WHY does everyone want a "teacup"??????
 

Ok so my puppies are now 7 weeks old and I have begun the process of trying to find them wonderful new homes. Right now I am just taking calls and letting people look at them if they are interested. The problem I am having is that everyone wants a "teacup". I try to explain to them about the health problems that the little ones tend to have and that "teacup" is just a label. The parents of my puppies are 7 and 8 pounds, which in my opinion is a good healthy weight. There is no guarantee that all of the puppies are going to be the same size as their parents. The fathers on both sides were only 4 pounds, so these pups could still be small. You can't even guarantee that a 3lb male and a 4lb female will produce pups that small. People don't seem to understand this and I don't know how else to put it. How do you all go about finding "quality" homes for your yorkies? I don't want my pups going to just anyone. What do you tell people when they start with the whole "teacup" issue?

I would say they are very inexperienced, which means theres a lot more they don't know about yorkies...and therefore should do some more research before actually buying one anyway

When I first started researching this breed, that was one of the first things I learned. I am still learning the ins and outs of yorkies but at least i knew that to begin with.

Have patience!! You will find the right homes for your furbabies!!

Most people are uninformed and need to be educated. It is amazing how many people just don't understand. No matter how frustrating, it is up to those of us who know to teach those who don't.

Good luck -- I hope you don't become too frustrated!

Well, I never wanted a "tea cup" When I FIRST started looking- I just looked at the" type of Look, I liked- and price range! but after learning on this site- I started looking for health! and Really- I wanted in the 5-6 # range!
Banjo ended up being bigger, but other than his leg ingury, he is very healthy!
But I have had so many people say-Oh, I'd rather have a real tiny one- Banjo is big!
To me he is not big- he is 9#
I was afraid of stepping on a tiny, tiny one! They are cute, but I am afraid to have one!
But really no matter what the size of one I had, I'd love it- big or small!!:D

I didn't want little ones either.. I began the search of finding the look I wanted BUT health guarantees, testing, etc had to be right up there with it.. If I saw one that I liked the look of, but no testing, then I moved on.. I'll be honest.. My girls weren't the look I was going for but I liked the look of the parents and I think my girls look even BETTER... :D

I hope you find good homes for your babies as well.. If I was a breeder and someone called looking for teacups, I wouldn't place a puppy with them because they obviously don't know enough..

Some people just prefer smaller dogs... Most of my yorkies are on the smaller size... just my preference. (plus the poop is smaller!! :D )

I am sure you will find great homes for your puppies. Best of luck to you. :)

Someone keeps posting on Craigslist here that they want "an itty bitty dog they can dress us and carry around in their purse with them everywhere". :rolleyes: I dont know if its a troll or Paris Hilton.
Thanks to celebs like her, dogs have now become fashion accessories instead of living beings that need to be properly cared for.

I can't believe they're already 7 weeks old..Have you posted pictures of them lately? I would love to see what they look like now...

Oh, I had the same experience with my last litter. I had an ad in the newspaper and every call I got seemed like was someone looking for one that would grow to be only 3 lbs. :eek: I just politely told them my puppies would probably be a bit bigger than that, you know like a normal yorkie:D Just hang in there, you don't want your puppies in a home where their size is the most important thing any way!! It took awhile, but I have found homes for all my girls where they will be much loved whether they stay small or grow to be a bigger yorkie!!
What's really sad, is that someone will promise these people that the dog they sell them will be a "teacup" and them they will be disappointed when it isn't and the poor puppy will end up being rehomed or just not loved:(
Good luck finding wonderful homes for your puppies! I found homes for mine thru YT where people know better:)

I tell people that I don't have teacups. My yorkies are the AKC standard which is under 7 lbs. I tell them that if they want a teacup to go to PetSmart and get a hamster. Blunt, yes...but when they go quiet on the phone, that is when I start educating them. I ask them if they have children and their ages....etc.

Good luck!

I think this has a lot to do with it. It is fashionable to have a small dog. That is a rediculous reason to get a pet!:mad: If they would just do the research I think any intellegent person would change thier mind.

If you don't mind my asking, why are you breeding the 8-pound dog? While I don't want a teacup or a tiny, I do want a dog standard size. It seems that many on this forum think a dog in the 4-6 lb range is perfect.

If I had puppies to sell, I wouldn't sell to anyone that inquired about a teacup. That automatically shows that they haven't done their research...they don't know enough about the breed yet and should not be buying a dog until they know what they are getting.

I agree with all of you. These people that are in the mindset of having a 2-3lb dog are just living in a dream world and they don't know what is in store for them if they do end up getting a dog that size. Why have a dog if you are just going to show it off because it's so small? That's NOT a reason to get a dog. People seriously need to get educated before going and putting money and time into something that is another LIFE that they will be responsible for.

I breed the 8 pound female because she has the perfect bone structure for having puppies and I don't see a need to put a smaller female at more of a risk of losing pups or having a c-section, or other complications. This does not mean that she will necessarily produce larger pups. You have to go back in the bloodline and determine these things, and even then it is STILL a guessing game even with a tiny female AND male. There are never any guarantees no matter what. Each puppy is going to be different, just like with children. Anybody that knows anything about yorkies and has done their research will learn that yorkies were not originally these teeny tiny little dogs. Man did this to them by selective breeding and eventually bred them down and made a new "standard". What will it be next- man trying to come up with a way to make the smallest human?

