Everything you need before breeding a Yorkshire Terrier: liver-shunt screening, the toy-breed whelping and C-section risk, keeping fragile newborns alive, and a careful buyer.
Yorkshire Terrier mix
Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier mix
Breeding a Yorkie is mostly about size and one inherited disease. The liver-shunt screen and the toy-breed whelping risk come before color or looks.
Run the kneecap (patella) check, the eye exam, and the heart exam on both dogs, plus a bile-acid blood test to screen for liver shunt.
Breed only a fully grown female of at least about 4 pounds. Never breed for "teacup" size; tiny dams and puppies are fragile and risky.
Take progesterone blood draws (a hormone test that finds the fertile window) from day 6 of heat. Run the brucellosis test (a blood test for a mating-spread infection) within 30 days.
Line up a vet for a likely C-section. Keep the box warm and feed newborns often to prevent low blood sugar in the first weeks.
Short answer
The Yorkshire Terrier Club of America asks for a kneecap (patella) check, an eye exam by a specialist, and a heart exam on both parents. Most careful breeders add a bile-acid blood test for liver shunt, the breed’s standout inherited disease. There is no single DNA panel that covers the Yorkie.
The patella, eye, and heart checks make up the breed’s CHIC health list (CHIC is short for the Canine Health Information Center, a shared health database run with the OFA, the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals). A CHIC number does not mean a dog passed every test. It means the required tests were done and the results were posted, pass or fail.
The kneecap check matters most in a toy breed. A patella exam tests whether a kneecap slips out of its groove, a very common toy-breed problem. The eye exam looks for inherited eye disease, and a heart exam checks for defects the parent club flags in the breed.
The bile-acid test is the one most often skipped, and it is the one that matters most for this breed. It screens for liver shunt, which the next section explains. Run the full task list before the heat cycle starts; our pre-breeding checklist covers the brucellosis test and the timing steps that sit alongside these clearances.
Short answer
A liver shunt (portosystemic shunt) is a faulty blood vessel that routes blood around the liver instead of through it, so the body cannot clean out toxins. Yorkies have far higher risk than almost any other breed, per the Merck Veterinary Manual. It is inherited, and there is no DNA test, so a bile-acid blood test is the main screen.
The liver is the body’s filter. Blood from the gut is supposed to flow through it to be cleaned before it reaches the rest of the body. In a dog with a liver shunt, a stray vessel skips the liver, so toxins like ammonia build up in the blood. Affected puppies can be small, slow to grow, and groggy or confused after eating.
This is the Yorkie’s signature inherited disease. The breed carries far higher shunt risk than dogs in general, and the rate has climbed over the years. Because it runs in families, the goal of screening is to keep affected dogs and their close relatives out of the breeding pool.
How the bile-acid screen works
There is no gene test for liver shunt, so breeders use a bile-acid blood test. The vet draws blood after the dog has fasted, feeds the dog, then draws again two hours later. High bile-acid levels are a sign the liver is not working right. Test breeding dogs before mating, and many breeders also test each puppy before it goes home.
Keep the screening honest about family history. Ask the other owner whether liver shunt has shown up in the line, not just in the dog in front of you. A dog from an affected family should be paired only with a mate from a clean line, and a dog that tested abnormal should not be bred at all.
Short answer
Beyond liver shunt, watch three toy-breed problems: luxating patella (a slipping kneecap), Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (a hip joint that breaks down in young toy dogs), and tracheal collapse (a weak windpipe that causes a honking cough). Test the knees and hips before breeding, and avoid breeding dogs with tracheal collapse or affected close relatives.
The toy-breed cluster to screen for
A kneecap that slips out of its groove. Very common in toy breeds. Screen with an OFA patella exam.
The top of the thigh bone loses blood supply and breaks down in young toy dogs. An x-ray finds it.
A weak windpipe that flattens and causes a honking cough. Yorkies are heavily over-represented.
The kneecap is the most common toy-breed joint problem. A luxating patella slips out of place and can make a dog skip or hop on one leg. It is graded from mild to severe, and the result goes in the dog’s OFA record. Breed from dogs with normal knees where you can.
Legg-Calve-Perthes disease hits young toy dogs. The top of the thigh bone loses its blood supply and starts to crumble, which causes pain and limping, usually before a year of age. An x-ray of the hips finds it, and you can do it during the same visit as the knee check.
