Yorkshire Breeding Question

Question
I have a yorkie female i'm considering breeding. She is about 8lbs (1lb
overweight). She goes into heat next month and I have 2 options for studs for
her. A family yorkie, 2 years old 5lbs 5 ounces, or a stud from her breeder
who is 10 years old (!) but only 2.5lbs. The stud from her breeder just
produced a litter of 7 pups about 6 months ago. Would it be better to go with
the smaller, proven male even though he is pretty old, or larger, yonger male?
I'm not concerned with the stud fee at all, just which would be more likely to
produce pups and ones that will be very easy for her to deliver (she has never
been bred).

Answer
Hi Sean. If she's one pound overweight, I would use this month to try your best to work it off of her. An overweight dog usually has problems whelping. As for the stud, it depends. Which boy do you think meets the standard better? What type of puppies does the older stud produce? Ask to see if you can see some pics of the puppies that he has sired. If they are consistant, typey, healthy, and sound then I definitly wouldn't count the older guy out. I personally like the older guys better. He knows what to do, what's expected of him. The best litter I have ever had came from my then 9 year old male Boxer. There were 8 of the biggest, healthiest puppies we ever had. What I personally do when trying to choose a stud is to look at pictures of both males, figure out the good and bad points of both boys and see which one would compliment my girl best. Then, I look at pedigrees of both boys and my girl to see if the pedigrees compliment each other. If you're worried about size, both these guys are smaller than your girl, so that shouldn't be too much of a worry there. Just keep her in good condition, don't let her get too fat, and make sure she gets plenty of exercise. It comes down to which stud you like best. Good luck!