Teacup Yorkie The World’s Smallest Dog

The size of a teacup with larger than life attitude and perfectly attractive personality is what that describes a Teacup Yorkie. Their pretty appearance and fully loaded cuteness is not everything about this adorable dog breed. Their mighty personality, playfulness, bombastic energy, along with their sneaky, rat-chasing instinct, and somber attitude are some characteristics, which adequately describe this lovely breed of dog.

Having a Teacup Yorkie around you is undoubtedly going to give you a distinct idea of why it is called a packet full of energy and intellect. The funny and goofy noises will not allow you to overlook them, and their lovely nature will automatically make them the center of attraction when they are around you.

Originally belongs to the 19th-20th century of England, this dog breed has become pretty famous all over the world and considered as one of the popular dog breeds, according to the American Kennel Club.  Being extremely affectionate, Teacup Yorkies crave much care, relaxed grooming, and soft caresses from their owners.

 

Dog Breed: Teacup Yorkie

Quick Breed Summary of Teacup Yorkie

Height 5-6inches tall
Weight 2-4lbs
Lifespan 7-9 years
Colors Blue and tan, black and tan, black and gold, blue and gold.
Intelligence Pretty smart and full of intellect.
Breed Type Yorkshire Terrier
AKC Breed Popularity Ranks 10th in the USA
Temperament Smart, obedient, friendly, playful, and energetic
Daily Food Consumption Two small or one large meal a day for an adult

Three or four small amount of meals are enough for a pup

Common Health Issues Heart-related issues, bronchitis, dental problems, bone disorders, hypoglycemia, psychological problems, liver-related issues, etc.

 

Facts about Teacup Yorkie:

Are you thinking of getting a fluffy and cute toy breed of dog for yourself? If yes, then Teacup Yorkies might be perfect for you. But before buying one, know the basic facts about the dog. So here, we are going to highlight the fundamental yet interesting facts about Teacup Yorkies. Do check it out!

  • A Teacup Yorkie is nothing but the significantly smaller size of a Yorkshire Terrier. However, due to their extremely miniature size, AKC does not recognize the Teacup Yorkies officially.
  • This dog breed came into existence during the 1800s in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, England. People of the working class of the region are thought to breed these dogs.
  • The Teacup Yorkies portray a winning personality and have a strong prey drive.
  • They are one of the most honest breeds of dogs and try to never let you down with their activitiesvigorously.
  • Though extremely petite in size, Teacup Yorkies serve as great watchdogs. They will continuously bark at strangers or guests and announce the presence of an unfamiliar person.
  • Being tiny, feed these dogs in smaller amounts in every 3-4 hours in the day. Never skip their meals.
  • Try to feed them with kibble, as it would be suitable for their small mouths.
  • Being instinctively energetic and workaholic, you can easily train the Teacup Yorkies through short training sessions of not more than 15 minutes.
  • Socialize the Yorkies since its early age, else as it will grow, it will turn more aggressive and violent towards unfamiliar dogs and persons.
  • Provide them with puzzles and toys to keep them stress-free and boost their memory.
  • Teacup Yorkies do not shed much, but regular grooming is necessary to make them look their best. You must groom them at least once in 3 weeks.
  • During winter, do not forget to put a warm coat on them, as they can catch a cold easily.
  • Teacup Yorkies are extremely adaptable and can well reside in urban houses and apartments.
  • This breed of dog ranks 34th in Stanley Coren’s “Intelligence of Dogs”.
  • As they are quite prone to size-related health issues, they need immense care and concern.
  • Due to their intelligence and quick wit, Teacup Yorkies are not quite suitable for first-time owners. However, if you are confident enough to provide them with the necessary care and love, then these Yorkies will be great for you.

 

About the Teacup Yorkie:

The breed to which Teacup Yorkie originally belongs is popularly known as the Yorkshire Terrier, which is undoubtedly an interesting one. The main trait about this dog breed is its weightage of personality, irrespective of its tiny and cute size. Despite being considered as the most popular dog breed in Victorian England, it is also one of the most familiar and popular toy dog breeds in the U.S.

Teacup Yorkies are quite smart and intelligent, which makes them easily understandable by their owners. Their small and tiny appearance is quite suitable for your arms to cuddle them all the time. Adjectives like playful, energetic, and enjoyable, all are the perfect match for this truly adorable creature. They love playing around all the time and hate sitting idly.