Tracheal collapse is the airway problem to know. The windpipe’s rings weaken and flatten, which causes a dry, honking cough. Cornell’s veterinary center notes that Yorkies are heavily over-represented, and the trait is thought to be inherited. Do not breed a dog with tracheal collapse or one with severely affected close relatives.
Short answer
Wait until at least 18 to 24 months, on the second or third heat. A female Yorkie can come into heat as young as 4 months, which is far too early. She should weigh at least about 4 pounds and be fully grown. Most breeders retire a female by about 5 years, and 7 at the latest.
Breed on the second or third heat, at a healthy weight of at least about 4 pounds. Retire her by about 5 years, 7 at the latest.
Fertile young, but hold him back until the patella, eye, heart, and bile-acid results are on file.
A female Yorkie’s first heat can arrive as early as 4 months. That is far too young to breed. Waiting for the second or third heat, around 18 to 24 months, gives her time to finish growing and lets you complete every health test first.
Weight is a real limit in this breed. A dam under about 4 pounds is at higher risk during pregnancy and birth, so do not breed an extra-small female just because she is "cute." A fully grown female in the standard range gives both her and the puppies the best odds.
The last timing step before any mating is a brucellosis test within 30 days. Brucellosis is a bacterial infection that causes infertility and miscarriage, and it passes between dogs during mating. Our guide to the best age to breed a dog covers the trade-offs in more detail.
Short answer
Pick a mate with a normal bile-acid (liver) result, sound knees, and clear eye and heart exams, from a line with no liver shunt or tracheal collapse. Keep the two dogs only loosely related, so they share few ancestors (a low coefficient of inbreeding, or COI). Breed to the standard size, not smaller. The parent club puts health, not looks, first.
Liver health leads the choice in this breed. Pair your dog with a mate that has a normal bile-acid result and no liver shunt in the close family. Two dogs from clean liver lines is the goal, since the disease runs in families and has no gene test.
The knees and the windpipe come next. Favor a mate with sound knees on the OFA patella exam, and ask whether tracheal collapse has shown up in the line. Pairing two dogs with the same weakness doubles the risk of passing it on. Cover one dog’s weak spot with the other’s strength.
Keep the two dogs only loosely related. The coefficient of inbreeding (COI) measures how many ancestors a pair shares, across 5 generations of pedigree. A lower number means a wider gene pool and a lower chance of doubling up on hidden disease. Get it from the pedigree or a DNA relatedness test.
Brucellosis testing on both dogs within 30 days of mating closes the checklist. Both owners sign the contract before the first mating. Our ethical breeding guide covers what that contract should say, and a DNA test for breeding dogs helps you check relatedness.
5 questions to ask the other owner
Short answer
No. "Teacup" is a marketing word, not a real size or a separate breed. The Yorkie standard caps weight at 7 pounds. Dogs bred to be smaller than that are more fragile, harder to whelp, and more prone to low blood sugar, so breeding for "teacup" size puts the dam and the puppies at real risk.
There is no teacup, micro, or toy-toy Yorkie in any breed standard. These are sales words for an undersized dog, often the runt of a litter or the result of breeding two very small dogs together on purpose. The label raises the price without making the dog any healthier.
The smaller the dog, the bigger the health risks. Extra-tiny Yorkies are more prone to low blood sugar, fragile bones, dental crowding, and trouble under anesthesia. A very small dam is also more likely to need an emergency C-section, which puts her life on the line.
Breed to the standard, not below it. Aim for a healthy, fully grown female in the normal range, and be honest with buyers that a responsible Yorkie is a small dog, not a teacup. If someone asks you for a teacup, treat it as a teaching moment, not a sale.
Short answer
Yorkies are born black and tan and change color as they grow. By about age 1 to 2, the black fades to a dark steel blue over the back, with tan or gold on the head and legs. The breed standard is steel blue and tan. Solid colors, parti-colors, and very pale coats are outside the standard.
The Yorkie color change, plus a non-standard pattern
The color change surprises first-time owners. A Yorkie puppy is mostly black with tan points. As it grows, the tan spreads and the black on the back fades to a dark steel blue, usually settling by age 1 to 2, sometimes later. A good steel blue is dark and clean, not silver and not mixed with black or bronze hairs.
Color genetics in the Yorkie are simple, so color should never drive a pairing. The liver screen, the knees, the eyes, and the heart decide whether a litter should happen. Color is the last thing on the list.
