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"Teacup" Discussion I've learned there are hard feeling about Teacup Yorkies. I know the Yorkie standard does not disqualify Yorkies that are too small, but does mandate that they be under 7 pounds. I know the YTCA Code of Ethics discourages breeding small Yorkies and I've read why they do that. I'm curious why the YTCA doesn't change their standard to reflect their code of Ethics with regard to small yorkies. More importantly, I'd like to hear from owners who have Yorkies under 5 pounds. Have you experienced the increased problems? If you had it to do over gain, would you repeat the decision and get a smaller Yorkie. I hope I can get honest answers. I worry that some small yorkie lovers will decline to post because they fear suffering attacks from folks who condemn the breeding/purchasing/selling of small yorkies. Even if your reluctant to post here, a PM would be appreciated and i'll keep your comments private. |
I posted this in the other thread, but I honestly don't know why YTCA doesn't have a minimum for the standard. Maybe a YTCA member like Mardelin or Brooklynn can give you an answer to that. I know some breeders will occasionally have a tiny puppy born in a litter - I personally don't think I'd be comfortable having a yorkie under 3lbs as an adult, and even three pounds is pretty small...I think I would prefer my next yorkies to be between 4 and 6lbs as adults. I know there are a lot of members with very small yorkies here. I hope you get a lot of responses to this thread as it will be good information for all. I have a friend with a yorkie that is right at 3lbs. She had some kind of genetic issue with her spine..can't remember what it was called. But she started to fall over and couldn't walk by the time she was a year old. She had to have major surgery and has pins in her neck. She is so tiny and fragile that it scares me to hold her sometimes. You have to be extra extra careful with her, especially because of her neck. I wouldn't even let her jump off something a foot high. But I have other friends with yorkies that are somewhere between 3.5 and 4lbs that don't scare me like the above one does. They aren't quite so fragile although I still feel like you have to much more careful with them compared to my 7lb yorkie. That's my main concern with the tiny ones is their safety. What's safe for a 7lb yorkie might be fatal for a 2lb one. You just have to be so much more cautious with them. And I couldn't help but think of sweet little Natalie when I read this thread..she was such a tiny girl. I hope Dena will post on this thread and share her experience (although I know she is still grieving for her sweet baby). Natalie was such a tiny little girl. |
I can't answer the questions about the YTCA for you..but I understand your point.:) As far as the other question. I own a smaller male...3 pounds. By all accounts, he should have grown bigger. Never gained an ounce after about 6 months. He ended up being the smallest out of the litters his dam/sire produced. His litter mates and older siblings all ended up in the 5 lb range. I wouldn't trade him for the world. He's never had any health issues, but we do have to be more careful with him. He stepped off ONE stair wrong once and injured his knee. It's fine now, but something just that simple was a danger. Just a freak incident. We have to put him in another room or crate when cleaning. He can't jump on and off furniture like the others. He just has to have special care and handling that the others don't is all. It was not something we'd planned for and we had to learn to adjust. But it is something that you learn to manage and work around. :) So for me, I can't imagine why that would be something you'd WANT to deal with or why you would WANT one that required such special treatment, but that is just my opinion. I just can't understand why size alone would be viewed as the most important factor...over temperament and good breeding...and for some people that is all that matters.:( |
If you are getting a 6 pounder that is within standard. I hope it all works out for you and sorry for your wifes health problems. It is not reputable for a breeder to "specialize" in tiny yorkies. If one happens then of course they must deal with it. They should be striving to breed to standard. I would like to know what is healthy about this obsession with small? |
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Pros: They are adorable aren't they! I think if we would all stop and think about this, how many times have you heard a dog is sick, vomitting and diarrhea and has lost a pound in a week. If you have a dog that only weighs 2 pounds, you have no weight to work with. I have had several very small dogs over the years and I can tell you first hand, every thing matters with them, tempertare changes can stress them and they crash fast when they crash. I am on edge anytime I have a small one. Dosing medicine for a very small dog is no fun and I have even heard vets saying, well you realize the medicine could kill one this size. I placed one at 6 months, I hadn't even thought of selling her, then someone saw her, and they asked me if she was for sale, I said no. They said WHY? I said plain as day because I don't know from one day to the next if she will be alive or not. I did place her with them because they were very experienced and show Yorkies, they just loved the little ones as pets. She was spayed and it took 18 hours for her to come out of it. They thought she may not make it. So people need to remember all of this when considering breeding for this size and when wanting to buy this size. Deana Prestigeous Yorkies |
