Another 'teacup' thread
 

O.k...love me, hate me or whatever for this but I have to know. I've read on YT forever that teacups don't exist but I was reading the other thread about 'teacups' and it seems that the term 'tiny' is o.k. Can someone please tell me what is the difference between the unacceptable term of 'teacup' and the seemingly acceptable term of 'tiny'? Don't they both basically mean the same thing?

Good question...let's see what answers you get.

I think its like the "designer" dog term. You get more money for a designer dog or even a teacup. Who wants to pay more for a "tiny" when you can buy a "teacup". Who wants to pay for more for a "mixed breed" when you can buy a "designer dog"

I think its all a sales pitch, in my opinion

But, the term teacup refers to a tiny Yorkie too. :confused:

I just checked out your webpage for the first time and you have some really cute stuff :)

I think it depends on who is saying it and how they say it. I have seen some owners use the word like it means they are higher class or something. Breeders use it as an advertising tool to get more money. But I personally have never cared either way about the word as long as it is used as a correct description. If your dog is 2 lbs. as an adult, why not call it a t cup, it is not within yorkie standard description...

I took Paris to the groomers today when a lady with two very overweight yorkies came in behind me. She said "what's that a TOY yorkie or something?" I turned around and said no she's NORMAL. She is just over 5 lbs. She wasn't very nice to me. I wanted to say you should stop over feeding those babies it's not good for their health. I should have. I think yorkies come in all sizes. There are the standard and then there are some bigger and some smaller. I have seen websites where their small babies were 4 times as much as their normal ones. My guess is they were the smallest of the litter. Even well minded great breeders occasionally get babies that are not the "standard" size. Way too many babies are breed to be very very small. I would be just way to nervous to have such a small baby.

I think your right, yorkies come in all shapes and sizes it doesnt mean they are any less of a yorkie then one who is smaller or bigger. All that should matter in the end that you love your dog. Its a small select group of yorkies that are yorkies that are so close to the standard that they are shown. They are all not meant to be showdogs and all not meant to be bred. But that doesnt mean they are any less of a yorkie then one who is larger or smaller. :aimeeyork

When I've seen the term "tiny" in reference to the "type" of yorkie, it seemed to be used interchangeably with teacup. I'm not saying when people say "oh she's so tiny, she's adorable." I mean when people say "Is that A tiny?" or "I have a toy yorkie for sale for $$ and a tiny for sale for $$$$". I agree with you though, if teacup isn't acceptable, then "Tiny" shouldn't be acceptable as a classification. :confused: Touchy subject...

I think the word "teacup" is used as a marketing term to make people believe there are actually two different catagories, such as toy, minature and standard poodles.

There is only one catagory of yorkie, but the size can range from "tiny to "holy cow'.

Yeah...but, we ALL think of just the right thing to say after the situation is well passed. ;) Or, maybe: "And what are THOSE? The newer OBESE-size Yorkie, or something?"

I think the problem is when breeders advertise them as "teacups", like they're a special kind of yorkie or something. They lead the buyer to believe that they are worth more, and they charge ridiculous prices for them. What I hate is when they deliberately try to breed for the tiny ones, not taking the puppy's health into consideration.

Yeah, that's who I had in mind when I posted. His brother is just as bad.

I've always heard that the yorkie/maltese mix is a good one and that those dogs usually have wonderful dispositions. I think Stump is gorgeous!

Now whats so wrong with this man he really loves his dogs like they are his children... lol.....NOT
Ughh I know a few people that have had a run in with this man and they didnt even buy dogs from him.

I thought the photo was black and white too, but then I noticed the color background. He does look like a yorkie, only in black and white. :)

What a loser he is.

Well to be perfectly honest, I personally don't give a rip whether or not people use the term "teacup"....to me, it is just referring to the size of of a dog. Just like saying, oh I have an itty bitty, tiny, little, small, eensy weensie, teeny, midget, or smurf of a dog...whatever. IMO it's just describing how small of a dog you have. However, I don't like when breeders try to mislead their buyers who don't know any better, and really DO believe that there is such a thing as a "teacup", like there is a toy. Which there IS NOT. I think as long as people use it as a term to describe to someone what size there dog is, it's fine...but when breeders go around saying "Oh we sell TRUE TEACUPS", thats bull. For example if someone asked me, "How big is Stedman?", I don't think there is anything wrong with saying, "Oh he's so little, he's the size of a teacup!"...or a teaspoon...or whatever. I DON'T use the term "teacup", but alot of people do. And it does make alot of people angry. Anyway, don't know if that made an ounce of sense, but if not, OH WELL :p lolol

There we go! That's EXACTLY what I was trying to say. I'm just not very good at explaining stuff LOL. :rolleyes: :p