Being an owner of a Teacup Yorkie is not that easy because this tiny little dog requires to be handled with a lot of care. As they are quite little and fragile, so risks may occur for them any time, especiallyif they are not paid proper attention. Their small bladder doesn’t allow them to hold their pee for a long time, so it’s quite a frequent job for them to pee repeatedly.

Teacup Yorkies may be of small size, but they don’t think so as soon as they become a grown-up dog. Acting like a smart one and investigating larger things than them, brings out their inner Sherlock Holmes and a specimen of their larger than life attitude. Instinctively born for rat hunting, Teacup Yorkies are quite good and fast in rat chasing, and that is why they should be kept under supervision all the time to avoid any life-threatening troubles.

These tiny, furry, and attractive breeds are cooperative and quite friendly. Hence, they become friends with any other breed of dogs quite easily. As a result, they have a lot of friends. However, it is to be kept in mind that this friendless state can make them psychologically unstable and quite depressed.

It’s quite hard to get enough of this small and adorable breed, and it is a perfect dog to adopt and enjoy as their cuteness, liveliness, and funny noises never fail to entertain the owner and spread happy vibes all over.

 

Appearance of Teacup Yorkie:

Teacup Yorkies are a perfect amalgamation of lovable temperament and a charmingly adorable appearance. Having an average height of 5-6inches and weighing around 2-4lbs as an adult, they can quite easily fit into a teacup.  Generally, they are tinier than 4 pounds that makes them a handful of sizes.

According to the American Kennel Club, they have four variants of color combinations, and each of them is equally pretty. The four different colors are blue with a patch of tan, black with the touch of golden, a combination of blue and golden, and the basic black and tan. AKC says that a standard Yorkie is a pretty combination of blue and tan where its head along with the ears, chest, and front legs have a continuous patch of tan and the rest of its body, starting from the back to the tail is blue. And the bluish shade is quite dark in tone. Teacup pups are a dark blue that has a close resemblance to black, and the blue color becomes prominent with the growing age, as the color lightens compatibly with their growing up process.

Teacup Yorkie has a furry coat made of long, thick, and pretty much silkier hair that looks perfectly straight and shiny. Puppies are much shinier than the adult ones. Not only the hairy appearance but also fluffy and soft-to-touch coat will give you the best feeling while cuddling it. And their tail is medium in size if compared to their actual body size, and it is covered with a blue patch of long hair. Yorkies like to keep their tails slightly higher on their back that looks way too much cute when they wiggle their tail and run. The end of their tail is pretty darker than their entire body color, which makes their tail strikingly visible.And how can you ignore their lovely-innocent face that struggles a lot with the long hairs and adds on to their charm every time?

 

History and Origin of Teacup Yorkie:

The Teacup Yorkies, first seen in the 20th century, initially emerged from their ancestors “Yorkshire Terrier” that originated back in the 19th century in England. However, today’s Teacup Yorkie is entirely different from the early stage Yorkshire Terriers. The Yorkshire Terriers were registered in the Toy Group by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1885. Although AKC denied recognizing Teacup Yorkies due to their tiny size, they are one of the most popular dogs across the globe.

During the early 1800s, many hunters of northern England carried the Yorkshire Terriers in their coat pockets while going for hunting foxes. Besides, the Yorkies were popularly known as “rat killers”, back then. They were superb at chasing and capturing rats, rodents, and vermin. They were taken home by those who thought them to be cute and eligible for becoming a good family pet.

In the Victorian period, the Yorkshire Terriers became the official lap dog. And until 1874, when the Yorkie gained the name of ‘Yorkshire Terrier’ by BKC, it was known under the title of ‘Broken Haired Scotch Terrier’. It became a valuable and elite animal due to its small size and long hair. Mostly, royal and upper-class women used to keep them as their pets.

There was a woman named Mary Ann Foster, who in the 1860s had a Paisley Terrier, named Huddersfield Ben. Eventually, this dog got defined as the first-ever Yorkshire Terrier and later came to be known as the father or originator of this breed. The reason for him being so popular was the number of ratter and dog contests that he won. However, Ben was comparatively larger than the others of his breed. He was only 6 when he passed away while setting a stage for the Yorkshire popularity.

