Teacup pomeranian (a.k.a miniature pomeranian)

A Teacup Pomeranian (or Toy Pomeranian) is just like any other Pomeranian except that it’s just much smaller in size, the smallest a dog can be actually.

The Teacup Pomeranian is usually produced by unethical breeders that breed two underweight dogs, one dam and one sire, to produce very tiny puppies that they can then go on and make a hefty profit on because of how marketable they are nowadays.

Although this practice is widely frowned upon, these breeders are practically everywhere nowadays. After all, most dog owners out there are more than ready to pay a premium fee just to have a unique, special and cute little fella at home instead of a normal sized dog everyone else seems to have.

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), a Pomeranian is classified as “Toy” instead of “Teacup” (although they both are very close in meaning) when it weighs less than 3 pounds.

Today, Pomeranians have come a long way to becoming available as “Teacup” after they used to weigh a heavy 30 pounds during the years 1800-1900, given the fact that they used to be working dogs at the time. Ever since then, and especially during the 20th century, breeders started joining in on the marketing game and Teacup Pomeranians became “a thing”. A very popular “thing” indeed.

With that being said, Teacup Pomeranians (a.k.a Miniature or Toy Pomeranians) aren’t recognized as a breed of their own. they’re just a smaller sized regular Pomeranian.

Teacup Pomeranian Appearance

Height & Weight: Normal adult Pomeranians are usually 8-11 inches (20.32 – 27.94 cm) tall and weigh anywhere between 3-7 lbs (1.36 – 3.175 kg), while Teacup Pomeranians weigh less than 3 pounds and are shorter than that.

Teacup Pomeranian Health Issues

Given the unusual tiny size that Toy Pomeranians have, they are subject to higher health risks than normal Pomeranians.

And Pomeranians have enough health risks when they are normally sized and weigh between 3-7 pounds, so you could only imagine how much greater these health risks will become when the Pomeranian weighs less than 3 pounds.

• Injury: Because they are very fragile at such a low weight and tiny size, Teacup Pomeranians are much more prone to have collapsed trachea, hip dysplasia and luxating patella than a normal sized Pomeranian. This is actually a negative point for many potential dog owners, as this means you have to think 10 times before you do things like take this dog to the park and let your kids play around with it (just to name a couple of activities). Avoid putting too much stress on your Teacup’s neck by opting to use a harness and leash instead of collar and leash.
• Hypothermia: Teacup Pomeranians are much more likely than normal sized Pomeranians to develop hypothermia (which means having dangerously low body temperature), especially when they are at a young age. Teacup Pomeranians can experience very dangerous drops in body temperatures in events such as sickness or exposure to cold temperatures.
• Growth Issues: Teacups Pomeranians are highly likely to face stunted growth in their bones and organs, which can put their life at risk at anytime (because of heart problems) and prove to be very costly for you because of the vet bills. If you’re doing business with a quality breeder, they should be able to provide you with a medical clearance for the puppy/dog you want to get.
• Death: What many people don’t know is that what they consider to be a cute little tiny puppy may be a puppy that’s setup to die in no time if it’s not 1-2 pounds by the age of 8 weeks.
• Infections: Teacup Pomeranians are much more likely to catch infections than normal sized Pomeranians.
• Tooth Problems
• Thyroid Problems
• Diabetes

Teacup Pomeranian Cost

Although a normal sized Pomeranian is bigger in size than a Teacup Pomeranian, the latter costs more than the former because of the “cuteness” selling point advantage it has.

Normal sized Pomeranians will cost you about $600-$700, while a Toy Pomeranian will cost you more than $1000 on average.

Teacup Pomeranian Temperament & Character

In the case of Teacup Pomeranians, their temperament will be exactly the same as that of any normal sized Pomeranian, because both are of the same breed.

As we established in the beginning of this article, a Teacup Pomeranian is only different from a normal sized Pomeranian when it comes to size.

Either way, no two Pomeranians are exactly the same and a large portion of their character when they grow up will ultimately be determined by how well they were trained and socialized at a young age.

Privacy: Teacup Pomeranians love their privacy, and if anyone (human being or animal) that they don’t want around invades their privacy (or “territory”), expect them to stir some trouble!

Alertness: Teacup Pomeranians are always on the lookout for intruders, which also means other animals as well as humans, and will alert you when they see one by barking.

Intelligence: Pomeranians are one of the smartest dog breeds, and a Teacup Pomeranian is nothing short of that.

Teacup Pomeranian Care

First off, possibly the first thing you’re going to want to do is take your new Teacup Pomeranian to the vet so they can run some medical checks on them and make sure your dog/puppy is healthy.

As for food and water, it’s very important that you always have food and water readily accessible for your young Teacup Pomeranian to eat and drink, because they need to do that much more frequently than normal sized Pomeranians.

Whenever you’re gone outside the house and no one’s there to properly care for your Miniature Pomeranian, make sure it’s somewhere safe and sound with all the supplies it needs like a playpen, bed and toys.

As noted in the section about Teacup Pomeranian’s health issues, they can’t tolerate extreme weather conditions, so you MUST make sure to keep things constantly moderate at all times. Any weather changes on either extreme will not be tolerated by your Teacup Pomeranian’s tiny body.

As far as exercise is concerned, DO NOT expect your Teacup Pomeranian to be able to handle the same amount and types of physical activity that a normal sized dog could handle. That means less amounts of exercise and way less intensity.

Make sure that you don’t let any children (or anyone else who might be irresponsible with this point for that matter) to ever touch, carry or play with your Teacup Pomeranian. The slightest bit of rough physical contact or dropping the puppy can be fatal.

The takeaway from this section is that you have to make sure that your Teacup Pomeranian is always in a safe place and that nothing that could ever harm its fragile body is posing any real danger to it.

Teacup Pomeranian Shady Breeder Practices

Some breeders will try to sell you very young puppies by claiming they are Teacup Pomeranians, whereas in reality they’re not.

These breeders just take advantage of the fact that the puppy is still at a very young age (sometimes even a couple of weeks old) and will try to convince you that this is a legitimate Teacup Pomeranian.

Later on in life and when the Pomeranian grows in age, you’ll find out that its size is not that of a Teacup Pomeranian but it’s the size of a regular Pomeranian. And, by then, it’s too late to do anything about that.

As long as you only work with reputable breeders that have a proven track record in the breeding business, then you won’t have to worry about this. Always ask about the puppy’s age before you buy it just to make sure, or just buy a full grown Teacup Pomeranian dog instead of a young puppy to evade any unpleasant surprises in the future.

And, as stated above, quality breeders will provide you with documents such as medical clearances for the Teacup Pomeranian you want to get so you can make sure that you’re not getting scammed by an unethical breeder.

If you’ve made up your mind about getting a Teacup Pomeranian, try your best to search for a registered Pomeranian breeder that has years of experience in the business and a proven track record at first that has been able to produce Pomeranians that fall into the “Teacup” category and grow up to weigh less than 4 pounds.

Many “Teacup Pomeranians” sold by unethical breeders will look like Teacup Pomeranians when they are still young puppies, but won’t look anything like that when they grow up in no time.

An unethical breeder that pairs two very small male and female Pomeranians for the sole purpose of producing a Teacup Pomeranian is not someone you want to do business with, as most often these Teacup Pomeranians will be plagued with health issues and will rarely go on to live a healthy life.

Also, whenever you see a breeder advertising one of their Teacup Pomeranians and they tell you the “exact size” that this Pomeranian will grow up to become, run away. Fast. 99 of the times, they’re nothing but scammers.