????"Teacup"-"Toy"?????
 

I am new to the site so I have spent a great deal of time just reading posts. There are lots of things I have questions about but one of the things that puzzles me most is all the uproar regarding the terms "Teacup and/or Toy" when refering to Yorkies. I take no side on this issue I am just trying to understand. Bob

Well all yorkies are classified as toy breeds so they are all toys. There is no such thing as teacup it is just a marketing term used by breeders to get more money for the dog.

Welcome to YT Bob!


chachi answered your question, so I just wanted to welcome you! :D :D :D

No uproar, or side to be taken.
Fact is there is no such thing as teacup, mini, toy. Yorkies are not classified like that, like some breeds are. But people say and claim to have Toy Yorkies, which are just smaller versions. The breed standard that I have always read for a Yorkshire Terrier is 5-7 pounds. Being that size they are in the TOY class.

I don't see what all the fuss is about....
 

We all know what it means. Small Dog. Most people I hear use the term are not breeders. It really doesn't bother me to hear the term.

In the old days teacups were called the runt of the litter....That really didn't sound to good , so the term teacup is used to entice the public...

The debate comes in because the term is mainly used to try to charge more money for these tiny, tiny pups. The akc standard is 4-7 pounds. The problem is these tiny babies tend to have more health problems, are more fragile - some do have healthy tiny babies - but the risks are huge!! There are tiny puppies born out of standard sized dogs - this is not the problem - it's when people try to profit over it and then try to breed these tiny ones with no regard to their health that people tend to have problems. It's just much safer for a five to seven pound female to bred than a 3 or even 4 pounder plain and simple. There are people who do it and with some success but to me - it's not the standard weight and the risk is just not worth it!! You make the decision to breed them they don't - why put them in danger for the sake of money or to see who can get the teeny tiniest dog!! This is just my opinion and I am sure you will get others. Thanks for trying to understand the debate over this.

What makes this use ot Teacup so offensive to so many? I understand the price thing, but one of the threads I read got down right mean with name calling and such, and being new I just wondered.

Well the fuss to me if I was a buyer is that some breeders charge more for their yorkies because they claim they are a toy when in fact all yorkies are toys.

True......
 

But there is such a high demmand for small puppies. People that want then are going to pay a higher price for exactly what they want. If someone knows they can get 1500.00 for a pup do you really think they only ask 200.00 because it was smaller?

Hi Bob and welcome welcome welcome to YT! :p Good to have you here. :D

The word teacup doesn't bother me -- what it represents bothers me.

If people were just calling smaller Yorkies teacups in a cutesy way, it wouldn't bother me AT ALL. In fact, I think it's a cute term for the smaller then usual size Yorkies (meaning any Yorkie smaller then the standard). But as Chachi said, unscrupulous breeders use the term "teacup" as a marketing technique to charge more money for their dogs.

I am not talking about people who are selling the smaller yorkies when I am talking about toy. All yorkies are toy so no one should be profiting more by calling their dog a toy. No I dont see anything wrong with someone asking more for a smaller dog. I do see something wrong with calling them a teacup and asking more since there is no such classification as a teacup. They could call them small or tiny and I wouldnt see any big deal. They are classifing them as a different dog.

I agree, I met a woman awhile ago and she saw Bailey (11.7 pounds) and she must have STRESSED to me 5-6 times that she had " teacup Yorkie" at home,, I mentioned to her that there is no such thing and blah, blah, it went in one ear and out the next, also she advised me of HOW much Money she paid. So I think some people that get sucked into this Marketing scam,and over pay for a dog, while being told it is xtra special cause it's a Teacup, etc,, sometimes they get a little defensive about it, because admitting there is no such thing, they are admitting they got duped. JMO, having experienced it first hand.

I am somewhat enlightened I will keep reading and LEARNING. Thank you to all that have replied. I have one other quick question, where is GMT time zone, I am Eastern Standard and one hour behind GMT.

