Just so that I am absolutely clear. Katy's breed did NOT advertise her as such. My friend with Yorkies, does NOT use 'Teacups'.



I get it. However. Like I said, I also get why people advertise them as Teacups.

You are right. I am. When I wanted a tiny dog. I wanted a TINY dog. I researched the breed, and I kept looking until I found a breeder that bred by the Standard. Katy is only 8 months old, and could grow much more.....but I do not expect her too. My quote to my husband was, not bigger than 10 pounds if she got fat.



I think most people that buy Yorkies expect them to be very small dog. I think people buy Yorkies, not Carins because Yorkies are a smaller breed....and when they are not, it can be disappointing.


Since I joined this forum a couple people have asked about size. They are concerned. I get that! So when I try to tell them something about Standard size. It seem folks jump in with the "a yorkie is a yorkie no matter". The thing is they bought a YORKIE, not a Carin, not an Airedale. So they have valid questions. And yes, care about the size their dog will be or is.



Because I have owned, trained, raised, bred, worked with, competed, and more with ALL Sorts animals all my life, and with many different dog breeds....Yes. I think an animal should look closely to the Standard for what ever animal and breed it is.



THIS is the perspective from where I take my stand.

Oh but I did read what you wrote


"It could be that you have a Yorkie that was bred small, know to many as Teacups."


You threw it right out there with that comment.



A reputable breeder that breeds "show dogs" does their homework when
they have a breeding pair. Before they breed the dogs the breeder checks back several generations for genetic health issues on both the male and female because, they are breeding for their next champion. This is a breeder ppl should buy from because, the mamma is fed good food, and is well taken care of, they may not get a champion out of a litter but what the buyer gets is a healthy puppy.


Back yard breeders (BYB) are looking for big bucks, they do no background on their breeding pairs, and breed what ppl want, tiny dogs. It's a buyer beware.

This is called "educating" people.

Nobody is disagreeing that reputable breeders breed for the standard although the one thing that is not the standard that I am ok with them not doing is docking tails but that’s a different conversation. What do Carin Terriers have to do with this?

No one said your breeder did. They advertise them that way to make more money so yes we all get why they advertise them that way.

I got a yorkie because I needed a dog that shed little to none and would work well with my allergies and my grandmothers COPD. Size never was something I thought much about. When I get a dog I love it for it’s whole life no matter the size they turn out. I was thrilled that Callie was a bigger yorkie it was much better for living with both my grandparents at the time. Even bigger her size was never anything I focused on. I love yorkies attitudes not their size. In fact I wish there could be two size groups like some other dogs because I love bigger yorkies more like they were before being bred down. I never got any of mine due to size except Ollie who the breeder couldn’t get rid of because he was bigger. If I got a puppy though and it stayed 3 pounds I would still love that puppy. If size is so important 2 things must be considered one go to an actual reputable breeder (which most don’t) and or get an older dog closer to a year old. I do not agree with people getting dogs to just use them as fashion accessories or so they can just say they have a small yorkie. Any obsession on size whether big, small, human or animal isn’t healthy. I feel blessed just with them being healthy. I just am glad I’m here to take in the bigger ones that people get rid of because they are bigger. I get to mend that broken heart of them falling in love with that unconditional love for the person who didn’t want them because they weren’t good enough. In the end the love is what matters not the size.

Yes. I was using a term that it does not matter if you like or do not, is used to talk about the size of Yorkies.



You might think you are 'educating', but your just being Hateful of a word used to describe smaller, more correctly bred size, of the breed we are on a Forum about.



<sighs> It is NOT just Breeders who breed for Conformational Shows (there are other types of 'dog shows'.) REPUTABLE BREEDERS breed by the Standard for the Breed.....the ENTIRE Standard, not just size. But SIZE MATTERS!



I am done.

Done or not, you're missing he whole point here. It is not about ME disliking the term "teacup yorkie". The point I am "trying" to bring out is, there is no such thing as a "teacup" yorkie". It is just a name that Unscrupulous breeders "made up" to sell smaller dogs for big bucks. These Unscrupulous breeders will just about starve the mamma to ensure she has small babies, then these malnourished puppies are sold for big bucks. I am "trying" to get across to you that, there is NO class of "teacup yorkies" and tiny yorkies should not be described as such .
And to say I am hateful of the word is just hysterical lol.

Now I am done.

I think you are to stuck in your opinion of this word to understand and realize the chain that this word goes into to support bad breeders who use that word. I guess it’s like the saying you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. You have been shown how this word hurts the breed that’s all that matters. I guess I just thought everyone with a yorkie and on this forum wanted to be well educated and know everything they can about yorkies. Hopefully at least maybe these posts helped explain it to others that come here and read it.