Interestingly, the original bloodline of the Teacup Yorkie breed is still unknown, although it is believed that 3-purebred dogs were bred into the line to form the Teacup Yorkies. These 3-breeds of dogs were the Skye Terriers, Paisley Terriers, and Maltese. By the time, the Teacup Yorkie breed appeared for the first time. Since there was no such breed standard then, anything imitating the shape of a Yorkie dog was considered as a Yorkshire Terrier. However, after the breed standards were set, AKC did not even recognize the Teacup Yorkies as a breed of dog.

Until the 1940s, Yorkshire Terriers gained a lot of popularity. But during World War II, these dogs made an influence on the human soul when an American soldier found a Yorkshire Terrier in a shell hole & he named her Smokey. This Yorkie soon became an integral part of the soldiers’ troop and attended more than 12 missions by sea, 150 air raids, and survived a typhoon in Okinawa. She retired and lived her full life with pride and dignity.

Again, in 1984, a newer variety of Terrier emerged, known as the Biewer Terrier. Born out of two Yorkies, this newly originated Terrier branch had an immense change in its color. After almost 30 years of considering the validation of this breed, AKC registered the Biewer Terriers.

Thus, it’s evident that the Teacup Yorkies have evolved through a vast history of their smorgasbord ancestors. Albeit the Yorkie started as a ratter, now it is considered as one of the most popular dogs in Australia, UK, and the U.S. This toy-sized breed comes with many noble traits that immensely entertain and amuse every pet owner.

 

Is Teacup Yorkie Dog Good with Children?

Teacup Yorkie is very loving with humans. Also, kids love them for their cute size. But these dogs tend to shy away from other pets and unfamiliar persons. Also, they are very fragile and require a lot of attention. So, due to their delicateness, they are not that appropriate for families having little children.

 

Care of Teacup Yorkie

 

Food and Nutrition Requirements:

Being a little creature, they don’t need to eat a lot, as their tiny stomach is not that capable enough to get overloaded, and they might vomit instead. One or two large meals based on their hunger needs are enough for the adults. The Teacup puppies need to be fed at least thrice a day, as it is crucial for their growth. They require a high-quality diet to maintain their proper health, immunity system, and hairy beauty. Their every meal should be rich with protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, and fibers that can give them the proper amount of calories to influence their unbeatable energy.

  • Based on their body weight and height ratio, and daily activities, adult Teacup Yorkies need to consume 150-200 amounts of calories every day. In contrast, baby Yorkies require a calorie amount of 400 per day to make their growth faster, easier, and healthier.
  • Make a schedule for their daily meal and divide the calories into several meals as their tiny stomach won’t be able to consume a large amount of food at one time. They might face several health issues quite often, so make sure all healthy nutrients and proper hydration are there in their daily routine.
  • Dry foods are good for them, as it’s quite easy and manageable for the Teacup Yorkies to chew and gulp them. Such foods are also good for their furry face, as dry foods won’t get stuck to their hairs while eating. Additionally, chewing is highly beneficial for dental health.
  • You can also add proper vegetables, fruits, fish, and chicken to their diet to serve them a well-balanced meal. Such a meal is surely going to promote their health and growth. Choose foods that are suitable for their sensitive stomach and won’t cause any irritation to them.
  • Proper supply of calcium and vitamin D is needed for their bone health as their bones are prone to have disorders. The food should be beneficial to their heart and liver too. Also, the lack of proper food might cause hypoglycemia and blood sugar diseases in them. So, be careful enough and provide optimum sugar content in their diet.
  • Keep track of their height and weight to serve food based on their body requirement. It is always best to visit a veterinarian to consult about their proper diet and nutrition, as compromising with their health is not even an option to choose.

 

Exercise Requirements:

If you want your Teacup Yorkie to stay active both physically and mentally, then you should encourage them to perform specific exercises and activities. Following are some of the basic exercises that will help your Teacup Yorkie stay fit and healthy.

  • For Teacup Yorkies, both moderate exercises and occasional short bursts of exercises are beneficial. For example, going for a regular stroll at a steady pace or playing catch-catch or chasing balls in an open place will strengthen the muscles of your dog. You can also take your Yorkie for short walks twice a day to explore new places and burn off their excess energy.
  • Participation in various dog sports like agility or obedience is a beneficial activity to keep your dog healthy and challenge its mind every day with new situations and keep it mentally active.
  • One thing to remember is that they are very fragile by nature. Hence, any rough play, for instance, wrestling or jumping on the surfaces, must be prohibited for these designer handbag dogs. Also, don’t let them perform any activity that raises their excitement to such a level that may break off their brittle bones.
  • Make sure you use a harness instead of a collar every time you take your Yorkie out for a stroll. Due to their tiny size, tugging on their leads may give rise to excessive pressure on their throat and cause permanent damage to their trachea.

