Yorkshire Terrier - Yorkie Teacup Information
The intent of this article is not to prove one group is right or wrong but to give a person information from two opposing viewpoints about teacup yorkshire (yorkie) terriers.
Hopefully, with this information one can form their own opinion about teacup yorkshire (yorkie) terriers without being told how they should think.
The next paragraph is a brief of why AKC places the yorkshire terrier in the toy group and what AKC considers the intent of the toy group. Next is a number of statements, that were made by other Yorkshire (Yorkie) Terrier Breeders about teacup yorkies. Following each statement is an opposing viewpoint.
AKC places each breed into one of seven groups or the miscellaneous class, based on the uses for which the breeds were originally developed. AKC places the Yorkshire Terrier in the toy group because of the size of the Yorkshire terrier. The breeds in the toy group were originally developed as lab dogs. So it’s not hard to understand why it is so important to have a small dog if it’s intent is to be used as a lap dog. AKC doesn’t have any sub-categories within the Yorkshire terrier breed. The AKC standard states that the Yorkshire terrier to be 7 lbs. and under. There seems to be a conflict between the original intent of the breed and show breeders. In the show ring it is very difficult for a small dog to compete against a larger dog. This is why show breeders prefer a 5 – 7 lb. dog to show. An individual who wants a Yorkshire terrier for a lap dog is many times going to prefer a 3 lb. yorkie over a 7 lb. yorkie. Show breeders breed to show and winning is their major concern. Many other breeders breed for the original intent of the breed and customer satisfaction is their major concern.
Beware of breeders using unethical terms such as teacup, t-cup, tea cup, tiny, baby doll face, teddy bear face, and etc.
These terms are nothing more than adjectives that qualify the noun Yorkshire terrier. These terms are used to help potential pet owners to more easily find the type or size of Yorkshire terrier they are looking for. In the month of October 2005 it is estimated that a total of 105,570 searches were made on the Internet for teacup yorkshire terrier, teacup yorkie, and tea cup yorkie. This is a significant number of people looking for small Yorkshire terriers and the numbers are growing! A reputable breeder wouldn’t imply that another breeder was unethical because they used an adjective to describe a Yorkshire terrier.
Teacup yorkies is just a puppy mill term to try to sell yorkie puppies. These are breeders that are breeding yorkshire terriers for money. It doesn’t matter to them about anything at all but a tiny yorkie. The quality will not be there, health is unimportant, and temperament is unimportant.
These are generalizations that could be said about any type of breeder, but the fact is that there are breeders of teacups and show breeders that don’t breed just for money, but breed for quality, health and temperament. Be Aware of Breeders that makes broad negative generalizations. These tend to be controlling type business people that could be very difficult to work with. Reading the article choosing a Yorkie breeder may be appropriate at this time.
Teacup yorkies are nothing more than runts of the litter that will probably have some health issues
Sometimes this is true. If the breeder is breeding for 5-7 lb. yorkies they can sometimes have a puppy out of the litter that will remain small. This puppy could be a premature puppy or it could be small because of the genetics in the parents’ background. Breeders that specialize in teacups have studied the genetics and pedigrees of their stock, much like show breeders. In fact quality breeders specializing in teacups, breed for quality, health, size and temperament just like show breeders. The only difference is show breeders breed for 5-7 lb. dogs and teacup breeders breed for 2-4 lb. dogs.
A yorkie shouldn’t be a frail nervous little dog yet these little ones tend to be just that.We agree that a yorkie shouldn’t be a frail nervous little dog and when a puppy is a runt in the litter you run that risk. You will find that puppies from quality teacup breeders (where there aren’t big differences in the size of the puppies) aren’t frail nervous little dogs.
There are issues that a potential owner of a teacup yorkie needs to be aware of.
Because of their size they don’t have the reserve that a larger dog has. What this means to the owner is that if the dog does get sick it is critical that it is taken to the vet as soon as possible. As an example lets say two Yorkshire terriers, one being 7 lb. and the other 2 lb., gets an infection and the owners wait 3 days before taking the dogs to the vet. The 2 lb. dog has a greater chance of not making it than the 7 lb. dog.
Smaller Yorkshire terriers are more susceptible to hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) shock. Some toy breeds suffer from hypoglycemia as a metabolic disorder and Yorkshire terriers fall into this group. The smaller the dog the less of a reserve they have and the more likely of having a problem with hypoglycemia. Making sure that a teacup takes naps and eats regularly can greatly reduce the risk.
Often a teacup Yorkshire terrier needs to have his baby teeth removed by a professional.
Teacup Yorkshire terriers are more likely to be stepped on sat on or is injured by children playing with them.
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