The Truth About

The Teacup Yorkshire Terrier

Hi, Sharda Baker here with you.

There appears to be quite a bit of confusion regarding the Teacup Yorkshire Terrier, and no shortage of people ready to take your hard earned money by selling you a poorly bred dog.

Many people are keen to understand more about Teacup Yorkies, also sometimes called teacup Yorkshire Terriers, and it seems not many people, including some breeders who sell them, know much about them.

I found out the following information from some of the kennels and would like to share it with you as it is quite informative.

Teacup Yorkshire Terriers – Fact and Fiction

One of the most frequently asked questions that we get is "do you have any teacup Yorkshire Terrier puppies for sale?" The simple truth is that neither we nor anyone else has a "teacup" Yorkie puppy because no such classification exists.

Sound confusing?

Let me clarify.

The official breed standard for the Yorkshire Terrier calls for adult dogs to have a weight of no more than seven (7) pounds.

To be exact, the breed standard states: "Weight: Must not exceed seven pounds." This definition was approved on April 12, 1966.

Subscribe now to our Free Yorkshire Terrier Newsletter report.

Fraudulent advertising.

Some unscrupulous breeders advertise teacup Yorkie puppies to take advantage of those people who are not very familiar with the breed. By telling someone that they are getting a "teacup" Yorkie, they make the buyer feel that they are getting something special - as if one gets much more special than a Yorkie at all :-). Beware, many of these people also advertise "toy" and or "standard" puppies with adult weights up to 10 or 12 pounds. As stated above, a standard Yorkshire terrier must weigh no more than 7 pounds.

Ignorance about the breed.

Sadly, there are people out there breeding these puppies who simply aren't knowledgeable enough about them to know that there is no such thing as a "teacup" Yorkie. One can only imagine their general breed knowledge and the quality of their puppies for sale.

I was told of a breeder recently who allegedly has adult Yorkies weighing less than two (!!) pounds all the time. The person writing wanted to know if we had puppies of that size. I must point out that as of 2002, the smallest dog in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was a Chihuahua who weighed just under 2 pounds at 1 lb. 14 oz. For someone to claim that they regularly have adult dogs weighing less than 2 pounds is a stretch to say the least.

One must also be cautious regarding the time at which a weight is taken. A breeder could happily tell you that a dog weighs only 4 pounds. If that weight is taken at 12 weeks of age, it could be true, however, that puppy will probably weigh about 8 pounds as a fully grown adult.

On average, Yorkshire terriers weigh between 5 and 7 pounds as adults. There are, of course, smaller puppies born that will weigh less. Most dogs of this breed that you see participating in the show ring tend to be 6 to 7 pounds. A dog weighing 3 to 4 pounds is considered very small and often requires special care.

Dogs this small should not be handled by children except under strictly controlled conditions. Children are clumsy by nature, not intentionally, and dogs weighing less than 4 pounds are fragile, with easily broken bones.

I hope you find that information helpful. The more you know when looking at purchasing this breed of puppy the better because there are many breeders out there who do not have the breed's best interest in mind.

Take your time when buying this breed. I can't stress that enough.

Our advice to those who are interested in a Teacup Yorkie, would be to consider buying a well bred Yorkshire Terrier instead.

If you have made the decision that this type of puppy is the best choice of a pet for you and your family, your next decision is where to buy the animal. There are a wide range of options to consider when determining where to get your dog or puppy.

In further articles I will discuss the best options that are available to you with regard to choice of breeders.

All the best.

For more information, you are invited to subscribe to our popular FREE Yorkshire Terrier newsletter report here.