Teacup Poodles

[Jay_Bunny]

My husband fell in love with teacup poodles when someone brought one into his work. I've never been one for poodles. I think they look like frufru dogs. My friend had 3 of them and after meeting them, I think I could actually grow to like them. Her's were really nice.

I have heard from people that they are hard to train and are very hyper dogs. I already have a hyper dog, Bailey, who is very very hard to train. I think he needs a playmate that he can run around with. He tries to play too hard with the cats. A dog would be better for him, and my husband really wants a teacup poodle. We found an ad in the paper for teacup poodle puppies and the person is asking 450-550 for a puppy. We have found online breeders asking 850 and up for their pups. We don't want a show quality dog, but we don't want one with bad genetics.

We would use a rescue but we want a purebred puppy and rescues mostly have adults.

[wolfy-hound]

First, there is no official "teacup" poodle. There are TOY poodles. And those are poodles that mature under 10 inchs at the shoulder. "Teacups" are runty dogs bred back agian to produce more runty dogs. They usually have major leg issues, can have heart, teeth, and eye issues.
A good healthy toy poodle(watch for knee issues in the parents) is a joy, easy to train, happy without being hyper, etc. They need regular grooming, and brushing in between. Every 6 weeks is a minimum.
I treated my toy poodles like big dogs, expected the same behaviors and they were a absolute joy to have. They'll do agilty and obediance with the best of them. Just don't treat them like a baby frufru puppy-wuppy, and they will be a grand dog.
I'd go to your local branch of the AKC breed club, and see what they tell you. A poor breeder will give you a dog that will cost you thousands of dollars and you'll get a dog that has major issues. Ask to see the parents and look at their back legs. If they bow outwardly when they walk, then pass on a puppy. If the dogs have buggy eyes with tiny muzzles, pass on a puppy. Poor coats, or dogs that "hop like a bunny" or run with 3 legs, pass.
I hope this helped. I do like poodles, as they can be the most intelligent happy dogs there are.

[Jay_Bunny]

Online breeders that we've seen have been using teacup and toy interchangeably, so I was unsure of what term to use. My friend has the toy poodles.

Thanks for the info about the health issues. I will make sure to check the legs of the parents. Do you know of any good breeders?

[wolfy-hound]

Not right off the top of my head. But like I said, contact your local AKC club, and they should be able to point you in the right direction to get a healthy puppy. Probably have a choice in coat colors even.
Rem, white poodles can get dye jobs... grins.

[Blu Mongoose]

Online breeders that we've seen have been using teacup and toy interchangeably, so I was unsure of what term to use. My friend has the toy poodles.

Thanks for the info about the health issues. I will make sure to check the legs of the parents. Do you know of any good breeders?

Be cautious of ANYONE advertising teacups! Even bred interchangably you are looking at possibly severe problems. Get yourself a nice healthy toy poodle from a reputable breeder and you will never regret it. Good luck with your search. It also wouldn't hurt to pull up the breed standard, read it thouroghly and also a pic of a quality animal. Sometimes the so called cute little walk or cute heads is a major flaw which can be a sign of problems to come.

[pitbulls4me]

The term 'teacup' in chihuahuas, poodles and now even yorkies is a genetic mess of a dog that was bred on purpose to be smaller than the standard. They are usually inbred to keep that small size and are never healthy. I would suggest finding a reputable breeder or even contacting a rescue and putting your name on a list. They do get pregnant females in or maybe even a mill bust, I know they might not be as healthy as a good breeders' dog would be but you would be saving a life.

Good luck on your search.

[iCandiBallPythons]

I always felt the same about not liking poodles because I thought they were frufru But I was around a standard poodle quite a bit and ended up really finding that dog to be an awesome dog so I ended up buying a toy poodle because I already have pits and did not want another big dog. So I purchased a toy poodle and I have to say he's prob the best dog I have ever had and one dog I thought I would never own to say the least. The only thing I have ever trained him to do is sit , he is an extremely intelligent dog and naturally picked up on things very quick since he was a puppy. He is 3 yrs old and He has never had an accident in my house nor been destructive. He also crate trained in no time. He's not hyper or a yapper at all , I do find with poodles they require alot of companionship with the owner.

[blackcrystal22]

My toy poodle/Chihuahua is a joy.
We were lazy about training her, but that's mostly our fault. She's a joy mainly because she comes up to see you just to SEE you, not for food or attention. She just wants to be by you or lay next to you.
It's also really cute seeing her get shaved every couple months, going from super-poof to rat-dog is hilarious.