[canana]

I was also very nervous about finding the perfect breeder. It's really hard because you don't know them, they don't know you, and it's hard to find out more about them.

Purely based on my own experience, observations, and/or opinion...
I found that the breeders who were pushy and pressured you were the ones who were about making the money (i.e. potential backyard breeders). The ones who sell for $3000+ are scams that market their pups as teacups etc (i.e. probably from puppy mills). The ones who used to be show champions, but not anymore, may do a lot of inbreeding with their 10 to 20 dogs who all live in their home (which I was skeptical about). The ones who have websites but have not updated their site for over a year, are probably not current with their breeding and you may have issues with them (i.e. you might lose your deposit and not end up getting a puppy at all!). There are also ones who ship puppies and claim that they've been doing it for years and that it's perfectly safe - personally, that doesn't bode well with me. But that's just me.

I am an extremely overly cautious person though and I feel I should be when it comes to picking out my furbabies. The breeder search is momentary, but the puppies life and their health is lifelong. Also, with the internet, it's easy to be fooled by deceptive websites and claims - you just never know! Based on the number of stories of pups dying from ages 1 yr to 3 yrs (or even suffering from life threatening health issues), it really reinforces my thinking that I should be extremely cautious - we all should!

Call me old-school, but I like in-person interactions. You can still be deceived in person, but the chances are less (I think so anyway). I strongly encourage those who are looking for a purebred Yorkie (rather than adopting from a rescue) to attend dog shows and get to know current dog show breeders. If you find one that you have a good vibe with, who has been doing it for years and still producing champions, they probably have a really good bloodline. Even if you have to wait a year or so, be it for a new litter or for an older show potential, it'd definitely be worth the wait once you find that perfect breeder for you.