Be careful with sellers who charge a premium for "rare" colors. Solid golden, solid black, and parti-color (white mixed in) Yorkies are outside the breed standard, and some pale or unusual coats can be a sign of an outcross or a skin problem. Breed to the standard steel blue and tan.
Short answer
Keep her on her normal adult food for the first 4 to 5 weeks, then switch to a high-quality puppy or growth food. Feed small meals often, because a tiny pregnant dam has little stomach room and can drop her blood sugar between meals. Do not add calcium during pregnancy, since it raises the risk of eclampsia (a dangerous calcium crash) during nursing.
Feeding plan by pregnancy stage
Adult food, same portions, but split into small meals. A tiny dam should never go many hours without food.
Move to a puppy or growth food over about 5 days. It packs more energy into less volume, which suits a small stomach.
Raise her intake and feed 3 or 4 small meals a day. The puppies crowd her stomach, so big meals do not fit.
Skip the calcium until whelping
Extra calcium during pregnancy switches off the dog’s own calcium control. That sets up eclampsia (milk fever) at peak nursing, about 2 to 3 weeks after the puppies arrive. Small breeds are the most at risk, so a Yorkie dam is squarely in that group. Add calcium only at or after whelping, and only if your vet directs it.
Watch her weight in both directions, too heavy and too thin. A Yorkie that is too heavy whelps harder, while one that is too thin can run low on energy during labor. Aim for a lean, fit body condition at mating, then feed steadily through the pregnancy.
Short answer
A Yorkie litter is small, usually 2 to 4 puppies, and pregnancy lasts about 63 days. Because the dam is tiny, the chance of a stuck birth (dystocia) and a C-section is high, so keep a vet on call for every litter. The newborns are fragile and need close watching for low blood sugar.
A typical Yorkie litter is 2 to 4 puppies, and first litters are often just 1 or 2. Pregnancy lasts about 63 days from ovulation. Day 28 is ultrasound day to confirm pregnancy, and an x-ray around day 55 counts the puppies so you can plan for a possible C-section.
Toy breeds need C-sections far more often than larger dogs. The puppies are large compared to the tiny dam, so a stuck birth is a real risk. Line up a vet who can do a planned or emergency C-section. Call right away for any of these: hard straining for 20 to 30 minutes with no puppy, more than 2 hours between puppies, or green discharge before the first puppy.
Keeping newborn Yorkies alive
Newborn Yorkies can die of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) within days, because they are too small to store much energy. Keep the whelping box warm, make sure every puppy nurses often, and weigh each one on a kitchen scale every day. A puppy that is cold, limp, or refusing to nurse is an emergency. Warm it, give a little sugar on the gums, and call your vet. Toy-breed newborn loss runs high, so this daily watch is the most important job of the first weeks, per Veterinary Partner.
Once the puppies are stable, they stay with the dam through weaning and go home no earlier than 8 to 12 weeks. Toy puppies often leave a little later than large-breed puppies, because the extra weeks help them hold their blood sugar and handle the move. Send each one home on a signed contract with a return clause.
Short answer
Budget roughly $3,000 to $7,000 for a Yorkie litter. The big swing is the C-section, which toy breeds need often and which runs $1,000 to $3,000. Add health tests, the bile-acid screen, a stud fee, and round-the-clock newborn care. With small litters, a first litter rarely turns a real profit.
Estimated cost of a first Yorkie litter
Ranges are typical US pricing. The C-section is the toy-breed line item that makes Yorkie breeding expensive. Budget against the litter, not the puppy. A typical Yorkie litter is 2 to 4.
What can the puppies sell for?
Market range only, not a Petmeetly endorsement. Puppies from parents without the patella, eye, heart, and liver clearances sell for less because the buyer takes on the health risk.
The revenue math should never be the reason to breed. With a 2 to 4 puppy litter and a likely C-section, a first litter rarely turns a real profit once you count the dam’s care and your time. Breed to improve the breed, then place puppies on a contract. Listings are free on Petmeetly, including Yorkie puppies for sale.
Total the numbers for your own pairing before you commit. Our breeding cost and due-date calculator adds up testing, the stud fee, scans, and the C-section in one place.
Short answer
Put the stud deal in writing and sign it before the first mating. The agreement should name the stud fee, the brucellosis test, and the exact health clearances both dogs carry, including the bile-acid (liver) result and the patella, eye, and heart checks. It should also define a successful breeding and the registration terms. The AKC recommends written, signed contracts that each owner keeps a copy of.
