buying a pup

Question
Hi im buying a teacup yorkshire terrier and i want to know if there is such a thing as a teacup or is it just a ploy to get people to buy them?If it isn't then how do i know that it is defiantly a teacup/miniature dog? What papers should come with the dog to notify its a genuine breed?Thankyou

Answer
Kylie,

There is a lot of confusion regarding a "teacup" yorkie.  On the list of breeds yorkies are listed as teacups but they are not signified through the American Kennel Club as teacups.  By definition a teacup is usually three pounds or less.  The only way to be somewhat sure you are going to get a small yorkie is by knowing the sizes of the parents.  The problem with that is that there is no guarantee that even with small parents you will get a teacup.

What usually needs to happen to ensure a small yorkie is for the father to be about 2 1/2 pounds and the mother to be no more than five pounds.  That is your best bet for getting a small yorkie.  When I think about the last ten years that I have been breeding two things come to mind.  I used to keep track of the weight of the puppies from birth to eight weeks when I sold them.  I thought that perhaps if I tracked their weight I could tell how big they were going to be.  Unfortunately that did not work.  Some puppies that I thought (according to their weight) were going to be small turned out to be about 5 pounds when full grown.  The other thing is that you cannot go by the runt of the litter either.  I had a 5 pound female that I bread with a 5 pound male.  She had a litter of three puppies and I kept the smallest one.  The smallest one turned out to be ten pounds when she was full grown.  From this same mother I had another litter and kept the biggest one so I could use her for breeding and she turned out to be only four pounds full grown and I couldn't use her to breed because she was too small.

Basically what I am trying to tell you is that there are no guarantees and just because the mother has a teacup yorkie in one litter doesn't necessarily mean she will in the next.  That being said there are some things you can do to make sure you don't get a ten pound dog.  Your best bet is to make sure you see (with your own eyes) the father of the puppies.  If you truly want a dog that is 2 1/2 to 3 pounds the father should be no more than 3 pounds.  You also need to see the mother and she should not be more than 5 pounds.  This should at least guarantee you that you will not get a ten pound puppy.

As far as papers, the male and female should be certified with the American Kennel Club (AKC).  All breeders are required to keep records of the litters that a female has.  On these records the breeder has dates of mating and dates of when the puppies were born.  They also include how many litters the female has had and how many puppies, how many lived and died etc.  You would be totally in your rights to ask to see these records as they pertain to the mother of your soon to be puppy.

With all that being said I have some cautions for you.  I would never buy a puppy from a pet store or a puppy mill.  A puppy mill would be a place where the breeder has a kennel and the dogs are never socialized with humans.  Their sole purpose is to breed again and again to make money for the breeder.  The best way to find a puppy that will be loving and good in your home is to find a breeder that keeps the mother and her puppies in the house.   This ensures that the puppy is socialized to humans and that makes it a more loving pet.

You did not ask about this but I feel an obligation to tell you.  Potty training a Yorkie is almost impossible.  You may be able to get them to go outside but it is hit and miss at best.  My vet has a yorkie and we have discussed many times the fact that of all the small breeds the yorkie is the least likely to be potty trained.  If however, you love this breed there are things you can do to prevent this problem.  Any pet store has doggie diapers and you can use them to prevent this problem.  That is of course if the prospect of putting a diaper on your dog for the next ten to fifteen years doesn't bother you.

I hope I have answered your questions in a satisfactory way.  If you have any additional questions please feel free to ask again.

Sincerely,

Melinda