No Such Animal
We have had SO many inquiries about "teacup" and "tiny toy" Pomeranians, we wanted to clarify this issue. Again, there is No Such Breed. We do not advertise or sell our puppies as "teacups" or "tiny toys". The Pomeranian is part of the "toy breed" classification of the AKC and other pure-breed registries. People want the smaller puppies, but they worry about the health issues involved. The health issues depend on where the dogs originate from and the breeding practices involved, I believe.
Some breeders - not many but some - will breed very small dogs or runts to other very small dogs regardless of health problems or physical defects -- or even with regular size dogs, often much larger, to try and get the smaller sizes. It's okay to breed small dogs to small dogs as long as both the adult dogs are healthy and fit. I am talking about the few breeders out there who will breed a 3-lb female dog to a 6-lb male dog, trying to get puppies that will weigh 4-6 lbs at full growth. For breeding purposes, a male dog should outweigh a female dog by no more than 1 lb. If the male is smaller, that's okay and even desirable (as it makes birthing easier on the mother), as long as the smaller male is free of health problems or genetic defects. The other way around (large male, small female) MAY result in problems for the mother in giving birth and puppies who have multiple health problems, including under-developed organs, adult hypoglycemia (which should not be confused with transient juvenile hypoglycemia), diabetes, thyroid problems, and worse...
We do NOT specifically breed for small sizes.
We have averaged-sized Pomeranian adults, between 4 and 7 pounds. We do NOT breed for
"teacups" or "toys". Some people are willing to pay
LARGE sums of money for these very tiny dogs. (I have seen so-called
"teacups" listed as high as $1500.00, and even up to $2000-$4000 in
Florida). The people who advertise & sell these "teacup poms" for such
high prices only cater to this whole phenomenon, encouraging breeders to produce
these small puppies by whatever means necessary, encouraging people to buy them,
and encouraging people to believe that the "teacup pom" is a whole separate
classification of the breed, when in fact, it is NOT an AKC classification at
all. It is not an official classification of the Pomeranian breed at all,
not in the AKC or any other pure-breed registry. The pet stores & brokers
who advertise "teacup poms" and promote this whole crazy idea are just as guilty at perpetrating unscrupulous
breeding practices for smaller dogs as the people who practice unscrupulous
breeding practices to specifically breed for
them.
Every breed of dogs comes with it's own health hazards. Pomeranians,
for example, regardless of size, all have the potential for luxing patellas, for
example, and you have to watch them about jumping. All this means, in
English, is that their legs can be delicate, especially while they are puppies
and their bones are still developing. YOU have to watch out for their legs, because the dog will
jump without fear. They will jump, it is in their nature. It is your
responsibility when you buy a dog to watch out for their health after you buy
them, including not allowing your puppy to jump down off the furniture, not be
stepped on by children (or adults), etc. So just make sure you don't put
them up in high spots without a way to get down other than jumping. We
make them "stairs" out of cushions or pillows so they can get up and
down easier inside the house.
For more information on our health guarantee and other health hazards to watch
for, please see our Health Guarantee/Puppy
Care Instructions page.
We monitor ALL of our puppies on a constant daily basis, and we are quite aware
of the health and well-being of each dog. The smaller puppies we get are
not "teacups" or "tiny toys". There is no such thing.
They are just smaller than what we normally see, usually because the litter was
so large. Any breeder who tells you they can guarantee the size of a puppy
as an adult is not being completely honest with you. We cannot guarantee that our puppies will be a
certain size or weight as an adult, regardless of the breed. The AKC breed
standard says that the average weight for a Pomeranian is 3-7 lbs. We do
not use Pomeranians that are over or under this standard for breeding purposes.
Some Poms will weigh as much as 10 lbs when full grown, depending on what and how much they are fed,
how often they are fed, and how much exercise they get - or just from their
genetic backgrounds. Larger sized Poms are also sometimes caused by what
one of our veterinarian friends called a "throwback" gene, basically a gene from
back in the times when the Pomeranian was first introduced and weighed as much
as 30 lbs. (If you'd like to know more about the Pomeranian history, go to
our Pomeranian History Page.) Anything under or over the standard is not desirable
for shows, but this does not affect their "pet quality" in any way.
The preferred show weight for a pom is 4-6 lbs, and most of our puppies turn out
right in that range. We know this because we keep in touch with many of
the people who buy our puppies, through e-mail and regular mail. They send
us photos, and keep us updated on their progress. However, we have
also met many happy Pomeranian owners who end up with Pomeranians that weigh as
much as 15 lbs or more.
Our pregnant females are pampered, spoiled, and given extra supplements, etc.,
to make sure they are healthy. While nursing, they receive supplemental
vitamins and extra treats to make sure they stay healthy while nursing and that
the puppies are given a good start. We encourage EVERY buyer to make an
appointment with the vet before you pick up your puppy. We also encourage
everyone to set up a regular veterinarian care schedule. We do guarantee
health, but we do NOT and CANNOT guarantee size. If you want guarantees as
to small size (such as under 3 lbs as an adult), you might want to go with
a smaller breed dog than a Pomeranian, such as a Chihuahua - but you should be
aware that, according to the AKC, even a Chihuahua is officially "A well
balanced little dog not to exceed 6 pounds". Even Yorkshire terriers "should not
exceed 7 lbs". Obviously, there are smaller variations of all the above.
However, the breeding practices and veterinary care of pregnant females
determine whether the puppies are born healthy or not.
Ask to see the parents. Be wary if the female seems to be MUCH smaller than the male. If both parents seem to be approximately the same size, or the male is a little bigger (hopefully no more than a pound) than the female, or if the male is definitely smaller than the female, then the puppies will more than likely be healthy & without defects. If the puppy comes from a large litter, (4-5 or more is a large litter for a Pom) most often they will all be small. If only one puppy of a smaller litter of 2-3 is small, most likely that one is the "runt". Runts can be perfectly healthy, as long as they are taken good care of. They are just smaller than average. Careful veterinary care of puppies and sensible precautions on what your puppy is exposed to or not will determine whether or not they stay healthy.
A Note to Our Website Customers
6/21/03/updated 1/23/05