"teacup" Puppies

[MegTheFish]

Whats your view on it? Any good sites explaining it? I'm trying to discourage somebody from buying one, but I wanted to find out if its really that bad in the first place. I personally don't agree with it, but heck, I don't really like any purebreed dogs (only really like mutts) so that might be why.
And for those of you how have no clue what I'm talking about, here is what a teacup dog looks like....
(Maltese Teacup)

Taken from http/teacupandtoypet.com/photos/Maltese.html

(Chihuahua Teacup)

Taken from: www.puppyluvkennel.com/ TEACUPINFO.html

To really understand how small these dogs are- they weigh no more then a few pounds.

 

[SRC]

Against purebreds because they aren't mutts? I think that is a terrible approach to looking at things personally. Mutts have no guarentees on anything :looks, genetics, temperment, ect. They are like breeding pet store fish. And on top of that..purebreds are actually mutts (they come from breeding different type dogs together over a period of time to produce stable offsrping) if you wana be technical about it...so saying you don't like/agree with them is almost hypocritical, imho.

Teacups are no worse then any other type breed, so long as the parents have had all their health testing done and the results came back clean.

I personally don't care for the "teacups" because of the risk of injury to them. You have to be 3 times as careful with them. I like a dog that can take a little more rough treatment...just jumping off the couch can injure an adult teacup.

 

[MegTheFish]

Hey hey hey...that was just my opinion. I didn't say there's anything wrong with purebreeds, I just don't like them. I don't want a dog that looks like another dog (most breeds all look the same), I want a dog that is unique, and since I wouldn't be breeding a mutt (because thats irresponsible) a wouldn't really care if it had a "perfect tail" or "the perfect ears". I wouldn't have to chop of its tail or cut its ears to look like that certain breed, either. Plus, I would never pay thousands of dollars for a dog that I can get at a breed-specific shelter. I know that wouldn't be smart to breed a purebreed dog from a shelter because you don't know their background, but again I wouldn't be breeding the dog anyways because there is enough dogs that need homes.

Mutts have no guarentees on anything :looks, genetics, temperment, ect.

And when did looks and genetics matter when your not breeding ? Enless you thought I was one of those people who would breed a dog from a pound or somehting?....

And thats all I got to say...LoL.
Maybe I'll just point out the two shelters in town and give her the guilt trip to rescue a homeless dog Aren't I bad.

 

[RandomWiktor]

I personally have a big issue with Teacup breeds. Because they are genetic freaks (just an abnormally small puppy of the litter, which normally indicates a problem, bred to produce MORE undersized pups), they almost always come with an increased instance of health problems. They are for some reason notorious for heart problems, and because of thier ridiculously fine bones, tend to fracture and break thier legs often from something as simple as hopping off of a couch. Poodles are esp. prone to bad teeth and blindness when bred as teacups as well, for whatever reason.
I would also like to point out that even if perfectly healthy, very few teacup dogs come from decent breeders. Teacups are NOT a variation of the breed such as Standard and Toy; they are in fact an undersized (and unacceptable) toy dog. Most reputable showing organizations do not accept teacups, since they do not fit the breed standard. Those who do breed select for the small size because it is ideal for impulse buys, and by slapping "teacup" onto a breed name, you can fetch a few hundred more dollars in a pet store. Frankly, mostly BYBs and puppy mills create teacups, so if your friend is buying one, chances are she isn't supporting a very responsible breeder. That alone should be incentive enough to not get one, as irresponsible breeding lends itself to uncertain temperament, poor health, potential illness, etc.

However, if your friend is determined, perhaps you could look on pet finder or search for breed rescues? Many small breeds have a tendancy to be "yippy and nippy," so many of these little powder-puff pets end up in shelters. I would make a fair bet that you could find one as a rescue, thus fufilling her desire for a teacup dog without having to support a lousy breeder.

 

[SRC]

Well.....


Looks...
Some people like to know what their dog will look like when it grows up. That is how alot of people base their pet purchases on. That cute little puppy from teh pound may be 5lbs now..and they might have "assumed" it was part terrier and part poodle, but the fact is you just don't really know. That dog you assumed at 6 weeks would only get up to 20 lbs...may grow up to be 65lbs. What happens if you live in an apartment that only allows dogs up to 50lbs? What if you really didn't want a dog that was going to get that big? What do you do when you already have the dog at that point?

Same thing goes with hair length. That short haired 6 week old puppy..may grow up to have long hair.

Genetics....
Well I like to know that a dog I have isn't going to come down with some gentical problem a year after I get it, and get attached to it. I sure wouldn't want to buy a labX puppy and a year later it's in crippling pain from Hip Displaysia.

Genetics also play a role in behaivor/temperment. Unstable parents can and do lead to unstable puppies. That's how they get prize fighting pits..they breed the bad quality into them.

I'm not against mutts at all...I'm just not able to afford the problems that can occur with them later on. Has nothing to do with breeding them at all. I guess I just like a little more stability and forthought into what I'm getting.

Specific breed rescues are a great alternative.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i think RW and SRC are spot on about breed rescues; your friend should at least look into a rescue before dropping a chunk of change on a dog. if nothing else, she'll have a better sense of what the adult versions can be like (for better or worse).

(since we're comparing notes here... in my opinion certified-top-notch-quality purebred > mutts & rescues > back-yard breeder > pet store puppy. you get what you pay for on purebreds, so you might as well just get a mutt if you don't feel like shelling out for the perfect, genetically guaranteed puppy)

 

[shiftingsands]

No responsible breeder would ever produce teacup puppies. These puppies are bred to appeal to the "Must have that, its new" brigade by those wanting a fast buck. "Breeders" who produce these puppies are called puppy farmers and have no regard for their genetic or actual health and they should not be encouraged.

