don't look down on each other's dogs. You get boxers for example where some are bigger than others and I've never heard anyone say to someone who's dog is smaller, "Wow, your boxer is so SMALL!!???" It's really crazy! They are dogs, not items with which you need to compete!

Ahh, what a cute picture. Shame Val, it is exactly the same with my maltese, she also eats some of the yorkies dry food in the morning, I think she just want it because they are eating it, so she wants to be a baby too, so she is also chubby but I love her!

You know what? I grew up riding horses and competing andI thought I had heard it all until i owned dogs! ha ha!

We went to the beach once. I only had Taylor in those days. I was walking with a friend who owns a Daschund. Cuba is SOOOO handsome! he is a silver dapple with one blue eye and a bih broad smile on his face as he runs along on his sausage legs! A lot of other Daschund owners were admiring him until one cam eout with some ridiculous comment about him being "abnormal"! my friend was shocked! but it got better! we bu,ped into a woman with Miniature collies who was here for one of KUSA's shows. You would think she was (A) and animal lover (B) knowledgable about K9's in general and (C) sympathetic to other people pride! Taylor was soaking wet, she looked like a wet rat! she had a puppy cut and was covered in water and sand. So this really intelligent woman says to me "ooooh" (with her nose in the air) "Isn't that one of those...what they called....Chinese hairless dogs?" well if i was alone i might have punched her lights out!

does my dog look like it's MISSING HAIR and has a CREST on it's head??? i know you have collies but surely as a dog lover you learn about all breeds as you go along? so I told her Taylor was actually a Yorkie...I should have said Pitbull, she might have believed me stupid woman! it was almost on purpose because any fool would know she is not a chinese crested!

Oh wow............ a chinese hairless dog Stupid woman - I would also want to punch the lights out of anyone who made such a ridiculous comment