Well, this is turning out to be a very interesting thread. Thank-you, gracielove, crafty 129 and Charlies Mama. I will read the YTCA website carefully. How wonderful that we can connect and share experiences and knowledge, etc. I too am fearful of all the issues involved with an overly small Yorkie. As I search for a Yorkie now, I tend to avoid promises of how tiny a pup will be. Do teacups have more health issues? Ear infections? Other problems?

I would love to own one of the larger full breed yorkies. I have been trying to find one. Mt grandbaby is 1 years old now and I love him to death he should be around 5lbs but I would love to find a larger one.:)

Wallee is a Biewer yorkie who will be 9 months old on the 27th. He currently weighs 10 lbs. His mom is a tiny thing only around 7 lbs (she was adopted up the street from me which is great) and his dad was 8 lbs. When I was looking for a puppy, I read that very often the biewers were around the 8-10 lb size and that is what drew me to them. Since I have 4 cats who weigh around 12 lbs each, I wanted a puppy who would be able to hold his own while playing with them without being injured. I also read about hos easily injured the tiny guys were and thought that would make me even more overprotective. ;).

There is no such thing as a teacup and stay very very far away from any breeder who uses that word.

This is a subject that comes up often because there seems to be such a wide range in sizes of these dogs. The breed standard states that the weight is not to exceed 7 lbs. That seems reasonable to me for a toy breed dog but some people seem to be obsessed with the idea of a 1 or 2 pound dog. Since 7 lbs is the top size of a Yorkie obviously smaller sizes are acceptable. It would be nice if the YTCA would set a minimum weight. The Yorkie is in the Toy group and so it is supposed to be small. I don't understand why people want to make it smaller. a reputable breeder does not continue to breed dogs that consistently produce tiny offspring. They are not useful for breeding or showing and they have distinct disadvantages in life.

A breeder that is breeding for size only is endangering the health and well being of the offspring. There are many aspects of genetics that have to be taken into consideration when breeding purebred animals. When a breeder is not very knowledgable of the genetic background of the dogs they are breeding they are going to produce offspring that are deficient and often defective. That is why so many puppy mill and backyard breeder dogs are riddled with genetic defects. It's very sad. It can happen to anyone but it is way more common is puppy mills and BYBs because they totally disregard sound breeding practices.

Some families do need a dog that is a bit bigger. There are other very cute terriers that are more suited to family life. They are not as well known as the Yorkie yet but hopefully people will start to discover the many other types of terriers. The Yorkie does have a great personality and the larger ones certainly can make great family dogs.

Gracie is 5lbs and has ruled over the cats since her first day here as a tiny little tot. Something about the terrier personality I guess. But I have read that some Biewers are larger than the traditional Yorkie.

I cannot say that they have "more" health issues because I simply dont know that but any health issues they have (and yorkies have them) Im sure are harder on them because of their size. when these little guys get sick it messes with their entire system, they become weak very fast and from reading through the YT site it always seems the first to go is the appetite, so the more size they have on them the better (I think)

Many thanks, everyone!

This is a wonderful resource for us.

And happy holidays too,

missing you

chester is ten pounds of loving, he is not fat just a big stud muffin

There is a standard and there is an average size. I've had Yorkies and Biewers that as adults were 3# to 12#. I'm having litters in 2 weeks and that is always part of the fun as a breeder: watching them grow and guesstimating how big or small they will be as adults.

My Mitsi is nearly 8 1/2 to 10lbs depending on the time of year. Shes a big Girl and Her Mom was bigger. I have papers on Her to proving She full Yorkie. I guess some are just bigger than others. I personally love Her size.

I had always wanted a Yorkie but almost went Cairn which are almost small body big personality.

Our female is about 9 pounds, slightly larger than the average. The pup we have is barely 3 months old and is already close to four pounds. His dad was under four pounds so he must get his heft from his dad.

Like others have said, I think the bigger dogs, as long as they aren't overweight, may have a better chance with active families, especially those with kids.

:aimeeyork:aimeeyork Hi - How do I apply for membership in the Teapot Club? I have a 17.5 lb. Yorkie and a 15.5 lb. Yorkie-Silkie!! Pam

An update for you. Last October, in response to a paper ad to consider larger yorkies, we now have Buddie (11Pounds) and Berkely (10 pounds) each a year old and we love them! So glad we chose larger yorkies. And we have the papers to show they are purebred Biewers.