Max is a year old and 3 pounds he isnt tiny but is on the smaller side. He is healthy and full of energy. I havent had any health issues with him and god willing I wont. I cant speak much on breeding for smaller yorkies but I can say that I originally wanted a smaller yorkie. If he would have grown bigger than 3 pounds I would love him the same but I did want a smaller yorkie. Health was number one priority of course. I dont have another dog to compare him to so I cant say if he requires more work but I dont find that he has problems doing what my friends 7 pound dog does. |
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I had a 2 lbs Chihuahua and she was never put under for anything. We lost her in March of 06 and it about killed me, she was 8 years old. Her mother is still alive and so is her father they are 12 years old. So I am wondering if the smaller size also takes away from the life span Would be interesting to hear of some golden oldies in the smaller size. Deana Prestigeous Yorkies |
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Deana Prestigeous Yorkies |
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Deana you are absolutely right...they are so difficult to medicate and treat! Many techs and vets have trouble setting an IV in such a tiny dog and medications must be so carefully dosed. If they get sick it is harder on their little bodies! Also those that breed for the smaller yorkies, use smaller yorkies...which I think is dangerous. I cringe everytime one of our 5-7 lbs females goes in for a c-section or any surgery...after my 5.5 lb female was on the brink of death during her last c-secion...I knew there is no way I could breed smaller yorkies, they are so small at 7 lbs as it is. If you really want to own a smaller yorkie, I would recommend finding one from a responisble breeder who is breeding nice size yorkies and happened to get a smaller yorkie in their litter. Twice we have had smaller puppies produced, we kept both of those puppies until they were 2 lbs which was 7 months old before we even talked about placing them in new homes, both went for less than we normally sell our yorkies for! This is just my opinion of course but it is based on experience working as a tech and breeding! |
I don't recall anyone ever getting "attacked" for having a smaller Yorkie, or loving them. They do need more care in general as they are more delicate. I have 1 that took a step wrong and broke her foot in 3 places. Just from twisting wrong. Her foot is only the size of a large grape. Some have open fonts, some have organs to large for their bodies, some always have hypoglycemic problems, and some have liver issues. Some are also healthy and happy. Breeding tinies are a completely different story. Just web search "teacup", yorkies for sale and look. You should be able to see the motive for breeding is income not to produce quality pups. It usually the persons lively hood. Search just this site and you'll see why it can be dangerous to breed tiny females. IMO This is why its discouraged by the YTCA. Breeding tiny females, not owning them. |
My yorkie is 4.5 lbs now and I'm just ecstatic about it! When I got her, she was 1.5 lbs. She's been through one heat cycle because I didn't get her in to be spayed in time and she's still a bit swollen so she's probably realistically about 4 lbs. Anyhow -- when she was a baby I was terrified because of her size. Honestly to me she still seems fragile, but she's filled out a bit more and has a little weight to her. I constantly worried when she was a baby about everything because she was just so darn small. I have a friend who has a 2 lb yorkie and if she's sick even with a mild case of a stomach ache, it's a big deal. She can dehydrate easily. She can never be left alone because of how fast her blood sugar could crash. To me it's just very scary. I think they are SO cute, but I just couldn't handle it personally. |
Jackie you know first hand about my Lil Bit, he is doing great now and had been until about 2 weeks ago, he just completely bottomed out. It was due to nothing but stress of the temperature change. I just can't imagine wanting to breed for these sizes and pass them off to someone else. I know most health guarantess don't cover Hypoglycemia so if the pup dies from Hypoglycemia you are out of luck. Something else to consider. Deana Prestigeous |
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I have to say I agree with you on this so much. I have a very small one right now that was born from standard size parents. I have yet to sleep in my bed and have stayed with her since they day she was born. I still don't feel comfortable leaving her alone thru the night. I have no plans currently about placing her or not since it will be quite awhile before I feel more comfortable to even consider placing her if I ever do. These little ones are so hard to stop worrying about. |