Clauses every Yorkie stud contract should name
Put the stud deal in writing before the first mating. Verbal deals are the main reason stud arrangements end in arguments, so both owners sign and keep a copy.
Use limited registration for pet-quality puppies. A limited-registration puppy stays AKC-registered, but its own future litters cannot be registered, which discourages casual breeding of pet-quality dogs. Every puppy should also go home on a buyer contract with a return clause, so the dog comes back to you if the owner ever cannot keep it. For owners who would rather give an adult Yorkie a home, our Yorkie adoption page lists dogs already looking for one.
The Yorkshire Terrier Club of America asks for three tests on both parents: a kneecap (patella) check, an eye exam by a specialist, and a heart exam. Most careful breeders add a bile-acid blood test to screen for liver shunt, the breed’s standout inherited disease. There is no single DNA panel that covers the Yorkie.
A liver shunt (portosystemic shunt) is a faulty blood vessel that routes blood around the liver instead of through it, so toxins build up. Yorkies have far higher risk than almost any other breed. It is inherited, and there is no DNA test, so a bile-acid blood test on breeding stock is the main screen.
A bile-acid test is a simple blood test that checks how well the liver is working. The vet draws blood after fasting, feeds the dog, then draws again two hours later. High levels point to a liver shunt. Because Yorkies carry high shunt risk and there is no DNA test, this is the key liver screen before breeding.
Yorkies are tiny, often 4 to 7 pounds, so the dam (mother dog) has little room to pass puppies. That means a higher chance of a stuck birth (dystocia) and a C-section. Litters are small, usually 2 to 4 puppies, and the newborns are fragile, so plan for a vet on call for every litter.
Newborn Yorkies can die of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) within days because they are too small to store much energy. Keep the whelping box warm, make sure every puppy nurses often, and weigh each one daily. If a puppy is cold, limp, or weak, that is an emergency. Feed it and call your vet right away.
Wait until at least 18 to 24 months, on the second or third heat. A female Yorkie can come into heat as young as 4 months, which is far too early. She should also weigh at least about 4 pounds and be fully grown. Most breeders retire a female by about 5 years, and 7 at the latest.
No. "Teacup" is a marketing label, not a real size or breed. The Yorkie standard caps weight at 7 pounds. Dogs bred deliberately tiny are more fragile, harder to whelp, and more prone to low blood sugar. Breeding for extreme smallness puts both the dam and the puppies at serious risk.
Yorkies are born black and tan and change color as they grow. By about age 1 to 2, the black fades to a dark steel blue over the back, with tan or gold on the head and legs. The breed standard is steel blue and tan. Solid colors, parti-colors, and very pale "golden" coats are outside the standard.
A Yorkie litter is small, usually 2 to 4 puppies, and first litters are often just 1 or 2. Because the litters are small and the dam is tiny, an x-ray around day 55 of pregnancy is worth doing to count the puppies and plan for a possible C-section.
Budget roughly $3,000 to $7,000. Toy breeds need C-sections far more often than larger dogs, and that single line item can run $1,000 to $3,000. Add health tests, the bile-acid screen, a stud fee, and round-the-clock newborn care. With small litters, a first litter rarely turns a real profit.
Sometimes, but toy breeds need C-sections much more often than larger dogs because the puppies are large relative to the tiny dam. Many Yorkie litters end in a planned or emergency C-section. Keep a vet on call for every litter, and call right away for hard straining with no puppy or long gaps between puppies.
You can search health-tested Yorkies on Petmeetly and message the owners directly. Listings are free, and you can filter for breeding dogs. Always confirm the patella, eye, and heart clearances, and ask about bile-acid (liver) results, before you commit to a mating.
Sources
Real stories from dog owners who found perfect breeding matches on Petmeetly
Thank you for helping Mia find the perfect mate!
Dr Bindu Devarajan
Maharashtra, IN
So far, so good! I’m glad to have a website like yours. We already found a mate for our dog and completed the mating. Excited to see the results soon! Looking forward to meeting another female Yorkie 😀 Thanks, Petmeetly!
Valentin
England, GB
It was pretty hard to find a mate for my dog, Jethro, but when I did, I also made wonderful friends with the owners! :)
Lenina
England, GB
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