Pet Information > ASK Experts > Dogs > Dog Breeds > Yorkshire Terriers Yorkies > Is she too fragile to have pups?

Is she too fragile to have pups?

20 11:39:13

Question
My husband recently bought me a 9 month female Yorkie.  She weighs 3.6 lbs.  The breeder we bought her from said she would be too small to breed.  I wonder if there was more to it than her size. 3 days after we got her she jumped up on a gift and broke her leg at the joint.  The vet did surgery and 1 week later she jumped off my husbands lap and rebroke it.  Surgery again, this time she is doing better, keeping her in a crate most of the time so she doesn't injure herself again.  Do you feel she will be too fragile to breed when she is older?  Our male yorkie is only 2.8 lbs.

Answer
Misty,

She should absolutely not be bred.  Her fragility really has nothing to do with it.  The smallest I ever tried to breed was 4 pounds and that was disastrous.  The female should be at least 5 pounds before you should consider breeding because anything smaller than that will have complications.  The complications are usually puppies being to large for her to deliver which requires an emergency c-section, puppies born dead, puppies coming half way out and then stopping etc.  It is dangerous for the mother and she could die before you get her to the vet.

DON'T MISS