Thinking of Buying a Teacup Poodle.......?

Question

How can I be sure it really is a Teacup Poodle and not a Toy Poodle? Anything else I should look out for?

Answer 1

Just so you know, there is no such thing as a 'teacup' dog. They are often the runts of the litter that may come with health issues. Here's what I would ask the breeder:


-- What are the congenital defects in this breed? The breeder who says "none" or "I don't know" is to be avoided. That's a person who's not screening for what she doesn't know about, and you don't want to pay the price for her ignorance.


A good breeder tells you every remotely possible problem in the breed, from droopy eyelids to deafness to epilepsy.


-- What steps have you taken to decrease defects in your dogs? You want to hear words like "screened" and "tested" and "certified."


In breeds with the potential for hip dysplasia - that's almost every large breed -- look for PennHIP or Orthopedic Foundation for Animals certification. These are expert, unbiased evaluators who know exactly what to look for. Insist on documentation on both parents. And their parents, too.




-- Do you have the parents on site? May I see them? This is a bit of a trick question. You should always be able to see the mother -- unless she died giving birth -- but reputable breeders often don't have the father on hand. That's because the best match for any particular dog may be owned by another breeder, and the female was sent away for breeding.


As for the mother, she may be a little anxious with strangers around her puppies, but on her own you want to see a well-socialized, calm and well-mannered dog. So, too, should be the rest of the breeder's dogs. If you don't like the temperaments of a breeder's grown dogs, what makes you think you'll get a good temperament in one of the puppies?


-- What are the good and bad points of the parents, and what titles do they have? You may be looking for a pet-quality purebred, but you still want to buy from someone who knows what top-quality examples of the breed are -- and uses such animals in a breeding program. You want to see show and working titles all over that pedigree.


It doesn't matter if you go home and throw that fine pedigree in a drawer. Recent titles on both sides of a pedigree are the sign of a breeder who's making a good-faith effort to produce healthy dogs who conform to the breed standard.


-- Where were these puppies raised? How have you socialized them? "In the house" is the best answer to the first question. You want a puppy who knows what the dishwasher sounds like, whom you don't have to peel off the ceiling when a pan drops, who has set a paw on linoleum, carpet and tile.




Environmental socialization is important, but so, too, is the intentional kind. The best breeders make sure puppies have been handled by adults of both genders and by children.


-- What guarantees do you provide? You want to see a contract explaining the breeder's responsibilities should the puppy develop a congenital ailment. In most cases, such contracts state either replacement with a new puppy or refunding of your purchase price.


The contract also states your responsibilities, such as neutering your pet. You may also be required to return the dog to the breeder if you can no longer keep him. Such language is the sign of a concerned and responsible breeder.


Read and discuss the paperwork with the breeder. The best breeders offer contracts that protect not only the buyer and seller, but also the most vulnerable part of the transaction: the puppy.

Answer 2

A "teacup" is a Toy Poodle!!! There is NO such thing as a "teacup" Poodle or any other breed!! The term teacup is only a sales gimic that irresponsible breeders tack on to puppies that are either runts or delibrately breed to be smaller then breed standard allows. These dogs taht are delibrately bred too small are prone to a whole host of serious health problems...heart, kidney,liver defects, brittle bones, low blood sugar,immature digestive systems, brain disorders, etc..they also usually have short life spans.

If looking for a Poodle buy a wellbred Toy Poodle from a responsible breeder, don't fall prey to irresponsible sales gimics.

Answer 3

A Teacup poodle is, in fact, a Toy poodle. Breeders break down the toy poodle size into categories. The tiniest of the toy poodle sizes is the teacup. Tiny toy is the next size up. These two classifications (teacup and tiny toy) are just terms breeders use to identify size. Dogs in both of these size classes are registered as toy poodles.

Because no kennel club has a registry for teacup or tiny toy poodles, there is no standard. Check with each individual breeder to determine what their standard is.

What is a teacup to one person may not be a teacup to another person. The standard for teacup is four pounds or smaller ... when full grown. The standard for tiny toy is anything between four and six pounds. Anything over six pounds but no taller than 10 inches at the shoulders would be a toy.

The breeder should be able to provide you with papers that validate the breed of the puppy.

Answer 4

There is no such thing as a "teacup" in any breed. Poodles come in three sizes: Standard, miniature, and toy. A "breeder" claiming to breed "teacups" is an unscrupulous backyard breeder.
Unfortunately there are backyard breeders who are breeding small dogs to smaller dogs to produce what they can claim to be "teacups" so they can attract buyers with the idea that they have something "special". This is an unscupulous practice because, responsible breeders breed to preserve & improve a breed as described
in a written standard. Breeding to emphasize a single characteristic (i.e. smallness of size) compromises the integrity of EVERY OTHER characteristic and the result is an unsound, incorrect dog. Please don't support this nefarious corruption of a breed.

Answer 5

Try to track down both parents, I guess. I mean, that's no guarantee of size, but it could help.

I don't know why you'd need a dog that small, though. Toy poodles are teeny-weeny themselves. I have a Dalmatian, so...the idea of a tiny little dog freaks me out a little because if I step on my dog, I'm not going to break off a limb or anything.

I guess just do as much background checking as you can, as far as pedigrees and other dogs from the mother/father. That's about as much as you can figure out until the puppy grows up.