If everyone refused to buy them they would not be bred. Buying a puppy is a lottery at the best of times, even when it comes from a caring breeder who breeds from health tested stock there is a chance it will succumb to health problems ( and that goes for "mutts" too) in the future.

Only ever buy a pedigree puppy from someone who is a member of their breed club and only offrs KC registered puppies for sale.

I have been occasionally breeding pedigree dogs all my life, concentrating on producing soundness and genetic health, as well as beauty but people who produce these teacups and pedigree cross breds (cockerpoos etc) only care for money - not their dogs.

 

[Jessica13]

Awwww... They're SO cute!

But i'd never even heard of them until i read this so cant give an opinion either way as far as health problems go... But, assuming by breeding them so small there aren't any specific health problems i dont see whats wrong with it. Several breeds have different sizes (Schnauzers for example) and i would imagine they get this from breeding them to be like that (maybe??) and I think they'd be great for someone who wants a little lap dog!

 

[morgan]

It must be fun getting a mongrel puppy (as long as you can cope with any size of dog) because you don't have much idea of how they will turn out. I had pedigrees because I wanted a particular size and temperament. Most people think mongrels are hardier because they are not inbred, which some pedigrees are. My first dog was inbred and her temperament was very dodgy. But we loved her and had her until she died from illness aged 11.. (She was put to sleep because she had cancer).

 

[RandomWiktor]

Several breeds have different sizes (Schnauzers for example) and i would imagine they get this from breeding them to be like that (maybe??) and I think they'd be great for someone who wants a little lap dog!

While it is true that many breeds have different sizes, these size variations were created over time by careful breeding, not just by picking out runts of the litters and breeding them as they do with Teacups. This about this in the context of breeding any other animal, and you'll see how it could be a bad idea; if you were breeding livestock, or birds, or even fish, would you go for the biggest, strongest, healthiest animal you could find, or would you go for one with a genetic defect that causes them to be severely undersized?

Also, as mentioned in some of the above posts, teacups do have a higher instance of health problems then thier larger cousins. Most of that is due to poor breeding, since not a single reputable, responsible breeder out there would create them. I'm sure if someone really wanted to, they could create a much more stable "teacup" line by breeding responsibly from sound dogs, but the breeding community allready recognizes that it shouldn't be done due to the heightened chance of health conditions, since all defects including size often come with other, less visible ones.


As a side note regarding mutts, while mutt puppies are definately a crapshoot... any puppy is. You may have a better idea of size, temperament, etc. if you go to a breeder... but then again, if you go to a CRAPPY breeder, you still don't really know. My dog came from a very lousy breeder, and is way too big for the standard, doesn't even look purebred, has a horrid temperament, and just about every health issue on the face of the planet. But as a puppy, he looked like he was going to be a small, healthy, happy dog. What I am trying to get at is, one benefit of mutts is that you are not getting them from a breeder, so they don't have to be a puppy. You can go to the shelter, find a full grown young dog, spend time with it to get to know its temperament, ask the shelter about any health problems that showed on his vet check, and know before getting the dog what it looks like, how its personality is, what health problems it has, what training it still needs - basically everything about the dog short of how it will do in your home - before buying. To me, that sounds like a much surer shot than buying a puppy, especially if you can not afford the luxury of going to a truly responsible breeder.

 

[GSD]

All of my dogs are pure.I had one mutt once which my dad found in a bin and gave to me,but i prefer to know how big they will grow ect.As with large dogs like my shepherds you have to know their parentage and know their parents hip score to be sure your pet isnt going to be crippled as SRC said.

anyway on the subject of the teacups.i personally wouldnt have one.Too small for me but i do think that any dog with a disablityor deformity that effects their quality of life should not be bred from.....although this is how we have many of the breeds we have today.I think that teacups should not be allowed not just because of their size but because of their poor breeding.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Just adding fuel to the fire of the 'pets as decorations' fad. Just bred to be small enough to stuff in someones handbag, IMHO.

 

[MegTheFish]

Thanks for all the info guys. I'll tell my "friend" what she needs to know...and theres a 1% chance that there are any "teacup breeders" in this small town, anyways. I'll just point out the 2 shelters.

 

[jkrekord]

fistly megthefish after reading wat you said about purebreds i am actualy insulted but im gona stck to the subject of the teacup dogs i actualy think theyre cute ) however i wuoldnt keep one as i also think it cruel

 

[FreshwaterFishie]

Sorry, they look frail and sickly most of the time. Never a good breeder! I am seeing more and more white, parti, phantom, ect...plus the toy! Schnauzers!!!!!! It is making me sick and driving me nuts!
The toys look sick and have bubble heads. I would never get a teacup or toy dog that isn't in the AKC Toy group. The reason I don't like them, or mixed breeds that much, is because they are likely inbred or VERY poorly bred. They are breeding runts with runts and that can cause health problems.
Here is a good site:
The Teacup: real or a myth?

OK! The purebred thing drove me nuts!!! I prefer purebreeds over mixed. I would never get a mixed breed, but they are not terrible. I don't know why you would prefer and tell mixed breed breeders to keep breeding these dogs! Purebreeds were bred hundreds of years ago, so they were the right temperment or the right companion or guard or rat chaser or herder. They were bred to HELP us, not to fit into our pockets and look cute. Mixed breeds like said, have mixed temperment. No one can tell you what they are usely like.
I could say to you, Miniature Schnauzer chase rodents and have a high drive to do so or Miniature Schnauzers bark, yes, but you can train it. I couldn't go up to someone with a mixed schnauzer, poodle, lab and tell you what they are like and there usual health problems.
I can understand getting them from a shelter or rescue group. But, never from a breeder or a pet store. Actually, I would NEVER get any dog from a pet store.