The Teacup Size

Teacup is a name given by breeders to describe an extra small dog, presently there is no universal standard of measure.  Each breeder has their own definitions of what size a 'teacup' should be.  Most breeders agree that a teacup should be 4 pounds and under, but poodles are measured by height and not by weight, however weight should also be considered a factor.  Furthermore, most breeders agree that a teacup should be under 8 inches in height.  The reason for this is because, even though a poodle should be built square, some poodles are built tall and thin and therefore might only weigh 4 pounds, but be 10 or 11 inches tall.  Some are built short and husky and therefore might only be 8 inches tall, but could weigh as much as 7 or 8 pounds.  We believe a 'true' teacup to be 2 to 4 pounds full grown and under 8 inches tall.

Puppies may or may not grow a lot between 8 weeks and 12 weeks of age.  This is why we choose to keep the puppies until 12 weeks of age, so we can better guarantee an approximate size, health, quality, and know more about what the puppy will look like as an adult.  Puppies do continue to grow after 12 weeks, however to insure a puppy will be a 'true' teacup, the puppy should not be over 2 pounds or taller than 6 inches at 12 weeks.  Twelve weeks is not to late for human bonding, because the bonding starts at 2 weeks of age when the puppies first open their eyes.

Inbreeding, such as father/daughter, mother/son, brother/sister, and half brother/sister should be avoided for health-temperament reasons.

The more teacups in the third to fourth generations and further back makes for a nice looking and genuine in size teacup.

We guarantee the health for five days and hereditary problems until one year of age.  Congenital defects can be inherited and/or environmental (over vaccinating, topical treatments, medications, nutrition, etc.)

Teacup bred puppies will stop growing at 8 to 12 months of age.  However, a puppy classified as a teacup with larger sizes in it's background can grow until 18 months of age at which time the puppy may not be within acceptable limits to be classified as a teacup.

The average life span of a teacup is 12 to 15 years of age, but sometimes longer. 

All of our poodles are registered with the American Kennel Club (www.akc.org).

Guides-lines for purchasing a healthy puppy with a great personality.

1. Don't purchase a teacup under 12 weeks of age.

2. Check for guarantees (we have 5-day health and 1-year genetics).

3. Ask for references.

4. Ask for pedigrees and check for inbreeding (father/daughter, mother/son, brother/sister, and half brother-sister is questionable) . Inbreeding can cause weak immune systems, aggression, and a lower intelligence.

5. Try to stay away from topical treatments and an over vaccinated, medicated puppy.  Over doing these can cause seizures, cancers, liver and temperament problems.

6. Ask for current inspections certificates and licenses.  Seeing the inspection certificates and licenses is nice if you can't go pick-up the puppy.

7. Ensure that the puppy is on a good quality healthy diet.

8. We prefer to home raise our puppies so that we can monitor the size, health, and personality better.  They become more familiar with normal home noises and people coming and going.

cindy@cindyspoodles.com

Last Updated: 

Friday, January 11, 2008

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