Though Teacup Yorkies are quite smaller in size, this tiny breed is full of energy. Therefore, too much-dedicated exercise is not needed; a good 20-30 minutes of daily exercise will be enough for them.

 

Training Require#ments:

The foremost requirement to look after a dog is to train it with certain good habits and rules and regulations. In short, training is required for every dog to be disciplined. Though Teacup Yorkies are little, cute, and adorable, they also possess the quality of stubbornness. So, while training them, be quite careful and do not behave roughly with them. Now, to train a Teacup Yorkie, here are some requirements that you must know.

  • Understand your pet to train it accordingly:

Though Teacup Yorkies are physically small, they are very willed and hard-working dogs. They are also pretty intelligent and sufficiently trainable. However, some are quick learners, while others may be a little slow. If you discover your dog is a little bit slow, do not fret out, because if you train it properly, it will never disappoint you. You have to keep patience and gain its confidence and encourage your Teacup Yorkie with hugs and cuddles, though it fails in the initial attempts.

  • Distract your Yorkie from bad habits:

It is impossible to have a pet without any bad habits. So, the best way to deal with these behaviors is to distract your dog from doing that activity. Always remember that you shouldn’t scold your pet, as it would make them afraid and more disobedient.

Suppose, your Yorkie is chewing your shoe, do not react to its habit. Instead, take its soft toy and accidentally drop it in front of your dog. Seeing it, the Yorkie will grab the toy. Taking advantage of the situation, lift the toy and your dog and place them in a safe place away from your shoe.

You can even train your dog with negative marking sounds like “uh-uh”, “no!” etc., so that upon hearing them, it can understand that you are preventing it from doing a wrong deed.

  • Clicker training:

Another most vital requirement in training sessions of every dog is clicker training. It is the method in which a clicker is used to generate click-clack sounds, and upon hearing these sounds, your dog responds to you promptly. By regular practice of this habit, you can grow your dog’s reflex. Don’t forget to treat it with its favorite snacks, as soon as it reacts to the clicker. This action of yours will aggravate its confidence level and also create a strong bonding with you.

  • Potty Training:

Potty training is one of the most significant types of training that must be taught to your Teacup Yorkie at its puppy stage. You will have to fix a specific spot in your lawn and take your Yorkie to that place so that it can do its potty. You can also use indoor potty pads, crates, or litter boxes for this purpose. At the beginning phase of the process, you can also praise and reward your dog for its good performance. Gradually, it will adopt the training. Also, you must note down its potty hours for your advantage.

 

Grooming Requirements:

Teacup Yorkies must be taken care of the way you take care of an infant. They should be bathed, brushed, cleaned, and trimmed regularly. In short, they need proper grooming to look neat and more lovable. The grooming requirements that you should learn by heart for your Teacup Yorkie are as follows:

  • Brushing:

Yorkies are hairy dogs. So,they need special hair grooming procedures to keep them neat and tidy. If your Yorkie’s hair is dry or its scalp needs moisturizing, then use spritzing coat conditioner before brushing. If its hair is naturally oily, then skip it. The procedure helps in avoiding hair damages and split ends.

You may use hair brushes to brush their furry coat thoroughly. Brush it along the line of the hair from the root to the tip. Proper brushing will lead to a uniform distribution of the natural oil or conditioner oil throughout the dog’s coat. If knots or entangles occur, then try to release the hair or smooth it out by your hands. Now the hairs around their eyes and ears can be set by using combs. Just comb the hairs slowly on the two sides of their ears and eyes.

  • Trimming and pest controlling:

Immense hair growth always calls for some trimming, be it a man or an animal. So, being an excessively hairy breed of dog, Teacup Yorkies also require trimming. You can trim the parts of its body hairs that you want and do some styling if you wish to make your furry pet look more adorable. You can cut and give shape to its beard by using scissors and clip its featherings.

Now, to make it look more presentable, you can clip and tie parts of its body hairs with bow ribbons and clutches. You can also keep your dog professionally groomed every year. Now, before applying these techniques of grooming, you should use some pest controlling solutions to prevent itching problems of your dog’s skin, but make sure that it doesn’t cause any skin-related issues to your Yorkie.

