- Before you consider breeding please read -
Breeding for a litter of puppies is a task to be taken extremely serious. You have your own reasons for breeding your Yorkie. Some of those reasons will be good ones, some are not, but whatever the reason, think it through long and hard. You are putting the life of your beloved pet at risk. If after reading all that you can find and you still want to breed your female, then research more. You should have an experienced breeder to help you along. The more research you do and the more help you have, the better off you and your Yorkie will be.
Take your female to a vet or her breeder to ensure that she is safely capable of having a litter. She needs to have sound body structure and be over 4.5 pounds in size or she will surely be in distress when trying to whelp. Yorkies should be bred to improve the breed, not to make a quick dollar, not to make sure your third cousin once removed gets a Yorkie just like yours, not to educate your children on birth and death, and not to give your Yorkie the joys of motherhood. If any of your reasons are listed here then you should not be breeding your female. Breeding is hardly ever a money-maker and, more often than not, an expensive prospect. I can honestly admit to annoying my vets all too much during a pregnancy. All too often females get infections, C-sections, dead puppies and/or die themselves. We have had two c-sections, two puppy deaths, constipated puppies, Moms with the runs, absorbed puppies, aborted puppies and the list goes on. These problems must be dealt with correctly or you can lose your pups or female. If your Yorkie is your treasured companion, then don't breed her unless you are willing to lose her. If you are determined to breed her, research, research, research.
If your Yorkie is pregnant right now make sure she sees a vet and then you could use the information here as a general guideline only. You should do more research, research, research.
The information in these pages have been compiled from information on the Internet and from breeding books along with information from experienced breeders. There are many different opinions about breeding, so this information is a general guide only. There are many many sites out there with wonderful information. Look for them and learn!
Books: Barron's The Complete Book of Dog Breeding by Dan Rice, DVM, Your Dog, It's Health and Happiness Louis L Vine