Teacup is not a 'proper' term for a dog - at all. They stated that on the Westminster dog show last night. It causes people to want the tiny dogs as a toy. It is very hard for the vet to work on such a small dog. I lost a little 4 pound pup which was the runt of my litter, he was 4 months old. The vet called all around to find an emergency clinic that could even work on him. It cost $1,000 and they had to put him to sleep. They crash really quickly, and even though I called my vet, stayed up all night with him; met the vet at 5am as he began to stagger when he woke up. 5 hours at the emergency clinic and they could not save him. My vet was nice enough not to even charge me to meet me at 5am on Sunday morning at her office.

When the phrase "teacup" is used you will see alot of tempers start to flare up. You can say we are "Passionate" about the breed and we hate to see people expoiting our beautiful Yorkie babies.
Oh, and welcome to Yorkietalk :)
Desiree

Kittendes.....
 

That was the perfect reply.

It doesnt bother me at all when people use the tem teacup only when breeders use it to get more money. I did think it was interesting that they mentioned there is no such thing as a teacup on the Westminister Dog Show last night though.

I agree, well said, and very true. :thumbup:

Like everyone has said some breeders just take advantage of the tiny ones and give them a special name, in this case a teacup, and charge outragous prices for them.

I'm fairly new to the site...but more than money I think it is the health of the mommy. I think it makes people crazy to think someone is breeding a yorkie mom that weighs under 5 pounds. Since, they vary in weight you could get a 3 pound mom with larger puppies and she has a very serious chance of dying in the process.

Everyone here loves their dogs like children and it makes people made to think that "some" people breeder smaller moms to make a larger profit and they do not care for the welfare of the mom.

I don't think it is the term "teacup" it is how the puppy came to be. If it was born from a standard size mom...that is fine...it is when they were trying to get smaller dogs for profit.

Just my thoughts ;)

I am looking for a smaller one and I swear it is the biggest scam going.
Especially when you see the puppies weight is like 2 lbs at 8 weeks and is definitely not going to be a tiny.

Yeah I know what you mean but if you are new to the breed and you go to someone who is suppose to be this good breeder and they tell you that this puppy is going to be tiny then you would believe it. Or at least I would. These breeders take advantage of the newbies to the wonderful breed and do nothing but give the good breeders a bad name.

It's a Marketing Tool....No such thing as a Teacup

"Teacup" is a word used by a lot of people (regardless of the breed) to describe a little dog as very small. No harm intended -- and I still can't see why so many people get upset about this.

The word "teacup" started out meaning that a little dog could literally almost fit into a teacup. (What a cute picture this has always been.)

Now - for some reason - many Yorkie owners (who, of course, know a lot about Yorkier and many who are near experts about the breed ---- go into a spasm everytime anyone refers to a little Yorkie as a "teacup."

I don't mind correcting people if this is so important - but to refer to these people as "ignorant and stupid" people (which many many people on this site do) has always been beyond me.

A person called my pup a "teacup." I said, "That description might fit him now (because he weighed only 2 or 3 pounds), but he's not going to stay this small for very long. I think my little guy is going to be a big little Yorkie when he is full grown. And, by the way, there is really is no such thing as a "teacup yorkie." There is only one Yorkie, but I'll tell you - they certainly do come in a wide range of sizes."

Can you imagine - I ran a thread on different sizes once - and we came up with Yorkies weighing from 1 1/2 pounds to 18 pounds. What other breed has such a range in sizes???? Yorkies are wonderful!

Enough said!!!!!

Carol Jean

Here's some info on GMT, welcome to YorkieTalk!
---
Greenwich, England has been the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) since 1884. GMT is sometimes called Greenwich Meridian Time because it is measured from the Greenwich Meridian Line at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. It is the place from where all time zones are measured.

http://greenwichmeantime.com

Funny you say that! My husband is an air traffic controller, and I think they no longer use the term GMT. I will have to ask him when he gets up.

The following is from the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America website and I think it explains the issue well:


If you are interested in purchasing a tiny Yorkie, sometimes called a Teacup,
Micro Mini, Teenie, 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 four 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.