hey all...... okay..... I will admit I am partial to smaller sized yorkies. I love the tiny ones with the little compact bodies... they look like puppies even when they are adults! In my opinion, there is no comparison.... I am a big fan of smaller sized yorkies...especially when they have a fiesty little personality. We lucked out with Jaya, and when it came time to get our second puppy, we just couldn't afford the prices for teacups ($2800+). Jaya is almost 2 and half pounds, and will reach 3 lbs full size. She is a replica of her father who was exactly 3 lbs. Her mother was 8-9 lbs, and the other two puppies in that litter will max out at 4 and 5 lbs. Jenna is a little over 2 lbs at 11 weeks and will max out 4-5 lbs. The other dog in her litter is bigger. The breeder had another litter born the same day and they are half the size of Jenna (that litter's parents were SO beautiful, and so healthy...both 4-5 lbs, the pups were all small because she had 4 pups which is unheard of for her size), but the breeder was selling those pups at a ridiculous price which pissed me off, but what can you do... right... they have to make a living too I guess. I bought both my pups from the same breeder... Anyways! With Jaya... she is such a sturdy dog...... very very outgoing... loves to run and attack everything... when I hold her, I can tell she is a strong and sturdy dog. I mean she bounds up and down the stairs in seconds, and her legs are very powerful. She is very slim, but she's all lean muscle. Basically, what I'm saying is, you have to look at the parents and the way the pup is reared before you pick it up, as well as the build of the dog. Jaya was a sturdy puppy even if she was the smallest of the litter. I would not classify her as the 'runt' because she was not projected to be smaller than her father, but simply followed his genes. What is worrisome about smaller yorkies, is if they are "runts" which I classify as those pups who don't get enough food and attention due to the other, more stronger pups in the litter. The runts are usually projected to be smaller than the parents (and grandparents) and they usually look weaker and frailer than the other pups in the litter. For a runt, small is not due to genes, but due to health, and those are the pups with health issues. In regards to those breeders who purposely breed for size..... i don't know much.... When i was looking for yorkies, all the females were always over 6 lbs so I dont know much. That other litter that i mentioned earlier with the four teacups, the father was at least five lbs...the mother was smaller, but those two were bred for more "show quality" rather than pet quality. There was one breeder who was selling a 4 month old pup who was a little over 1 lb, who was projected to weigh 2 lbs. I had to decline because his body was extremely compact and he just didnt seem to feel right...he was almost as wide as he was long! and the lady did not have the parents, so the alarm bells were ringing, and I had nothing to compare him with. When a person is looking for a "teacup" or a yorkie that is 3 lbs and under, he or she must examine everything. But like I said earlier, there is nothing wrong with the small ones (i LOVE them)...... you just gotta know your stuff and you must must must! see the parents and the other pups of the litter. And never settle for a runt, just to get a "teacup"...its just not worth it in the long run. |
My male is 8 years old and 2.8 pounds. While he is absolutely adorable, i would never have another tiny one. I also have a 5 pound yorkie and 8 pound maltese. I really prefer the 5-6 pound size for many reasons. :thumbup: |
I didnt know zip when I bought my first Yorkie. They were charging $250.00 for the girls(there were 4 girls). I asked if I could have the runt for $225.00 and they agreed. She was the best $225.0 I ever spent!!! She was the absolute love of my life and grew up to be a whopping 3 1/2 lbs. She went everwhere with me, hiking and in the swimming in the creek, to the store and for car rides. She didnt have any health problems but did have luxating patellas. They didnt bother her until she was about 12 years old. she started walking a little bit stiff. she lived to be 15 years old. I was sooo paranoid about anesthesia, I didnt have her spayed until she was 10 years old. thats when a very knowledgable toy vet moved into town.I cried all the way home knowing that she might never wake up. She came through with flying colors. I still get tears in my eyes when I think of her. I dont have children, but she was my child. |
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Very good post! Last winter was the first winter since adopting our 8 year old Gizmo and he scared the hell out of me. I just couldn't keep him warm enough and he had 2 hypoglycemic episodes, the vet explained he used all his energy up trying to keep warm, even with jammies he still shivered. I had to start feeding him several little meals through out the day as opposed to the normal 2 meals a day he was on previously and we kept him bundled up with sockies and 4 legged fleece jumpers. When he has had a bug he has dropped weight so quickly, at 2.8 pounds that just isn't good. Other than that he has been pretty healthy accept for the old age things setting in such as arthritis and bad teeth. |
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Yorkies I would like to say in general that the yorkie breed is a more difficult breed to raise and require more care in general than any other dog I have ever raised. Alot of the larger yorkies can have all of the same problems as the smaller ones. I hear of liver shunt, bad patella's, heart murmers, and the like in the larger yorkies. If a yorkie is cared for properly, it requires more time and care than do most breeds. This is what anyone who is considering a yorkie should know if they do the research on the breed before purchasing one. On the flip side of that, I find that the yorkie is more loving and loyal and personalble than most. I raise yorkies and my breeders are between 5 1/2 and 7 lbs. I do not sell the runts if I get a smaller one, I place it with a person who has experience and time and they keep their money incase it were to develope a medical condition. I also keep all of my pups till they are 3-4 months old. I have my vet do extended heath checks to insure they are healthy before I sell them, it costs more but I dont have to replace the dogs due to health issues later on. My babies are not in kennels, they live in my home with me as my kids. I must say that they are alot easier to raise than my 5 daughters were. Thanks for listening |