Don’t forget some of the puppy mills that use the small females cut them open themselves to give them a csection. It’s horrible but sadly a reality.

Sorry for the length but I have strong feelings on this subject. Teacup Yorkies or other breeds are usually heartbreakers, tiny, perky, so cuddly and cute and all so often so frail, unhealthy, have such difficulty just living life, need frequent help just getting through the day, struggling to do even the simplest thing w/out help. Can never just impulsively jump up onto/off the bed or even walk in grass well, let alone manage a field or hiking trail, are so easily dislocated/fracture, often stepped on, must be watched constantly and life has to be catered around their needs and wants full-time, not just when convenient or easy. As they grow older and continue a life of jumping up and down stairs/special structures designed for their independence, tiny, over-thin fibrous tissue holding some joints together begins to break down, dislocating/fracturing that joint, which rarely heals w/out pins/plate orthopedic surgery or amputation, for the old dog and long, painful rehabbing.

The life of the tinies bred down to create a so-called teacup often includes litters of deformities internally and externally, painful, agonizing pregnancies, whelps, all too frequent deaths for the dam and too-small, too-delicate puppies and altogether too inexperienced breeders and owners. All too many have horrible G.I. problems and can be beset with many genetic diseases, conditions as a breeding pair is never bred to better the breed or avoid an existing health problem being passed on to a litter, but for size alone and the $ the litters, stud fees can bring, if they live.

Teacup tinies are too-often culled for size, separated from the mother weeks too soon for each pup's psychological well-being, sold early before any unsuspected growth spurt or to allow time for their genetic problems to manifest, often carried about in purses, casually on the arm, being carelessly passed about and jostled into a human world foreign to that of being a normal, healthy dog by fashion/pop-culture-obsessed folk who buy the poor little dog for its tiny size, ability to draw attention to the owner. Some of us got one unknowingly as their initial Yorkie or to save a runt from being raised by an inexperienced owner who first thing will unthinkingly leave it on the couch/bed alone, go off and hear a bump,yelp and instead of vetting it at once, go online or call a girlfriend looking for medical guidance when the baby has been badly hurt. Teacups often require frequent, expensive vetting, specialist care, special food, accessories. The two I've had died years too early despite always immediate vetting. Totally heartbreaking.

If you travel with one and it has to have vet services, if the vet isn't prepared for tinies, they often don't even have adequate, smaller equipment to treat a tiny and medications have to be carefully given, as they may be easily overdosed.

It's true, not all teacups are unhealthy and some live long, relatively event-free lives and are charmingly cute to look at, are incredibly sweet, loving dogs. I adore them all but am horrified by the teacup tiny's horrible history of pain, misery and exploitation. I detest a breeder or buyer that knowingly helps perpetuate the problem, a breeder or shop that would sell it to anyone with ready money, however unfit for a teacup's well-being. But I would hope true lovers of the Yorkshire Terrier breed lust after only happy, healthy pups from a long lineage of healthy, hardy bred-to-standard ancestors and responsible, experienced breeders who breed only to improve the breed and keep it healthy and happy for as long as possible. The Yorkshire Terrier has long been my favorite breed.

Just curious -- what is the adult weight of a "teacup" yorkie?

Because it’s a made up word I’m not sure there is a size. The person who didn’t want Joey when he was 9 weeks old tried to say he was a teacup and was feeding him diet adult food to keep him small and he now is 14 pounds lol

Found out my first Yorkie, Scotty, just under 3 lbs. when grown, bought from an old couple who occasionally bred their female;,\ and my Jilly, an extremely small-born runt whelped, to normal-size Yorkie pair from line of standard-sized Yorkies, slightly over 3 lbs. when grown, both qualified as the so-called teacup. These days I think that is considered large for a teacup.

In shopping for Yorkie breeders 5 years after Scotty died, I had read a local newpaper article about a lady who bred very small Yorkshire Terrier dogs in a nearby town and went to see them as I had only learned that Scotty was too tiny for for the Standard but wanted another Scotty type dog, still ignorant of what teacup breeding was all about. Not one of her breeding dams or studs was over 2 - 3 lbs.! Could not believe their tiny sizes, bug eyes, pointy chests, foreshortened legs, long, uneven backs and all of the dams, studs, puppies for sale she brought to show acted extremely fearful, as if never socialized or maybe rarely out of their cages. They dashed from under one piece of furniture to the next the entire time they were in the room, not one came when called by the breeder, who was all business. She acted as if she'd done all of this a thousand times before.

