Raising Yorkies: A Thankless Job
When I decided to start raising yorkies, I took the challenge very seriously. I don't do anything unless I do it RIGHT. And this was no different.
I studied the breed, got involved in online chat and email groups about yorkies, and began my quest of making contacts all over the country, and now, all over the world.
I learned alot in my search but one thing that they all agreed upon was that you will never get rich selling yorkies. Do you think I believed that? After seeing the price of the puppies? Gosh, a litter of five yorkies can bring in anywhere from $5000 to $10,000!!! I could get rich fast... or so I thought....
As I started out, I had to buy crates for them all. I thought I could let them all just kinda live and hang out in my house, but I was wrong. Yorkies who are intact (not spayed or neutered) have to be kept separate. So, I had to buy crates for everyone. I bought food, and only good quality food. I bought them toys, dishes, did vet visits, and more vet visits and more vet visits. I became aware of the washable potty pad, and bought several. My bills were fastly accumulating. I had to wait a couple of years before having my first litter, because my first breeding yorkies were merely puppies when I got them. And I had to pay for THEM as well!! Fortunately, I had put some money away to start out on my new hobby, but I never realized in a million years how much the costs would sky rocket.
As a reputable and responsible breeder, I want the best facility for my yorkies. I want it clean, I want them well cared for, bathed, groomed and living in a playful and happy environment. There was still another investment, developing the yorkie playroom. That is the same as redecorating a whole room, with some construction involved.
My washer and dryer now go non stop all day long. The vet bills continue. Females can only be bred til they are 5 or 6 years old and then have to retire. The breeding age for a yorkie is short lived, IF you are a responsible breeder. There are about 3 to 3 and a half years of breeding time for a female. And some yorkies can only be bred once or twice. Alot of females only give you one or two puppies. If you get 3 or 4 you are happy with that size litter. If you get 5 or 6, you are ecstatic!!!! But that is not real common.
My puppies deserve the best. So, they are seen by my vet twice before you get them. That means shots and check ups. I keep stock in worm medicines, antibiotics, heartworm medicines, dental cleaning products, toys, beds, potty pads, cleaning products, I had to put up a fence, a doggie door, my kennel cost me almost $4000 for my adult yorkies. I buy plastic gloves constantly for clean up of feces of pups, plastic bags for their disposal, I had to buy three trash buckets with sealed lids, folders for the records I keep, AKC registration of the pups, my website is another cost, topical flea medicine, I bought an extra refrigerator to keep their medicines in, a desk for all of my belongings, a computer to do my work on and stay in touch with everyone who helps me or wants a yorkie, I have invested in 4 cameras for taking pictures since I began raising them, the batteries for the camera, carry crates for taking pups to the vet, towels for bathing them, shampoos and creme rinses for bathing, a high powered dryer to dry them so I don't have to use one that is made for humans and is too hot, a grooming table, clippers and scissors, ear wash, nail clippers, excercise pens, the list goes on and on and on and it is never ending.
Another thing to take into consideration is that a yorkie breeder needs 4 or 5 females to produce the number of puppies that one larger breed of dog will produce. So, we have more than 5 times the cost. Yorkies cannot be kept outside in an outside kennel, like the larger breeds. They need special care.
My job here is endless, it is 7 days a week, and often 24 hours a day. If a female is about to have pups, she has to be monitored. A puppy can easily die in birthing if someone is not there to help when there is a problem. A female can easily die in birth, if someone is not there and she needs a c section. C sections are not uncommon in the breed and the costs go up to thousands of dollars.
I often tell people: Raising yorkies is like running a daycare, but you never get to go home. The costs of raising yorkies is phenomenal when you raise and care for them properly. A good yorkie breeder does not make thousands of dollars and is certainly not getting rich. She is lucky to be making minimum wage, if that. Yes, that is exactly right, minimum wage.
A good yorkie breeder does it because she loves it and she is a true animal lover. I hope this helps you to understand the costs of a puppy.
Prices varies depending on size, coat, structure and sex
The larger the yorkie, the lower the price. The smaller the yorkie, the higher the price.
Prices for males: as low as $1100 and as high as $2500
Prices for females: as low as $1400 and as high as $3500
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