All in a Teacup

Posted on July 25th, 2008 by Bart - Lover of all Things Yorkie.
Categories: Teacup Dogs & Miniature Breed Toy Dogs, Teacup and Tea cup yorkies, Toy breeds, Yorkies and Yorkshire Terriers.

If you have ever looked for a Yorkie puppy, you have probably seen the debate about Teacup Yorkies. There are many reasons for all the fuss, and both sides have some good points to make.

Let’s start with some background on the Yorkshire Terrier breed. Yorkies are registered with the AKC as “toy” dogs. Toy dogs are described as being under 7lb in weight and are bred to be lap dogs. There are no other official categories of Yorkshire Terriers.

Show breeders breed to produce dogs who will win in the show ring. Generally a slightly larger dog has a better chance of doing well in the ring than a smaller dog. For this reason, most show breeders strive to produce dogs that are close to the 7lb maximum weight.

Pet breeders breed to produce sweet, friendly dogs that will fit in well in family homes. With lap dogs, a smaller dog with less weight is more desirable than a heavy dog. Because of this many pet breeders deliberately breed for smaller dogs, ideally 2-4lb in weight.

This is where it gets complicated. No matter what type of animal you breed, there are always some breeders who are not ethical in what they do. Some breeders have had a history of breeding for size without consideration of the health and genetic history of the animals. This means that some Yorkies that are advertised as “Teacup” Yorkies, are the products of irresponsible breeders. They may have a range of genetic flaws, and be more prone to health issues.

Now, not all breeders of tiny Yorkshire Terriers are irresponsible breeders. In fact, many breed very carefully, paying close attention to their bloodlines, the genetic health of their breeding stock, and the quality of their puppies. In fact, were the dogs a little bigger, they would be equally as likely to win at a show as the show-bred dogs.

Another concern is that some puppies that are advertised as “teacup” in size, are the runts of a normal sized litter. Many runts have health issues that prevent them from developing normally. If a breeder who normally has regular sized dogs suddenly offers a “teacup” puppy, that puppy may indeed be a runt.

When breeding, it is always important to look towards the improvement, or maintenance of a breed. There are always some breeders who overlook this fact, and choose to breed with nothing but a big dollar sign as a goal. Often these breeders act as puppy mills, but other times they are just people who suddenly decided that they could make some money from little Fluffy’s pups.

Responsible breeders look down on such “backyard” breeders and would love to run them out of town. Unfortunately, when different sets of breeders have different goals, they may not consider the other goal as legitimate as their own. The “Teacup” Yorkie issue is one of these types of problems. The show breeders do not believe in a “teacup” division of the breed, while the pet breeders do not feel that it is necessary to produce dogs at the top end of the weight limit.

So, while officially there is no such thing as a Teacup Yorshire Terrier, there are breeders who aim to produce a smaller than usual Yorkie that makes a perfect lap dog.When choosing a puppy, learn as much as you can about the breeder, and do your best to avoid backyard breeders who breed irresponsibly.On the other hand, choose the puppy that meets your needs, and don’t worry about the political correctness of it.

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