She casually explained she only kept the tiniest out of litters for breeders and bred them to one another, then automatically quoted range of new-car prices for her puppies, tiniest most expensive, etc., the amount/date of deposit required to hold which picking order potential buyers could ensure, accepted cash only, asked me to spell my name for a legal pad she was about to write on,having never asked me if I had any questions or had any questions about my dog-owning experience/history, home situation, yard/fence, nearest vet, where the puppy would spend most of its day, etc. She acted as if she could care less about the ultimate welfare of any of her puppies & just assumed I was a ready-made buyer. I couldn't get away fast enough.

Update on Sophie
 

I am posting update on Sophie. Sophie is now 8 month old now and weighs 3.5 lbs. For her short body, she is a chubby little girl now. And she is Cottony Coat, very dark colour, grey, tan & black colour.

I took her to my vet. Vet's office is open but only the dogs are allowed in so I could not speak to the vet directly. I had to wait outside in the car. I did full bloodworks and she is healthy. However, she has 7 baby teeth that needs to be removed. I want to wait until she is older for spaying, at least when this Covid 19 situation is over... I was advised by the vet's office to remove teech and spay her at the same time but I am likely to just have her teeth removed for now. And may be spay her later...

I’m glad to hear she is healthy. 3.5 pounds is small, but not as fragile as some of the super tiny ones I’ve seen advertised. And she may grow a bit more.

Is there any particular reason you’re considering waiting on the spay surgery? My vet had the same recommendation for Jax: do his neuter and remove any retained baby teeth at the same time. It was planned for him to have it done at eight months, although we were a little late due to covid closures. Still, I’m very glad they were done at the same time. He’s a little over four pounds, and I would hate to be worrying over another anesthesia & surgery — one was nerve wracking enough!

I would spay her at the same time. There really is no reason to wait. It’s much better to just do it at one time.

Welcome back and thank you for the update. Sophie sounds like a healthy little girl.

Spaying before first heat is always advised by vets. For each heat a females has puts her at risk of getting Pyometra which can be fatal and Mammary gland tumors. This COVID-19 from my readings can take 18 months to 2 years to be gone or a vaccine to be used. Sophie will be over 2 years old by then and possibly came into season 3 or 4 times putting her at a higher risk of getting Pyometra and Mammary tumors at a early age.

It is best to spay early and have baby teeth removed at the same time, also less stress on wee lil Sophie.

Thanks for the suggestions. I just felt like I am putting her thru too much at once. But I have not thought about the fact that putting her thru anesthesia twice is worse. I just spoke to the vet's office again and they strongly suggest that I spay her... So, I am convinced that I should do them together. She will need the teeth removed, nails trimmed(I cannot do this) and Spay surgery. I think I will have to take a few days off from work... She is so active. She chases bunny, squirrels and birds(anything that moves) And I remember my last dogs had collars to put on after the surgery. Hopefully they will have small sturdy ones for Sophie. thank you all.

Most yorkies end up having to have baby teeth pulled so it’s very normal. All four of mine had to have them removed. Callie lost almost none of her baby teeth on her own so most of them had to be pulled when she was spayed. Because they are baby teeth they don’t have roots so it’s not a huge thing. You also might want to think about having a microchip placed when she is under also. I also did that with all of mine.

You're doing right by Sophie doing spay now not later. Less stress on your baby to spay and remove baby teeth at the same time.

We just had a member post they used premi baby Onesies when her girl was spayed, no cone was needed. They also have inflatable collars.

Good news to hear that she will only have to be under once. As far as aftercare, my boys used onesies, but for the first few days we had them sleep in collars...just in case. Our vet supplied us with a collar made for kittens, and it worked very well.

I’m glad you’ve decided to do the necessary procedures at the same time. As others have said, the removal of the baby teeth is minor; Jax had three removed, but the vet said they were so loose they were about to fall out on their own. He also had his nails trimmed and a microchip implanted at the same time; those only take minutes under anesthesia. Probably the worst thing (other than the rare bad reaction to the anesthetic) about tiny dogs and surgery is that they usually have a difficult time maintaining body heat under anesthesia, so it’s better not to put her through that if it’s not necessary.

Jax absolutely hated his e-collar. He refused to eat, drink or potty while wearing it — and within three days he had learned how to get a paw into the tie and untie it, then paw it off over his head. It was a full week battle, trying to keep it on him, but luckily he never showed the slightest interest in his incision.

spayed & happy
 

Sophie got spayed last Wednesday. She had 3 teeth pulled and nails clipped. When I picked her up she seemed to be drugged or in pain. Just not herself... I had to stay next to her the entire afternoon and night.

Vet gave 2 doses of pain medications for her to take for 2 days after the surgery but she end up taking just one because she seemed to have recovered in full the next day. The recovery rate for this small yorkie was just amazing.

just a minor trouble...We had to cut around the ecollar because the one the Vet gave was just too big and they had to wrap 2-3 times around with a tape around to secure it. Her head was falling down constantly because of the weight of the ecollar. And she was a very itchy little girl. Everyone in the family was poked by ecollar to give scratch service. Overall the experience was good as she recovered so fast.

