I never thought of the descriptors baby doll or teddy bear face as implying teacup or mini. I understand that these terms are not official terms and discouraged by the YTCA, but there are discernible differences in faces of the top show Yorkies. Many do have shorter snouts and smaller ear sets, well within standard.
I suppose breeders could use basic adjectives like 'beautiful' to describe their lines' faces, but that is really subjective. My boys have beautiful faces, but they are not baby doll or teddy bear (Don't tell Teddy!
).
I do cringe when I see "
EXTREME baby doll," meaning essentially no snout. Those are almost always from the Asia-based breeders and have a lot of other problems.
I support the breed club, imperfect just like any other entity and its membership may be. I also admire your passionate and informed advocacy for the ethical breeding of dogs.
Maybe there could be a little more leeway with descriptor terms for selling pets? I know that health and temperament should come first, but we can't deny that we have a certain look in mind when we seek a puppy from a breeder.
For instance, there is a fairly wide range of body types among Yorkies in the show ring, cobby vs longer legged. I don't think I have ever seen a breeder advertise longer legged, but they do advertise cobby. I don't think there has ever been any objection to that, although cobby implies smaller.
I thought the trend among show Yorkies has been for a small "bow tie" ear set, and that snouts can vary fairly widely. I've seen snouts of all lengths, shorter and longer in the ring. As long they have a discernible snout. I think even you have commented that judges vary in what they place importance on, a certain type of face vs the perfect gait and coat. Ideally a dog will have it all, but not all champions look exactly alike.