"Specializing in Yorkshire Terriers & Maltese"

Yorkie & Maltese Teacup Information

This is a general article for Yorkshire Terriers and Maltese.  It is to give you different viewpoints about teacup puppies.  This article does not agree or disagree with any of these viewpoints.  It is to give you a couple of perspectives for you to decide on your own and to grow your own ideas.
 
To outline the article, first, a brief explanation will be done of teacup Yorkies and Maltese and why AKC considers teacup puppies as toy breeds.  Next, there will be couple of opinions of Yorkies and Maltese and will be followed up by an opposing statement.
 
The AKC has formed seven classifications of breeds, excluding the miscellaneous class, based on the uses for which the breeds were originally developed.  The Yorkshire Terrier and Maltese are simply put into the toy breed because of their size.  The toy breeds are considered lap dogs, which makes sense in that they must be small enough to be used as a lap dog.  The Yorkies and Maltese are not divided into sub-categories by the AKC and the standard for Yorkies and Maltese are set as being 7 lbs or less.  There seems to be a sharp difference between the originally intended Yorkies and Maltese and the show display of Yorkies and Maltese.  In a dog show, it is very difficult to compete a small dog against a large dog; therefore they prefer Yorkies and Maltese to be 5-7 lbs.  However, non-show owners want a Yorkie or Maltese to be a lap dog which means smaller, the better, between 4 lbs to less.  For this reason, show breeders and regular breeders breed for different sizes of Yorkies and Maltese, show dogs larger, lap dogs smaller, to fit their demands.
 
Beware of breeders using unethical terms such as teacup, t-cup, micro, tiny, baby doll face, teddy bear face, and etc.
These terms are just cute little names to let the buyers to identify which size Yorkie or Maltese they are looking for.  Everyone has a different perspective of what a smaller Yorkie or Maltese should be, so make sure you and the breeder are on the same page. A research shows that in the month of October 2005, over 100,000 searches was found in the internet for teacup Yorkshire Terrier, teacup Yorkie and Maltese, and there is no sign of declining.
 
Teacup is nothing more than a sales pitch to sell small Yorkie and Maltese puppies.  These are breeders that breed Yorkies and Maltese only for their financial benefits.  Nothing matters to them, except for the small size of the puppy.  The health, training, quality or the temperament, all are not taken into consideration.
 
This statement is completely not true, as other breeders actually do breed for the health, training, quality and the temperament of their Yorkie or Maltese.  Be aware of breeders that make broad negative generalizations.  These tend to be controlling type business people that could be very difficult to work with.
 
Teacup Yorkies and Maltese are nothing more than runts of the litter.
This is sometimes the case.  If the breeder is breeding for the sizes of 5-7 lbs, there may be a smaller puppy in a litter.  This one exception could be the result of premature puppy or the genetic make-up of its parents.  Most of these breeders have done much research of genetics and pedigrees of their stock, much like show breeders.  The ethical breeders actually do care about the health and well being of their puppies, like the show breeders but have a different size for their goal, as show dogs being 5-7 lbs to lap dogs 4 lbs or smaller.
 
A Yorkie or Maltese shouldn’t be a frail nervous little dog yet these little ones tend to be just that.
We want to believe that this is not the case; however, when a puppy is a runt in the litter you run that risk.  You can notice that the puppies from a high class, honest breeder are not frail or nervous at all. Good ethical breeders will hand raise their puppies as much as possible to raise the puppies confidence with other animals and people.
 
There are issues that a potential owner of a teacup Yorkie or Maltese needs to be aware of.
Because of their smaller size, they do not have the proper reinforcement for their health.  For example, when a smaller 3 lbs puppy gets hurt or sick, it is far more likely the puppy will get much more sick or hurt, than a puppy that is bigger as in 5 lbs.  Maybe the dog will get a simple cold.  The smaller puppy must be taken right away to the veterinarian than a bigger healthier puppy.
 
Smaller Yorkshire Terriers and Maltese are more susceptible to hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) shock as well.  Some toy breeds suffer from hypoglycemia as a metabolic disorder and Yorkies and Maltese definitely fall into this group. Making sure that a teacup puppy takes naps and eats regularly can greatly reduce the risk. Often a teacup puppy needs to have his baby teeth removed by a professional. Teacup puppies are also more likely to be stepped on sat on or is injured by children playing with them.