She is now chasing the birds and bunny at the backyard. And she runs around the park in full speed. Not sure if this is normal since it's been a week only.

I am glad it is done and over with. Eventhough she recovered fast, putting a dog under general anesthesia seems like an invasive procedure. I just could not believe how sick she looked first day. I hope she does not need to go thru that again.

And her weight seems to be stable for a full month eventhough she has a huge appetite and I still have to separate her food morning, lunch and dinner time(+ many snacks in between:). watermellons & chicken breats & bunny poop in the backyard(we are trying to stop her from eating them). She cannot control the appetite yet. But she kept her weight of 1600 gram/3.5 lbs for a month. So, I think she will soon become an adult dog.

I bought another bag of Royal Canine Puppy food so she can have 1 more month of puppy food(she is now 9 month old).

I just hope that she will learn to control the appetite soon. I tried giving her the two meals portion in the morning to see if she will eat half way and stop but no... she finished it in like 5 seconds and asked for more...

Other than that, she is just being the tiny terror Sophie and rules the house.

Great that the surgery went well, and yes these dogs are amazing for bouncing back so quickly after surgery. I would not worry about over feeding, she is a puppy, high energy, she will burn off a lot of calories, I would feed more in the mornings because she is so active all day, dinner you can give a bit less, there is no such thing as over feeding a puppy, they burn it off.
Sophie sounds like a true terrier, chasing down prey. Enjoy that little diva girl, its wonderful to be owned by a yorkie ;).
Thank you for Sophie's up date.

I am so glad that she made it safely through her surgery! They certainly are challenging to manage during the recovery period with their high energy levels.

Regarding feeding, have you ever considered free grazing? I have always allowed our dogs to self-regulate, and I have never had an overweight dog. Our two now are extremely healthy, and our vet says he has never seen a stronger, more muscular and lean frame on a dog than on our parti, Tyrone.
We realized after we got him home that Tyrone was denied food by his "breeder" in order to market him as a smaller yorkie. He did over eat for a few days...I am sure that he thought that it would be taken away if he didn't finish immediately. Within a few weeks he learned that it would always be there when he was hungry, and he settled in at a larger, but healthy, weight.

I am sure that she may "pig out" at first, but she may surprise you and learn fairly quickly to eat the appropriate amount. We start the day with shredded chicken on top for breakfast, which they quickly gobble, then they have a small amount of kibble. They both are hilarious about having lunch and dinner at the same time that we eat. As soon as I go into the kitchen to prepare meals, they follow and eat mouthfuls of kibble which they carry over from their bowls and eat at my feet! If I am late starting a meal, they go into the kitchen and bring a mouthful of kibble into the family room to remind me that it is time for diner, lol.

I know that this approach will not work for every dog. I am just suggesting that you might want to give it a try.

Good news! Like Sophie, Jax was pretty droopy on the first evening after his surgery, but he recovered quicky after that.

One note, since it’s only been a week since the surgery, be careful about letting Sophie overdo. There’s a good reason vets say to restrict activity for the first two weeks post surgery. She might be feeling great, but she’s still healing internally. You don’t want something to rupture and cause internal bleeding because she’s being too active when she’s not fully healed on the inside.

Nanajoy's free grazing is my next goal for Sophie! One more task added to my To Do List. I will try this from this weekend and see how it goes with Sophie.

I also found inflatable collar which Matese mentioned. that would have been whole lot better than this giant puppy umbrella. but I was not able to order that on-time for Sophie. I think I will be much more prepared if I have to do this again for another dog.

Oh, and I have just learned that there are many different types of yorkies; traditional, dark traditional, parti, dark parti, chocolate, chocolate parti, sable, sable parti, merle... I don't know what type of Yorkie Sophie is... She is mostly dark with very little tan. Her dark color looks black but under the sun, I can see brownish color on her dark fur.

thank you all for many useful informations...

Those are just different colors not necessarily different types. There is not Merle though that is not in yorkies most people claiming Merle yorkies are spammers or they are claiming a mix breed as a yorkie. Chocolates have brown noses and light brown/ hazel color. My Ollie is a chocolate yorkie Joey and Penny would be considered traditional even though Penny is black but her head and legs are tan and Joey is tan and grey. In the Yorkie world colors can be controversial because The Yorkshire Terrier Club says it’s taboo and fault. I rarely used a collar on my dogs after they got fixed except at night when I couldn’t watch them. I used a soft collar by a member here but her website isn’t working.

Good luck with your plan to try free grazing!