Everything You Need to Know About Teacup Dogs: The Good, the Bad, and the Tiny

Before bringing a teacup dog into your family, it's important to understand the full picture of how they came to be. Making an informed decision can be the difference between bringing a healthy dog and an unhealthy dog into the family.

Read on to learn more about teacup dogs, including how they're bred, how they got so tiny, their health, and if it's even possible to find an ethical teacup dog breeder.

When Is a Dog Considered Teacup Size?

Teacup dogs aren't a distinct dog breed—rather, several breeds like Pomeranians, chihuahuas, and Maltese can be bred as teacups. What qualifies a teacup dog is their weight. Teacup dogs can weigh as little as two pounds and measure fewer than 17 inches when fully grown.

How Are Teacup Dogs Bred?

There's a lot of controversy around the breeding techniques breeders use to produce such tiny dogs. It's difficult to hear, but many of these techniques can be extremely detrimental to the dogs' health and happiness.

Unscrupulous or unethical breeders may use techniques such as:

• Inbreed runts with other runts in the hopes of producing an entire litter of smaller-than-average dogs. Inbreeding can increase the risk of inheriting a genetic disorder, like blindness or epilepsy.
• Purposefully create malnourished dogs, which stunts the growth of the puppies and can result in failure to thrive and serious issues with the skeletal, digestive, and nervous systems.
• Market normal-sized, smaller breeds as "teacup" to trick unsuspecting people.

Is It Possible to Find an Ethical Teacup Breeder?

The short answer? Yes, it is possible to find an ethical breeder that happens to have teacup dogs. Sometimes, an ethical breeder will have a litter with smaller-than-average pups that he or she can still give a health guarantee.

This may be a rare occurrence, but it is the most ethical way to find a teacup dog. Because it is hard to know the origin of puppies elsewhere, you cannot be certain that those puppies weren't unethically bred.

If you're having a hard time locating an ethical teacup dog, you might want to consider toy dog breeds, which are smaller dogs but a healthier size and weight for their standard.

Common Health Issues in Teacup Dogs

Different dog breeds experience different health issues, but heart disease, diabetes, and issues with vision, like cataracts, are common among all breeds.

Because teacup dogs are so small, they often experience health issues related to their size. Some common concerns among teacup dogs include:

• Hypoglycemia: This extreme drop in blood sugar can result in symptoms like shivering, weakness, and seizures.
• Unhealthy weight: Smaller dogs have faster metabolisms, which in turn requires more frequent feedings. Frequent feedings paired with little or no exercise can result in unhealthy weight.
• Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE): According to some studies, smaller dogs are more likely to develop this condition. The exact cause of HGE is unknown, but it's often characterized by bloody diarrhea or vomit, lethargy, and decreased appetite.
• Bone fragility: Teacup dogs' bones are smaller and frailer than the bones of a larger dog, making them susceptible to breaks or fractures.

Not every teacup dog will experience these health issues, but potential teacup dog parents should be well aware of the risks.

Other Things to Consider About Teacup Dogs

Families With Children

Teacup dogs might seem like a great choice for families with children, but it’s important to bear in mind that they are more prone to being stepped on, sat on, or dropped simply because they're so tiny. If you have young children, a teacup dog might not be the right choice for you. But older children who know how to gently handle and care for these tiny dogs may be a better match.

Multipet Households

Also, if you want to share your home with other pets, including larger dogs, consider their prey drive. Hunting dogs have a tendency to go after smaller animals, and they might view a teacup dog as a target, especially if they are not properly socialized and trained.

When it comes to teacup dogs, research (and maybe even a little bit of patience) is key. It is possible to have a happy, healthy teacup dog with the right amount of research.