So you want a teacup poodle?

So you want a teacup toy poodle?

And some misconceptions on size!

Occasionally we get small toy poodles that most people would refer to as “teacups” which would be a tiny toy poodle that weighs 5 pounds and under. For the record; we prefer to call them tiny toy

These are indeed very special little dogs, aside from being insanely cute. They are in high demand by specific clientele and many breeders do not want to deal with the high pressures and needs of raising these delicate little dogs from birth to the time of release

Often times the word teacup is thrown around so much that a person requesting a teacup is imagining a 10 pound toy! That’s why we always ask 😉

We as the breeder are prepared to bare our backs and our hearts for the right home

If you are ready to own one of our tiny toy poodle; below is some useful info!

In order to get tiny toys, inbreeding typically is utilized by breeders. There are 100's to 1000's of genes pertaining to size

Genes related to small body size are more rare; those specific genes have to line up to match and create a smaller puppy. The more common, larger genes, line up first

The more inbreeding a bloodline has, the more often; not only tiny genes line up, but negative gene traits as well. Some negative traits that can come with smaller poodles-genetic or not-tend to be:

-finer hair

-more eye tearing (smaller nose, smaller mouth bridge)

-retained teeth (small mouth)

-plaque build up on teeth

There are ways to help:

Pups just need to get older to get adult coat

Daily eye wipe is helpful

Grooming care at home is beneficial

Play lots of rope toy to loosen baby teeth

Brush their teeth daily to prevent plaque build up

Sometimes a pup just needs time for baby teeth to come out on their own time-it doesn’t mean your dog has a problem

All this can apply to any dog, this just can be more common in the little guys…your vet may say genetic…but every dog is a living creature-if you look at it this way it’s genetic because they are a dog

Back to diversity topic! One thing we strive for is genetic diversity. We do have tiny toy; without ofcourse having to inbreed (line breed). We have so many bloodlines which makes it possible for us to focus on diversity

We have alot of poodles; pups, toddlers, teens, young adult and mature adult that we may breed in the future, only once, twice or possibly not at all..."why so many poodles but you can only sell a small amount?" Because diversity is important to us. We are striving for the next generation always! We get very excited about that.

Back to earlier topic about size 🤪

Often times it's very difficult to estimate size

Some poodle parents tend to make smaller puppies. They just have the more common genes for small body size. This doesn't necessarily facilitate lower diversity

-puppy adult size is not determined by parental size - many litters have pups that outgrow their parents

-you can't tell size from a photo-they all look huge in photos

-puppy birthweight/size does not in any way determine the size of the matured puppy - sometimes the biggest at birth is the tiniest on go home day-it's always neat to see the transitions they have!

Tiny toys are not, "the runt"

litters can vary in size in every seperate litter from the same parents-maybe I just dislike that term altogether (haha!)

-puppies can go through growth spurts (an estimate is made from the pup's age + weight, but this can be completely off because puppies grow at different rates)

-one puppy next to another from a litter - the one can look bigger; but actually weigh LESS than their sibling - weight is not the only indicator of size

-sometimes pups are chunkier pups and actually gradually lean out

Typically, we can estimate size based on several factors together:

-what that pair has produced in past litters

-how that pup is growing compared to siblings

-age and weight

-some physical features such as eye position/size

-having generations of smaller sizes

Remember thata weight estimation is just that; an estimation

If your puppy has grown larger than expected; the breeder had the best intentions but sometimes estimations can be off. Realize that you have a healthy, genetically diverse poodle

Interestingly enough; spaying often causes an increase in predicted adult weight outcome vs. non-spayed

Caring for a tiny puppy

Our pups are babied, tinier puppies even more - by their mom and us!

Be prepared to be a parent of a “baby”

Be prepared to get up at least once in the night to give a feeding if necessary

Be prepared to be home, and be available all the time for a minimum of 2 weeks; after that you'll need to hire help or enlist a family member for help - little pups get depressed without company-which usually results in reduced caloric intake

-tiny pups require warmth, also frequent feeding of small protein rich meals

-tiny pups don't usually have that hunger drive like larger, faster growing puppies

-sometimes if that pup won't eat enough due to the stress of transition-you may have to syringe feed temporarily

-small pups get bored with food fast so prepare a variety of new and different foods to create interest

-toy pups don't know how to regulate blood sugar at a young age-they play then they crash! always have sugar syrup available for blood sugar dip emergencies

Be prepared to become a personal cook for your little poo

Be prepared to deal with some crying and whining; baby misses mommy and siblings

Be prepared to deal with accidents (the poop kind)

-focus on love and comfort-the bulk of training can come later-always be positive

Be prepared to do a lot of holding and carrying, and maybe nap time together on the floor

Be prepared to set a timer to make sure your pup has eaten every 3-4 hours until he gets a bit bigger

Be prepared to make special accommodations in your home

Be prepared to not be able to show your baby off to everyone at Petco because you need to take in account germs could harm him or her-keep your baby home! If you plan to take your baby into work that’s great too, even better than hiring a caretaker

Be prepared to potentially have to pay for obedience or behavioral training down the road

Be prepared to watch your step. I mean literally because they want to be right next to you always - a collar with a bell is your go-to

If that doesn’t seem too bad; then congratulations! It’s tough BUT you’ll get the hang of it faster than you realize. Key is structure and routine. Do your research about the breed, training, etc. you will have an amazing companion for the next 15-20 years! I tell my clients the first 2 weeks are the hardest. They are INCREDIBLY loyal to their human!

Being a tiny toy poodle or any poodle baby; going home is difficult. A comparison is leaving your homeland and then going to a foreign land where nobody speaks your language. All of the familiar smells are different; now everything is new- everything is very stimulating and exciting.

The last thing that pup is thinking about is eating or food and you will need to be his coach. Some puppies will adjust easily after a few days, some will need consistent monitoring. Once you have decided to lovingly take on the job of adopting one of our tinies- we will give you more in-depth instructions on getting you through those first two weeks.

Not only the first two weeks we will be here for you to help if needed, but; anytime, always for the life of the puppy! We strongly encourage communication 💕