small yorkie

Question
Hello, my name is deanna and i have a 4.5 pound yorkie named bella and she'll be 1 in march. I'd like to know if it was okay to breed her because of her size. If so, how big does the stud have to be, and when would they have to mate in order for her to become pregnant? How old will bella have to be? And, if its possible, do you think you could give me an idea of how many puppies bella might have? I understand that she might not have many because she is so small.  Also, how long will bellas pups need to stay with her after their birth? What could be the complications of the birth? Thank you.

Answer
Hi Deanna
Let's take your questions one at a time.
That's pretty small and unless you are sure of the sizes of her parents and grandparents, as well as the sizes of the parents and grandparents of any male you choose. I'd pass on breeding her. If you breed her you are breeding her not only to the male that you choose but to his entire genetic makeup, which can go back five generations. If there is ONE six or seven pounder in there,. then you have a chance of having even ONE big puppy that could cause whelping complications, like a csection or even death. It's just not worth it. He would have to be as small, or smaller than she is.
Next question is when. She would need to be on or not too far after the thirteenth day of her heat cycle. You have to do pre breeding vet checks to make sure she is healthy, has no vaginal strictures or other issues that might interfere with a successful breeding and whelping. A complete physical work up to insure she is healthy. UP date all vaccinations and be sure she is on heartworm prevention. Have a brucellosis test done ten days prior to breeding and require a health check and a brucellosis test of any male you are interested in breeding to. Yorkies have a huge list of genetic issues, youd' want to be sure through testing that she doesn't suffer from, or carry any of those issues. As well as requiring the same from the male.
I would wait until she's at least two.
I can't really tell you how many puppies she might have. That depends on so many things, how many pups were in her litter? How many did her mother usually average? What about the male, same questions?
I've seen little tiny yorkies have six or seven butterbean sized babies with none surviving. It's heartbreaking.
They would need to stay with their mother for at least eight weeks. With tiny dogs such as yorkies., most breeders keep the pups long after they have weaned, sometimes as long as four months until SOME of the danger of hypoglycemic episodes have passed. They have to be kept warm, safe, and be checked often to make sure their bloodsugar is not dropping.
Complications could be requiring an emergency csection due to pups being too large to deliver or in the wrong position. If you're not there and she has a stuck pup and cannot deliver she could die. Pyrometria could set in during pregnancy, as could a calcium definiciency either of which could kill her. She could tear during whelping and bleed to death, her blood sugar could drop dangerously low , she could develop a calcium deficiencey after birth and die, she could develope mastitis. She could not have any milk and not be able to feed the pups. She could be a nervous mother and kill them, she could be a disinterested mother and you could end up trying to raise them (a very very difficult thing to do at best). The pups could chill and die from not being able to digest food. There are NUMEROUS things that can. and very often do happen during pregnancy or whelping, or raising pups. Then there is the vaccinations and dewormings that need to begin at two weeks. It's a long, complicated. difficult. sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes rewarding experience. You ARE risking your girl if she breeds, especially at her size. So there are many questions that you have to ask yourself before making your decision. Can you stay home from work with her? What happens if she goes into labor without you there? What happens if she can't, or won't feed the babies? Can you feed babies every two hours, make them potty etc around the clock?
It's a HUGE HUGE undertaking and I am THRILLED to see that you are asking questions before just jumping in and trying to do this. Should you decide to breed her, feel FREE to come back for breeding, whelping and puppy rearing advice PRIOR to breeding her. There are many things to do in preparation for a birth, but especially for a birth of such tiny babies. :)
good luck
Cindi