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YORKSHIRE TERRIER 1. Where do you live? What do you do “outside” of dogs? 2. How many years in Yorkies? Showing? Judging? Breeding? 3. What, in your opinion, is the secret to a successful breeding program? 4. Being #10 out of 192 AKC breeds is a pretty large accomplishment for a small dog. To what do you attribute this popularity?
coat conditioning are critical to maintain the color, as not all diets have sufficient copper and l-tyrosine for the pigment. It’s frustrating when you are showing a dog that is naturally dark to come across judges who are afraid to put it up since they think it’s too dark or might be dyed. Or you have the judges with cataracts that cannot see the coat is blue, as to them it looks black because they cannot see the shading. It’s tough to find a sire who is naturally dark, as so many dogs in the ring are colored. If we were to revise our standard to to allow any shade of blue, but give preference to the darker blue, it would certainly make a difference. When I started in dogs, the judges had alcohol on the table to test for color, but many judges just accept the added color. At times I feel judges place more empha- sis on grooming than the quality of the dog under the coat. Is the Yorkie’s popularity an advantage in the Toy group? I don’t feel the Yorkie’s popularity matters, as judges seem to have a clear preference for Pekes and they are not anywhere near as popular. In my opinion, Yorkies are doing better in group as the quality of our breed has improved with time. My favorite dog show memory? My bitch Vixen, GCHS Rose- mark’s Saint Or Sinner, winning best of breed at the AKC National Dog Show five years ago. She was one of the three bitch specials Tonia Holibaugh was handling that year and all three won best of breed that year: Vixen the Yorkie, Adele the Maltese and Roxy the Lhasa Apso. I would love to see more meaningful DNA tests become avail- able for health issues. At this point, the only thing we are really able to test for is blindness, which is not a huge issue with our breed. I want to see more work done on the diseases that have a bigger impact on health and longevity. And please, just because you’ve had the DNA testing done, it does not mean your dog has no health issues, as the test covers none of the really big issues, such as PLE, liver shunt, Leggs-Calves-Perthes, etc. MARY INGERSOLL I live just north of Tam-
5. The only DQ in your Standard is for Color. How much trouble is it to attain, and keep, correct coat and coloration? 6. Is the Yorkie’s popularity an advantage in the Toy group? 7. What is your favorite dog show memory? 8. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the breed? Please elaborate. ROSANNE FETT I live northeast of Dallas, Texas on an acreage. I work full time as a mortgage loan officer, and love to cook and bake. The Yorkies take up most of my free time. I got my first Yorkie as a pet 37 years ago and he convinced me that I loved this amazing breed and wanted to be involved. When my youngest daughter hit junior high in 1991, I finally had free time to do something for me, and bought my first show Yorkie. Like many other newbies to our sport, the bitch I bought was not show quality, but I was fortunate enough to breed to an outstand- ing dog and my first litter of Yorkies produced my first champion. I was hooked! I did not breed much at that point, but I loved having puppies and the challenge of breeding what I hoped would be the ideal dog, and in 2004, we bought some land and built a house with a dog room and dog runs so I could do this right. The secret to a successful breeding program? You have to be ruthlessly honest about the faults of your bitch and breed to the best possible sire who will correct those faults. If you can’t do this, then develop relationships with knowledgeable friends who will help you with decisions and listen to them. You can’t have one stud dog and assume he will produce the same with all of your bitch- es. As much as I love my Leo, I know he is not the best dog for one of my girls, but using one of his sons on that bitch produces outstanding puppies. What do I attribute to the breed’s popularity? Yorkies are amaz- ing companions, as they are incredibly intelligent, instinctive to the needs of their family, and full of love. Of course, it does not hurt that they are absolutely beautiful dogs. The only DQ in your Standard is for Color. How much trouble is it to attain, and keep, correct coat and coloration? As someone who started out with very light dogs, I can tell you it’s extremely difficult to attain that dark blue silk we so desire. I have learned a lot about what to look for: blue skin on the sides of the dog and a purple/blue cast to the tongue are essential for a blue dog. Diet and
pa, Florida in Trinity. I love to cook and also, given the opportunity, deep sea fish. I have been breeding and showing Yorkies since 2004. The secret to being a suc- cessful breeder? To begin with, you must know and understand the standard. A dog breeder, in my honest opinion, should be able to recite the standard for your breed by heart. If ever asked a question, they should know
“THE SECRET TO A SUCCESSFUL BREEDING PROGRAM? YOU HAVE TO BE RUTHLESSLY HONEST ABOUT THE FAULTS OF YOUR BITCH AND BREED TO THE BEST POSSIBLE SIRE WHO WILL CORRECT THOSE FAULTS.”
S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , A UGUST 2019 • 303
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