Yorkies are an adorable breed of dog with a long history. If you're hoping to find Yorkie puppies for sale so you can take one home, you need to do the homework first to ensure a great experience for both yourself and your new canine family member. Here are some tips for adding a Yorkie puppy to your family.

Consider breed traits

You probably know some of a Yorkie's breed traits already. For example, they're small, they have a shiny coat that can get quite long, and they have a rather high-pitched bark. These types of breed traits can affect which breed you choose (for example, you may be better able to care for a small breed than a large one if your living space is cramped).

However, the more you know about breed traits, the more you can be sure if a Yorkie will be right for you. Some other breed traits to consider include:

• Life expectancy
• Trainability and intelligence
• Potential genetic illnesses 
• Energy levels and exercise needs

The more information you glean, the better. Knowing what your puppy needs now and is likely to need in the future can help with your planning, and help you avoid any unpleasant surprises later on.

Choose a reputable breeder

The puppies from a commercial breeder or casual backyard breeder may be more affordable, but choosing an ethical, experienced breeder who's well-known and has a good reputation to uphold may serve you best in the long run. Your puppy can benefit from the breeder's knowledge and experience, such as knowing to test for genetic problems before choosing the parents for your puppy. An amateur may not know as much about these types of things, and a commercial breeder may be more interested in high output than in ensuring each puppy has the best health and quality of life.

Puppy-proof your house

Like babyproofing, puppy-proofing involves moving things that could hurt a puppy out of the puppy's reach. These could include things like:

• Electrical cords
• Sharp or pointy items
• Chemicals or toxic substances
• Small objects that shouldn't be swallowed

Many other items will need to be moved as well. Plus, you'll want to move anything valuable or fragile that your puppy could damage. Like babies, puppies are too young to control themselves and to understand what they should and shouldn't chew on.

These tips can help you work through the process of adding a Yorkie puppy to your family. If you have questions about puppy care and Yorkie health considerations, your family's veterinarian may be able to help. Contact a service with Yorkie puppies for sale for more information.