The concept of the "Teacup Puppy" has been all the rage recently, thanks to the celebrities who own them.  But what exactly is a teacup dog anyway?  How can you tell if you own one, or how would you know if the puppy you are eyeing will stay in within the size for teacup puppies when they grow up?  We will tackle all these questions in this article.

What is a teacup puppy?  How big are they and how big do they grow to be?

So you ask, what exactly a teacup puppy anyway?  Well a teacup puppy is, when full grown, a dog that ends up to be around 4 lbs or less.  Now this means that when born, they are around 2 - 4 oz, (about 55 grams - 125 grams) which is smaller than the standard adult syrian hamster from the pet store!  Teacup puppies are dubbed "teacup" because it is said that they can fit into a teacup when they are still a puppy.

Where do these teacup puppies come from?  They seem to be the new fad!

Teacup puppies have always existed, and the common beliefs are that they come from two sources; either the breeder has carefully concentrated on breeding very small dogs, while keeping their health in mind, or the teacup puppies are the smaller puppies of a litter.  Hopefully they are the result of the former.

Scientifically speaking, all domesticated dogs that we know of today have wolves as ancestors, and all fit under the subspecies of Canis lupus familiaris.  But, the fact that the dog breeds look so different from each other, and most not even close to the appearance of a wolf, it is quite hard to believe, but it's true; all dogs are under the same subspecies!  So how can the tiny chihuahua be related to the majestic great dane, you ask?  From selective breeding, of course!  Back in the day, dogs were bred for a purpose; you may be familiar to dog breed classifications such as working dogs, herding dogs, and sporting dogs, but we also have dogs that were bred only for companionship.  So because dogs were bred for a certain purpose, whether it was the Border Collie for herding lifestock or the Bloodhound for hunting birds, dogs nowadays have a different appearance from each other due to the fact they were bred for a purpose.  But of course, it doesn't take a few days to perfect a breed; it took hundreds of years to produce the dogs we see and recognize today.  Most breeders today keep in mind of the breed standard when breeding dogs, in order to keep the pedigrees pure and free of illness.  Breeders of the teacup dog variety, hopefully, are breeders of recognized breed dogs who have chosen to breed these smaller versions of dogs out of the interest for the breed, and keep in mind that they should only breed if they can ensure the healthiest dogs will be produced.

Oh the other side of the spectrum is the tiny puppy of a litter.  Remember to stay small, a puppy must start out small.  if you have ever seen litters of dogs, there always seems to be one that tends to be the smallest, and we refer to them as the "runt of the litter".  A runt of the litter is usually the weakest and the smallest puppy, and therefore are very fragile.  It takes a lot of tender loving care to make sure these dogs can live through puppyhood, so be aware that these puppies may have health problems from underdevelopment or other issues.

What kind of breeds have teacup sized dogs?  I want a teacup dog that looks just like a (insert breed here)!

Dogs that are of a teacup size are small dogs that are classified under the toy dog breed category.  There are several breeds that are classified as the toy variety, but the recognition varies from the major registry groups.  Some of the most popular toy dog breeds inlude the Chihuahua, Maltese, Yorkshire Terrier, Pomeranian, Pekingese, Shih Tzu, Bichon Frise Japanese Chin, Papillon, Pug, Toy Poodle, Boston Terrier and many others.  These dogs are quite small to begin with, and many consider them as lap dogs.  So when looking for a teacup puppy, you must keep this in mind; if the breed is not considered a toy breed, then you can bet that when full grown, this dog will not be of teacup size, so ditch the idea of getting a teacup Labrador Retriever or English Bulldog because it isn't happening!  And of course, remember to do your research before you purchase; the last thing you want to happen is to get a puppy for your one bedroom apartment and have him grow up to be a 40 lb dog!

With doing your research, keep the breed standard on the back of your mind.  Dogs such as the Chihuahua with a breed standard of under 6 lbs (preferred 2 - 4 lbs), and the Maltese with the breed standard under 7 lbs (preferred 4 - 6 lbs) are more likely to have teacup sized puppies and dogs than other toy breeds, such as the stocky Pekingese, where the breed standard is under 14 lbs.  Not to say that you could not get a teacup pekingese, but I have personally never seen or heard of one, and knowing the breed standard shows that the dog is naturally bred to be bigger than teacup variety.  So play it smart when looking for a teacup puppy - when it sounds so rare that it is too good to be true, it probably is!

Is "teacup" a breed type?  Many people and websites say there is no such thing as a teacup dog!

There are many arguments to this issue, and they are both right and wrong.  They are right on the fact that "teacup" is not considered a breed type.  Many dog groups and registeries such as the American Kennel Club do not recognize teacup as a breed type.  Let's take the poodle as an example; the standard poodle, miniature poodle, and toy poodle are considered as 3 different type breeds by the major kennel clubs, but teacup poodle is not considered as a breed variety.  Any poodle that is of a small size by teacup standards is put under the toy category.

On another note, there are dogs that are small enough to be classified as the "teacup" size; in reality, the "teacup" term is made up and used by dog breeders and owners alike who enjoy dogs that are this size and want to pay special recognition to these tiny bundles of joy.  And as mentioned before, these teacup puppies are the smaller dogs of toy varieties.  In summary, there are teacup sized dogs, but they are not recognized as a unique breed.

So what is the big deal with teacup sized dogs anyway?  But don't get me wrong - I want a puppy that fits in my purse too!

The teacup dog fad has boomed in popular culture due to the fact that celebrities such as Paris Hilton (with her chihuahua Tinkerbell), Lindsay Lohan (with her maltese Chloe), Hillary Duff (with her chihuahua Lola) and others have brought the fad to dinner table conversation, with pictures of these young female stars and their dogs surfacing in media, causing a teacup puppy frenzy.  Now many people want dogs that they can dress up, put in purses, and even dye in wild colours, but are these dogs just a fashion statement?

Actually, small dogs have a lot of practicality.  For example, they can be easily transported, so if you tend to be a person that does a lot of travelling, putting one of these dogs in a cute carrier and taking them with you is a simple task.  Also, many airlines allow for small dogs that fit into carriers be brought into the cabin instead of being stowed away in cargo, and many restaurants and malls allow for small dogs to be brought in as well.  And if you are limited in space, these small dogs can fit into apartments and do not require much exercise, especially useful in Japan where living spaces are quite cramped and it is hard to make room for a large dog in your home.  Also, seniors can lift and cuddle tiny dogs with a lot more ease.  And because they are small, that means that they eat less, leading them to creating less waste, which is always a plus.  But there are many issues with teacup dogs that you need to be aware of before committing to one of these dogs - it is known that toy dogs can live a lot longer than their larger breed counterparts, sometimes even past 15 years!