  • Bathing:

Bathing is an essential phase of grooming. You should first wet the dogand apply shampoo and massage its whole body with little water. After rigorous massaging, rinse it properly with mild cold water. You can also apply a conditioner for the smoothness of its hair, and massage it again for 5-10 minutes, and then wash it off. Now use soft dog towels to dry your Teacup Yorkie properly. You can also use a hairdryer while brushing it. Repeat the brushing process 2-3 times after bathing, and smooth the furry coat in its actual shape and texture.

  • Care for teeth, nails, and ears:

The external organs of a Teacup Yorkie also need to be taken care of, such as its teeth, mouth, nails, and ears. Special toothbrushes and toothpaste for dogs are present in the market. You can use them to brush your dog’s teeth daily and clean the inside of the mouth of your pet properly.

Now it comes to the nail inspection. To shape your Teacup Yorkie’s nails, take the nail-cutter and hold the leg of your pet firmly. Do the process carefully, so that you don’t cause any harm to it. Besides, you may use ear-cleaner soaked cotton balls to clean its ears. But make sure to use it gently, because their ears are very sensitive organs.

 

Common Health Issues of Teacup Yorkie

Health problems are an inevitable matter that cannot be deprived. Like every other dog, Teacup Yorkies also have specific health issues. The veterinary doctors can guide you the best about it; however, let us have a bird’s eye view on them and explore the common ways to treat the diseases.

  • Hypoglycemia and heart-related problems:

Hypoglycemia refers to the medical condition of low blood sugar. It usually happens in dogs due to intestinal parasites or the scarcity of caloric reserves. Little dogs like Teacup Yorkies are highly affective to blood sugar problems. Without having enough sugar in their blood, the heartbeat rate may slow down, resulting in seizures, respiratory problems, weakness, shakiness, trembling, unconsciousness, sleepiness, fatigue, etc. In the case of puppies, such conditions can lead it to go into a coma or even death. So, if you suspect any of the above-stated symptoms in your Teacup Yorkie, immediately rush to the nearest veterinary doctor.

  • Dental problems:

The dental disorder is a common health issue observed in Teacup Yorkies. Dental problems like double teeth syndrome, gum disease, premature tooth losses, etc. are frequently noticed in this breed of dog. Double teeth syndrome is nothing but the overlapping of teeth. If not taken care of well, this problem may result in poor jaw development of your dog. Gum diseases like bleeding of gums, redness, etc. often occurs in Yorkies that results in extremely bad smells, blood loss, etc. Premature tooth loss refers to the problem of losing teeth before the correct time. It usually happens in Yorkies due to the already present gum diseases or decaying of teeth. The only way to keep your pet away from these dental diseases is to brush it regularly, along with taking it for an annual cleaning to the vet.

  • Bronchitis:

Bronchitis is a common name known to all. The symptoms of this disease in Teacup Yorkies are dry and hacking cough, fever, spitting of foamy saliva, excessive mucus production, sneezing and nasal discharges, lethargy, breathing difficulties, etc. Bronchitis can be acute or chronic in dogs. Acute bronchitis often occurs due to viral infections, and the cause of chronic ones is unknown yet. Acute bronchitis can be treated with medicines, like bronchodilators, prednisone, and antibiotics, but the chronic ones are very hard to treat successfully.

Apart from these severe diseases, Teacup Yorkies can also be affected by fragile bone disorders, progressive retinal atrophy, psychological issues, and liver problems.

 

Summary:

So, coming to the end of content, you must have learned a lot about the tiny breed of Teacup Yorkie, their origin, history, appearance, caring tips, training guide, grooming requirements, and finally, their health issues.

Though the Teacup Yorkies are not recognized by AKC, if you are a true dog lover and fond of tiny yet fashionable pets, then their origin and recognition details should not matter to you much. These little family pet dogs are one of the most adorable, witty, and friendly creatures, but they need a lot of care, as they are very delicate and susceptible to fatal diseases.

So, if you can pay enough attention to their diet and health, give them an adequate amount of time, and provide them with immense care and love, then you cannot get a better companion than a Teacup Yorkie. So, if you are planning to get one for yourself, comment below sharing the experience with your tiny Yorkie, and leave your valuable feedback.

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