I think the problem with the designer dogs, is that most breeders didn't have an accident -they are doing it on purpose. I'm afraid that now breeders feel like they can just breed any two animals and have a new breed. I do understand that all of our dogs were mixed with another breed somewhere back in time but it is my understanding that most of those were bred for a specific purpose, not just to see what two breeds would look like bred together.
I hate to see our older breeds lost by mixing breeds and it saddens me to see such indiscrimate breeding when our pet population is way out of control now. I personally don't feel like anyone should breed any dogs that they are not willing to take care of including any offspring of those pups. That would certainly be a big responsibility. I believe if more people seriously considered what is happening to our pet population, they would spay and neuter their pets. At least that is what I hope for:)

It's a good question, and one that I have to admit has occurred to me, as well. ;)

As has been mentioned, I think the crucial difference in most of our minds is that "teacup" leads people to believe that it is actually a different KIND of yorkie, and that that's the size they're "supposed" to be.

While the term "tiny" denotes the size, while acknowledging that it's just a regular old yorkie that's just smaller than usual. :rolleyes:

I think it's sort of an indicator of how much research a person has done, as well. This probably sounds snotty or elitest, but "tiny" is how people WHO KNOW ABOUT YORKIES refer to an x-small yorkie. "Teacup" is how 1)greedy breeders, 2)owners who want to think they have something special, and 3)honestly and innocently ignorant people, refer to them.

(I'm saying this from the viewpoint of someone who OWNS a "tiny", if that makes my post sounds any less stuck up on the subject! :rolleyes: )

I usually stay away from threads such as these. They end up getting a bit heated and I don't understand why. Let's leave the word "teacup" aside for a moment. Now most people when it comes to,,,,, yorkies, poodles, Chihuahuas or any xs or toy breed dog, want something very tiny. Call it what ever you may,,, It's what most are looking for. I have yet to come across a breeder who does not charge more for their smaller sized pups. With todays demands for the teacup sized, why not charge a little more for them? In most cases breeders refer to those smaller pups as teacups. To me it's just a word used to describe smaller. Not using the word isn't going to change the fact that most breeders will charge more for the tinier pups. Now I do not agree breeding bitches under 5 lbs for main goal to have tinier pups and using the word teacup to refer to some kind of different type of yorkie. However it's being done. It's up to the potential owner to educate themselves or at least do some homework before purchasing anything. And that's what we are here for. To educate! Not to come down or talk down to someone who uses the word.

I do not get pushed out of shape just because someone uses the "T" word. I have a 3.1 pounder and he is always referred as a teacup. I don't mind one bit. In most cases they are just referring to smaller then standard size. I wish people would ease up on people who use the darn word. There is a way to educate our newer members without getting all stirred up.

I think that regardless of the terminology we use, people need to be educated on the "teacup ploy". People actually look for small yorkies from 3 or 4lb parents now just because they think that is a guarantee it will be that small. These people need to be educated on the fact that this is not the best way to find a healthy puppy and it's unethical breeding. They also need to know that is NOT a guarantee of getting a smaller yorkie and they will most likely be overpaying. Also, people need to know that there is more to looking for a healthy puppy than size alone.

Most people only think it is a "miniature" of the "regular" sized Yorkie and some think it is a "sub-breed of the Yorkie. It has become like a swear word here. I didn't know the difference either before I researched the breed. It was a word people used and put a certain picture in my head (that was a long time ago). Some people use it in an irritating way and some honestly don't. You will get the same responses if you post the size you want and it is under 4 pounds. I am stating this is a calm tone; nothing else whatsoever. It is nice to help educate (especially someone who seeks it). I prefer the gentle approach. P.S I do not use the term myself but do use the gentle approach when someone seems way off track.:) :aimeeyork :)

I honestly don't think this thread will get heated. It was a simple question. I don't normally post on a thread with this discussion, but this was brought up in such a way that is welcoming the difference between 2 words. One word gets a really bad reputation, so someone comes up with another hoping to put the same picture in your head. That word gets marred .... and out comes "micro Yorkie". It is effective and eye catching. However, the Yorkie-educated know the difference and that there is so much more to it than size. It is a never-ending learning process:) .

OK, now here is my take....

If you really think teacup is a "kind" of yorkie, then you are not very high up on the intelligence scale. It is quite obvious that it refers to the size of the pup. The problem is that there are A LOT of people who do believe that there is a guarantee that a small pup will STAY small. Well, obviously, that isn't the case. If anyone wants a truly tiny yorkie, why don't they look for older ones instead of buying based on some formula which may or may not apply to their dog? It only takes a bit of common sense.. and if they don't HAVE that common sense, then they probably shouldn't have a yorkie anyway...It is just like having a baby. Almost anyone can be a parent, but it takes special people to be mommies and daddies. JMO anyway.

That said, I would like a super tiny male. Would adopt as an adult with all testing done prior to purchase...and still with a health guarantee. I would expect to pay more for this, but age and testing, as well as pedigree, should be a better indicator of health than birth weight. LOL!