Teacup yorkie dogs are very small yorkshire terriers. “Teacup yorkies” is not a category of yorkshire terrier recognized by the AKC, although teacup is often used to refer to yorkies who will reach adulthood a smaller than average size.
Bella, our teacup yorkie
The term “teacup” itself poses many problems for the breed and to the reputation of professional yorkie breeders, many of whom in reality have spent decades breeding yorkshire terriers of the most upstanding quality.
“Teacup” is not always a bad term. Unfortunately some greedy breeders have given “teacup” a negative connotation, but not all teacup yorkie dogs have been misbred. Teacup can be used as a marketing term in a way that poses no harm or threat.
Toy is often used as a synonym of Teacup, although the two terms often are a source of confusion. All yorkshire terriers are considered a toy breed by the AKC, therefore no “toy” category is necessary. The breed size standard for yorkies is 3 to 7 lbs. Yorkies smaller than 3 lbs are indeed very rare but are not desirable- they are by definition runts of the litter and do not officially qualify as a yorkshire terrier among dog show circuits.
The risks of buying a teacup yorkie dog
Teacup yorkies are often bred by less experienced breeders who possess only one goal: to produce small dogs that can be marketed as “teacup” to fetch the highest prices. Such breeders are greedy, inhumane, and selfish. Teacup yorkie dogs that have been bred solely for small size are usually bred by mating two runts of the litter. In this case usually both parents already have health problems, and most likely inferior genetic material. Furthermore irresponsible breeders will often breed yogrkie dos at the female’s first cycle. Purposefully breeding any dog at such a young age before reaching maturity is comparable to arranging for your 12 year-old daughter to get pregnant after her first menstrual cycle. This practice leaves no room for the yorkie dog’s body to fully develop or properly house offspring, much less allow the yorkie to reach a level of emotional maturity appropriate for raising puppies until they are old enough for adoption. One might think that dog breeders do most of the work, but the truth is dogs are quite equipped to feed and teach puppies valuable skills in the first two to three months- but only when the dog was able to reach maturity prior to giving birth.
Often I have heard that if one makes a large profit from breeding dogs then something must be wrong. The one exception to this rule in my mind is those breeders who consider breeding Yorkshire Terriers their full time job. Such yorkie dogs are of the highest quality, have the fewest health risks, and are outstanding representatives of the yorkshire terrier breed.