I'm sure we all agree that the top priority to look for in a breeder is healthy lines. At 2 yrs. Sugar was 3 pound and naturally I thought that was his adult weight. I was surprised to find out that now at 3 yrs he is 4 pounds. He isn't overweight, he just filled out. I guess he was a late bloomer.:p Other than some recent food sensitivity he is my healthiest dog. Gracie is 8 or 9 pounds and has LP and reverse sneezing. Bigger does not always mean healthier. There are irresponsible breeders who specialize in "tea cups" and ONLY care about tuning out tinies which is horrible. There are also breeders who breed yorkies that are much larger than standard- they are also in it only for the money and can turn out unhealthy as well. |
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Cali is MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH more limited than my others 2 dogs, who are 5 lbs and 8 lbs. She aboslutely can NOT jump on or off the bed and couch. She can NOT walk up or down the stairs. She gets sick SOOOOO MUCH MORE QUICKER than any dog I've ever seen in my life. It seems that she always has a never ending cold during the winter months. I don't take her outside all winter because of this but I do walk Codie and Tia daily in the winter and they are totally fine and hardly ever get sick -- I know in my heart it's because they are bigger than she is and can tolerate the cold better because of that reason. I love my Cali with all my heart and if I had to do it all over again, I definitely would because I simply cannot imagine my life without her. She really completes our family in such a special way. But I don't think I would ever again get one this tiny. Not because of the money or anything so superficial but because my heart can't handle the constant worry of losing her. It really does take a toll on me and my husband because he loves her just as much as I do and when she gets sick, he's a nervous wreck that we're going to lose her. On a side note, in my opinion I don't believe tiny dogs of any breed (Cali is a Chihuahua, not a Yorkie) are good for people who aren't in a good place financially. And when I say this, I mean it in the most kind and sincere way possible. I don't mean to put people down and say they don't deserve to own a dog if they are poor. But what I'm saying is when Cali gets sick, she must immediately go to the vet. There is no 2 or 3 day grace period to wait until you get paid that Friday and then take her in. She has gone to the emergency ER vet that is open all night several times for simple things like the sniffles because I simply cannot wait until the next morning for her regular vet to open up. Just to WALK IN the ER vet it's $100 and that does not include the vet touching her at all, that's just the walk-in fee. Then comes the exam and whatever else the vet has to do to her. If the vet has to keep her over night or for a few dayss, you're looking at a few hundred to possibly even thousands of dollars. The few times we're gone to the ER vet, we've never had a bill less than $200. Cali has cost me a lot more money in her one and a half year life span -- so much more than Codie and Tia. Everything for her is more money, even a regular check-up at the vet because of her tiny size. I don't regret having her ... in fact, my feelings are quite the opposite. She has brought such joy to my husband and I and we thank god for blessing us with her, Codie and Tia. But there are risks involved and my love for her can't change any of that. To anyone who has a tiny like my Cali, I wish you all the best of luck with your little one. They truly are a blessing. :) |
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Gizmo is in the best place possible. You take such great care of him. If I rememebr correctly, you even helped him gain a little bit of weight. :p I wish I had that luck with Cali but no matter how much she eats or all of the extra supplements I give her to gain weight, the scale doesn't budge ... I wish I could same the same for me lol :p |
Nikki--You bring up good points. ANY dog of ANY size can have health issues as the result of bad breeding. Likewise, you can have dogs in great health right down to the smallest little Yorkie out there. But size and the problems that come with it are still issues that can't be avoided even in the healthiest of dogs.:( Whether the dog is healthy or not is not the primary concern when it comes to these extra small ones...size is. (Not arguing, just expanding on your points.:) ) And consider that there are scum out there churning out these super small cuties rapidly, and charging astronomical prices...well, do you honestly think the well being and overall health of these little ones is a concern at all? I doubt it. I'm sure they don't give LP or shut a secong thought.:thumbdown |
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I think some people if they were allowed to watch their dog during a CSection and how awful it is to see them cut open and bringing the puppies out. It is just horrible even with a bigger girl. To think of the little ones that are being bred and some breeders do CSections with every litter because they don't want to take a chance at loosing puppies. It is a terrible shame that this is going on. This is what they tell you hey this is america we can do it if we want, thats the attitude that the breeders that do this have. So very sad :( :mad: Deana Prestigeous Yorkies |
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