Many think when buying a yorkie the smaller the better. Small when it comes to animals means cute, right? The truth is that yorkies of the regular breed standard 3-7 pounds are already very small dogs, and very cute. According to the “urban” definition teacup yorkie would be an extremely small yorkie under the normal breed guidelines. More explicitly, this means less than 3 lbs. Teacup yorkie is not an official term but rather “slang,” a marketing term, and quite frankly a fad.

That said, to be completely honest I must say at this point that IF you want a teacup yorkie, a tiny, adorable yorkie under 3 pounds, it is possible to get one who is healthy. You must know, however, that if you want a teacup yorkie that is healthy, well bred, and well socialized, you must be careful. There are specialist breeders who have a lot of experience, know what they are doing, and have bred teacup yorkies for DECADES. This is the kind of teacup yorkie breeder that you want. See the bottom of this post for more information.

Yorkies smaller than 3 pounds are not necessarily cuter. Regardless, greatly increase among yorkies with genetic material within this weight range when reaching adulthood.

That said, when adopting a Teacup Yorkshire terrier it is quite essential that he shall be of sound health in addition to ensuring he will be a magnificent representation and fit the proper description of his own particular breed.

Full bred dogs are known to have more health risks just because they are full bred. DNA becomes strained after breeding the same characteristics in a dog over hundreds of years. However, teacup yorkies will have a much greater risk and entirely new shameful health problems are seen in these dogs.

To expect your teacup yorkie to be perfectly healthy for his whole life would be unreasonable, and highly unlikely. He may develop some kind of illness or even have an accident at some stage. However much we try to protect our teacup yorkies through proper immunization and proper care, such risks are usually inevitable among teacup yorkies who in adulthood never reach the low range of proper weight guidelines, 3 lbs.

Teacup Yorkshire terriers, no matter how small and cute these dogs are, have greater health risks as listed below:

• Teacup Yorkies are at risk for easily broken bones and small, fast, indiscernible movement. Teacup yorkies are small dogs, therefore they have small bones. This been said, it is not advised to adopt a teacup yorkie in a home with active kids not because these dogs have a tendency to bite them – it is simply because since teacup yorkies are so small, they might get stepped on accidentally, thus causing injury which may break his bones.
• Teacup Yorkies may develop Behavioral Problems due to separation anxiety
  Teacup yorkies have separation anxiety. When left alone they tend to bark a lot and bite things. Many teacup yorkies are very difficult to housetrain.
• Teacup Yorkies incur costly veterinarian bills A teacup yorkie with either sickly parent has a great chance of inheriting the parent’s (or both) health issues. A sickly teacup yorkie would definitely mean constant vet trips, and this could be costly on the owner’s part.
• Teacup Yorkies have hypoglycemia/ low blood sugar which can lead to sudden death We always leave dog food out all day for our yorkies, who enjoy small meals throughout the day of their own accord. We have never worried that they will overeat, become overweight, or become gluttons! There really is no need- they have fantastic metabolisms. This is usually the case. However, with the inevitable low blood sugar problems of yorkies who fall within the proper weight guidelines, teacup yorkies pose even more concern. I have heard of very small yorkies (teacup yorkies) that had such bad hypoglycemia that they died in a small amount of time, before an owner could feed them.
• Teacup Yorkies are at risk for Tracheal Collapse Teacup yorkies, ie. Yorkies under 3 lbs. in adulthood, just as any small dog breed can experience tracheal collapse. Tracheal collapse can be caused by poor genetic material or acquired as a result of obesity coupled with a very small dog. Smaller the dog, greater the risk for tracheal collapse. Tracheal collapse is characterized by the rings made of cartilage inside the trachea flattening or collapsing, resulting in a terrible sounding goose honk cough when excited or anxious (this is an awful sight, as the yorkie becomes more and more anxious with each cough and coughs uncontrollably), difficulty in physical activity, disease of the respiratory system, and gagging while eating and drinking.

Before you adopt either a yorkie or a teacup yorkie, please keep in mind that half the care of rearing a dog is saved by choosing at outset a yorkie puppy of sound constitution, one with a will and an ability to survive and flourish in spite of such adversity and neglect he may encounter in life.

This means the owner will save himself from work, expense, and disappointment if only he will exercise care and caution in the first place to obtain a healthy teacup yorkie. One that is bred from sound and healthy parents, and one which has received adequate and nutritional food up until the present time. To avoid these problems when getting a dog like a teacup yorkie – always make sure that he comes from a reputable breeder. There are also reputable breeders of teacup yorkies, but they are FEW. One must be careful in selecting such a breeder.

A reputable breeder will have plenty of testimonials from pleased customers. They will have excellent relationships with their customers. They will be very experienced, and skilled. Please understand, such a specialty would come with a lot of work, so such teacup yorkies would come with a higher price tag, and should! A breeder with such a specialty should receive reimbursement for their decades of experience and hard work.

If you really want a teacup yorkie, please contact Kory Feick at courtash yorkies. She has the experience and the testimonials to prove she is an EXCELLENT breeder of teacup yorkies.