I've only just become educated on the whole "teacup" issue in the last few days. When I first met Molly, a lady sitting near me told me she as a "tiny teacup Yorkie" - the owner didn't.

It wasn't until I got Molly home and read her AKC papers, that I realized she was called, very simply - Yorkie.

I'm totally fine with that.

Now I'm more concerned over Molly's size and hoping she'll be healthy above all. Her daddy is about 4 lbs and mama is about 3 lbs. I believe.

Molly seems super healthy - very happy, playful and sparkling eyes with soft shiny coat - so I can only guess she's perfectly healthy until we visit our vet.

I'm SO glad that I came to this site and learned the truth about Yorkies.

You can bet I'll be correcting people who call my baby a teacup from now on. I don't want her labeled as anything that's unhealthy - even if it is tiny and "cute".

Many people that ask for 2 and 3 lb. dogs are really thinking eye weight. I have so many times heard someone say their Yorkie was 3 or 4 lbs but if you were to put it on a scale it would be over 5 lbs. Sometimes they look smaller then they really are. A 2 lb. Yorkie would be really really tiny or really skinny. People now days are living in a dream land.

Good for you for taking the high ground and not trying to breed "teacups."

You might try finding some reputable Web sites that discuss the inherent health problems with tinies, and then pass those on to anyone calling and asking for one.

hair really doesn't weigh much at all. I can't remember details but I've read stories of dogs being shaved and all their hair being weighed and it wasn't much at all.

People follow trends for whatever reason and tiny is today's trend it seems.
I wish people would stop searching for the tiny Yorkie so they would no
longer be breed and prevent so many pups from dying of health issues.
Ignorat people just won't listen.
I for one would never own a dog smaller than 7lbs. 9-10lb range for
me if I do look for another. I never expected Buddy to get to 15lbs but
I did deliberately pick him out because he was larger than the other's.
Good luck in finding the perfect forever home for your little one's.

Agree 100%

I can't count the times I've had people ask for teacups or have seen 2.5 lb Kasey and cooed, "I want one his size." I just sigh, roll my eyes and say, "no you don't.':rolleyes:

My Sabrina is a T-cup, When I started looking for my babies I wanted standard if not bigger sized yorkies with all the yorkie traits for my breeding program, the breeder I bought Sabrina from told me she would grow to be atleast 6 to 7 pounds which I was extremely happy and excited about, unfortunately Sabrina didn't grow that much at all, she grew to only be 3 pounds. When I knew she wouldn't grow that much I wanted to get her fixed but my vet at the time told me he wanted her to gain a little more weight before putting her under for surgery but somehow she got pregnant which cost me $3500 for a c-section, she is fixed now, but the point to this was that I know for a fact the breeder who sold Sabrina to me truly believed in her heart that my baby would be a bigger yorkie because the dogs she bred were both over 7 pounds but it really doesn't matter the size of the mother and father, because both Sabrina's parents are over 7 pounds, she must of just been the runt of the litter. I will tell you what though, I used to be so scared for Sabrina even when she plays with my other dogs who are all over 5pounds, Lucy is 5.5, Charlie is 7, and blaine is 6.5, but to be so small she holds her own, in fact she has given Charlie and Blaine a couple of good cuts from biting them she is extra fiesty and territorial.

The dog I bred Lucy with weighs 3 pds, but Lucy's babies both weigh over 5 oz, the girls weight was 6.2 oz and the boy was 5.8 oz when they were born, I have to weight them again today, but basically both of Lucy's babies were good sized babies and I'm sure they will be over 5 pounds because when Lucy was born she only weighed 4.5 oz and Charlie weighed 6 oz so based on their weight when first born I'm guessing my new babies will be over 5 pds. What do you guys think?

I think there is no such thing as a T-cup ;)

It's hard for any breeder to guess and that is what it is a guess. You can get parents size but still that doesn't say too much. I got my first yorkie that was to be no more than 7 lbs and ended up with a 14 lber. Oh well she was the sweetest dog. But my breeder sure didn't know where she came from. As she never had one get that big. And it wasn't like she was a big puppy either. I now have a new puppy I got at chirstmas and the runt of that littler is 4lbs and mine I got is only 2.15 at 15 wks. So one never knows what is going to happen. All you can do is educate people about the dogs and the parents and what time is needed for yorkies which most have no ideal about. Its not like scaring the people off but they need to read about the breed they think they are interested in and what they require before getting the dog. I have seen some people happy to get a larger dog. So hang in there they will have some good homes before its over. Keep trying to talk to people.

I think that's what Dolly Parton wears.

I think it's scary you don't even know that there is no such thing as a "teacup" in the Yorkie standard and you are breeding. :(

ROFLMAO~!!!!!
:lol tears :lol tears :lol tears :lol tears :lol tears :eyetearss :eyetearss :eyetearss

:eek: :D :lol tears

I feel the same way~!
I have a lil man who's not quite 3 lbs.
And I worry about him all the time.
I wish he weighed more.
People just dont get it.
He was one of a litter I had to hand feed , the runt.
You get healthy runts sometimes.
But I just cant imagine someone breeding these tiny ones on purpose.:thumbdown