Teacup Yorkie or Maltese Puppies:

One of the most frequently asked questions that we get is "do you have any teacup Yorkshire Terrier oe Maltese puppies for sale?" The simple truth is that neither we nor anyone else has a "teacup" Yorkie or Maltese puppy because no such classification exists. Let me clarify.

The official breed standard for the Yorkshire Terrier and Malteses calls for adults to weigh between 4-7lbs.

Why then, you may ask, do so many breeders advertise their puppies as teacup Yorkies and Malteses? There are only two reasons:

Fraudulent advertising for Teacup Yorkie or Maltese puppies.
Some unscrupulous breeders advertise teacup Yorkie  or Maltese puppies to take advantage of those people who are not very familiar with Yorkies or Malteses. By telling someone that they are getting a "teacup" Yorkie or Maltese, they make the buyer feel that they are getting something special - as if one get much more special than a Yorkie or a Maltese at all :-). Beware, many of these people also advertise "toy" and or "standard" Yorkie or Maltese puppies with adult weights up to 10 or 12 pounds.

Ignorance about Teacup Yorkshire Terrier or Maltese puppies.
Sadly, there are people out there breeding Yorkshire terrier and Maltese puppies who simply aren't knowledgeable enough about them to know that there is no such thing as a "teacup" Yorkie or Maltese. One can only image their general breed knowledge and the quality of their Yorkie or Maltese puppies for sale.

I was told of a breeder recently who allegedly has adult Yorkies or Maltese weighing less than two (!!) pounds all the time. The person writing wanted to know if we had Yorkie or Maltese puppies of that size. I must point out that as of 2002, the smallest dog in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was a Chihuahua who weighed just under 2 pounds at 1 lb. 14 oz. For someone to claim that they regularly have adult dogs weighing less than 2 pounds is a stretch to say the least.

On average, Yorkshire terriers andd Malteses weigh between 5 and 7 pounds as adults. There are, of course, smaller Yorkie or Maltese puppies born that will weigh less and sometimes there are yorkies that weigh between 7-9 lbs. Most Yorkshire terriers and Malteses that you see participating in the show ring tend to be 6 to 7 pounds. A dog weighing 3 to 4 pounds is considered very small and often requires special care. Dogs this small should not be handled by children except under strictly controlled conditions. Children are clumsy by nature--not intentionally--and dogs weighing less than 4 pounds are fragile, with easily broken bones.