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Miniature Yorkshire terrier. HELP!!!

Im purchasing a Yorkshire terrier puppy from a lady I found on the AKC website, she told me that "my puppy" will be around 3lbs full grown [saying she's a miniature yorkie]. Is that healthy? I read online that there's no such think as "teacup" dogs, and they are little because they are premature. I also read that they don't live long because of it. Should I be concerned about my puppy's health? are 3lb full grown dogs premature? Does anyone here have a "miniature" Yorkie that weighs less than 3lb and it's healthy?

thank you so much

Quote:

Originally Posted by caroline23x (Post 3761202)

You are wise to educate yourself and not believe everything the breeder tells you. Miniature is just another form of teacup, there is no such thing. Poodles have three classes, standard, miniature, and toy being the smallest, but Yorkies only have one class, and that's toy, which is defined as "must not exceed 7 pounds. Of course, there are some Yorkies that are bigger than that, but there is no classification for different sizes. The Yorkshire Terrier Club of America is the mother club and they set the standard for the AKC, and they say,

Quote:

An Important Message About “Teacup” Yorkies
By Gale Thompson
If you are interested in purchasing a tiny Yorkie, sometimes called a Teacup,
Micro Mini, Teeny, or any other name that means “extra small”, there are
several things you should consider. The YTCA’s Code of Ethics precludes the
use of the words “teacup”, “tiny specialists”, doll faced, or similar terminology
by its members, and for good reason.
All breeders may occasionally have an unusually small Yorkie (hopefully healthy),
though no responsible breeder breeds for this trait. Many breeders prefer a
general weight range of 4-7 pounds believing that size retains desired Toy
qualities while maintaining optimum health. The Yorkie Standard states weight
"must not exceed seven pounds" and as a prospective pet owner you should
realize that even at 7 pounds, the Yorkie is still a small dog. (Females weighing
less than 5 pounds are considered by most breeders to be unsuitable for breeding.)
Special circumstances often come with extra tiny dogs. They are extremely
susceptible to both hereditary and non-hereditary health problems, including
birth defects that may go undetected for a long time. Other common
problems may include, but are not limited to, diarrhea, vomiting, along with
extra and expensive tests prior to routine teeth cleanings and surgeries.
Small ones are more likely to have poor reactions to anesthesia and die from
it. Tiny dogs are more easily injured by falls, being stepped on and being
attacked by other dogs. These health problems nearly always result in
large veterinary bills.
Please take this into consideration and make purchasing a healthy pet your top
priority, not size. The “novelty” is certainly not worth the pain, heartbreak, or
extra expense. Remember, all Yorkies are comparatively small. The most
important thing is finding a healthy puppy that will grow into a healthy adult,
especially since you looking at an 11 to 15 year commitment with your Yorkie. There is much information on our web site. Please take the time to study it
before buying a puppy. We wish you the best of luck. Yorkshire Terrier Club of America (Awards)

Quote:

Originally Posted by caroline23x (Post 3761202)

Well to answer your question, no a 3lb dog is not necessarily from a premature birth. Sometimes even with the best breeders you get pups that are smaller than average or larger than average.

How-ever there is a higher incidence in health problems with the tinier dogs ie 3lbs and under. I certainly hope you are not getting that pup until they weigh at least 2lbs. IN fact I highly recommend you refuse until this pup is 2lbs.
what you need to do is research the health of your breeders lines. Do you have the registered name of Dam and Sire? If not get it. Then you can check to see what health tests have been done.
You also need to ask the breeder of any health concerns in their line (apart from what is required to post to get a CHIC (Health Number).

There are members here with the tinier Yorkies that are pretty healthy; but again you need to know about the lines your breeder is breeding to help you assess the health risks you might be taking on.

What is this breeders Health Guarantee? Also finding from the AKC website a breeder is no warranty or representation of excellence in breeding. Any breeder can advertise there.

There are alot of smaller yorkies that dont have health issues. They are more susceptible to injuries though because of their tiny size

Alot of wonderful imformation has been provided for your above. I wish you well in your dog ownership, and I'm glad that you're educating yourself.

Caroline! Welcome to YorkieTalk and God bless you for checking on the information you have received.
I'm not going to add anything to the conversation because you have already been given great advice and info. I just wanted to thank you for being a wise lady and not falling for the breeders inaccuracies.

Ehh. I wouldn't believe what they say. Our breeder said Bailey would not exceed more than 5 or 6. She is now 7 or 8. They. Could be lying. I have heard some say that there breeder said theres would not be more than 7 or something, and it ended up being a big yorkist. Good luck and let us know when you have found your baby!!

Before I purchased my yorkie, I asked my vet about teacups....she wrinkled her nose up and said....dont do it....they are in here all the time near death. I did as she advised and am soo glad I did. I talked with a couple at petsmart the other day and they told me they paid 3000 for their dog and a total of 10,000 to keep it alive......they had bought a teacup. I would try and stay around the 5lb. and up range.

I have a 3lb 14oz boy, and honestly I could never imagine having anything smaller.

Assure that you do proper research on the breeder, as the word "teacup" is a marketing ploy.

Best of luck with your search, it's good to see you have started to educate yourself, before buying. Much of the advice above is great advice. :)

thank you so much for all your help. I do trust my breeder though, she never actually told me she sells teacup, she just told me she had 1 female yorkie in litter and that she was probably going to be around 3lbs full grown. I just read stuff online and get paranoid, I guess. I already own a 1 year old yorkie named Belle, and she was "supposed" to be a teacup, but she's now 8 lbs and very healthy! So i'm hoping this new puppy will be a healthy girl as well. =)

thank you all for your time reading this.
xoxo

My Jett JUST hit 3# at just over a year. He is a tiny boy for sure......structure is much different than Bella who is just over 5#. He hasn't been sick.....nor any health problems so far for me!!! Not all are preemies.....just smaller!

My previous Yorkie was 3 pounds when fully grown. Yes she was small. Live a long, and healthy life for 11 years. I think the quality of the breeding is very important!

Since predicting adult weight is not an exact science, and the little girl could very well be over3lbs full grown, I think the biggest concern is that she is both old enough (12 weeks) and large enough (around 2lbs) when you take her home. Best of luck to you!

i had a lil one just a lil under 2 pounds she was never sick only time she seen her vet was for check ups she lived 11 1/2 years