When considering to buy a teacup dog, many potential pet owners wonder: How small is a teacup dog? What costs would I incur in addition to the high price of teacup dogs? What health risks would I end up tending to if I adopted a teacup dog?

These are important and necessary questions that future dog owners must consider. One cannot be conscious enough. All dogs come with long-term costs, including shelter and rescue dogs.

A teacup dog can be as small as the breeder, owner, and potential owner agrees upon. Teacup has been defined in many different ways, having various definitions. The next question is, then, when looking for a teacup dog to adopt, what does teacup mean to you?

If you want a small dog, decide how small a dog you wish for.  Yorkshire terriers, otherwise known as yorkies, are usually 3 to 7 pounds. Teacup yorkies are sometimes bred to be less than 3 pounds in adulthood; however, to  some, a 3 to 7 pound yorkie is plenty teacup enough.

The term “Teacup dogs” is often used to refer to the “extreme” small sizes in dogs. With the example of the teacup yorkie, an extreme size would be less than 3 pounds. A maltese dog’s weight usually will not exceed 7 pounds in adulthood. Chihuahas, on the other hand, can weigh 2 to 6 pounds in adulthood. However, there are surely those who breed Chihuahuas to the extreme as well.