Do Teacup Pomeranians Stay Small?

We’ve all seen the pictures of tiny little dogs. Sometimes it even appears that celebrities are using them as an accessory. Are Teacup Pomeranians real? Do teacup Pomeranians stay small forever?

Pomeranians are a small toy breed. When they are fully grown they average between 3-7 lbs. Due to unhealthy and unethical breeding practices, some dogs are bred to be smaller than the standard. These dogs remain small and are more susceptible to health problems.

What Is The Difference Between A Standard Pomeranian And A Teacup Pomeranian

Teacup Pomeranians are not a recognized breed by the American Kennel Club. “Teacup Pomeranian” is a term that is used to describe a small Pomeranian that is smaller than the breed standard.

How Small Are Teacup Pomeranians

Pomeranians are a small toy breed, to begin with weighing in between 3 and 7 pounds (4 to 6 pounds are ideal for show dogs). They have a medium-boned sturdy frame with a small stature. The average height of an adult Pomeranian ranges from 6 to 12 inches.

Many people think a teacup, mini, micro, or miniature Pomeranian is one that is smaller than the breed standard. A true toy-sized Pomeranian will be within the AKC breed standard.

There are Pomeranians that are referred to as “Throwback Poms” that are larger than the current breed standard similar to their ancestors. Just like the undersized Pomeranians, these Throwbacks are not a recognized breed on their own. They are Pomeranians like the rest of them.

How Much Do Teacup Pomeranians Weigh

The breed standard for a small toy show Pomeranian is 3-7 lbs.

There are many people that desire and try to breed “Teacup Pomeranians” that are smaller than the petite 3-pound breed standard.

How Tall Are Teacup Pomeranians

The breed standard for a show Pomeranian comes in at 6 to 7 inches tall.

“Teacup Pomeranians” will be shorter than the 6 inch standard.

Why Are Teacup Pomeranians Small

Pomeranians in general have not always been as small as they are today. They originate from sled dogs from the Northern Region of Europe. They are a Spitz Breed and are closely related to Siberian Huskies, Norwegian Elkhounds, and Alaskan Malamutes.

Pomeranians used to be 20-30 pounds until the late 1800’s when Queen Victoria fell in love with the breed. She wanted a smaller dog and desired for them to be more like a lapdog. Queen Victoria developed a breeding program that focused on smaller Pomeranians.

Many of Queen Victorias Pomeranians participated in and won many dog shows. Due to this attention, the breed and the smaller standard became very popular.

Over time breeders have been breeding Pomeranians selecting different traits to be dominant. There has been a sector of the breeding population that is breeding Pomeranians to be as small as they can due to the popularity of tiny dogs.

How Are Teacup Pomeranians Bred

A breeder will select a breeding pair based on their size, traits, and breeding history to try to achieve certain results with the puppies.

As far as Teacup Puppies are concerned breeders will take the “runts” of litters and breed them together. Sometimes the dogs that are being used for breeding are only small due to a birth defect or a medical condition.

Some “Teacup Pomeranians” are an accident and they just happen to be smaller than the standard without the breeder’s intention of an undersize dog.

Do Teacup Pomeranian Puppies Stay Small

Just like any dog, a puppy won’t stay a small puppy forever but, Pomeranians are so small, to begin with, that a fully grown dog that weighs 4 to 7-pound is still very tiny.

When Are Teacup Pomeranians Full Grown

By the time your puppy is one year old it will be fully grown.

Are Teacup Pomeranians Healthy

Every dog breed is vulnerable to health issues and Pomeranians are not an exception. There are a few health issues that Pomeranians can be prone to.

Patellar Luxation- A luxated patella is a dislocated knee cap. This is a condition that can be inherited
Collapsing Trachea- A collapsed trachea can be a birth defect or happen due to an accident (never use collars on Pomeranians since it can damage their already fragile trachea.
Hypoplasia of Dens- This condition is thought to be inherited, and can be sometimes found in Pomeranians. Hypoplasia of Dens results in a partial dislocation of the first and second cervical vertebras.
Anesthetic Reaction- As with many small toy breeds, Pomeranians can have tolerance issues with anesthetics.
Fractures- Pomeranians are small and can be prone to fractures if they are bold and jump from too high or get stepped on.
Eye Problems- Pomeranians are prone to cataracts and glaucoma.
Otitis Externa- Inflammation of the external ear canal.
Skin Problems- Pomeranians can suffer from Alopecia or Black Skin Disease.
Allergies- Pomeranians can develop food allergies.
Heart Disease- Pomeranians can be born with structural abnormalities of the heart.
Cancer- It’s said that about 45 percent of all dogs over ten years of age die from cancer.

Are Teacup Pomeranians An Abnormality

Teacup Pomeranians that are smaller than the breed standard of 3 pounds are technically suffering from extreme dwarfism. A dog that has been bred to be extremely small will have significantly more health issues than a healthy standard size dog.

The most common health issues in teacup-sized dogs are heart defects, collapsed trachea, hypoglycemia, seizures, blindness, respiratory problems, and digestive problems.

Dwarf sized dogs are also prone to liver shunts, which is a birth defect that affects the livers ability to flush out toxins.

Extremely small dogs are also more vunerable to dental and gum issues.

The increase in health issues will be expensive and cause a lot of heartache.

Should I Get A Teacup Pomeranian

Once you have decided that a small fluffy Pomeranian should be added to your family you are then tasked with the job of finding your new bundle of joy.

Do not seek out or consider any breeders that are advertising teacup Pomeranians. Stay away from any of the following terms.

Micro Pomeranians For Sale
Miniature Pomeranians For Sale
Mini Pomeranians For Sale
Mini Teacup Pomeranians For Sale
Teacup Pomeranians For Sale
Mini Pomeranians
Micro Pomeranians
Teacup Pomeranians
Pomeranians Like Boo
Boo Like Pomeranians
Cheap Pomeranians For Sale
Tiny Teacup Pomeranian

What Should I Look For In A Pomeranian Puppy

If you desire a little Pomeranain, you can have one. Many fully grown Pomeranians are 4 to 6 pounds which is really small.

Make sure you research your breeder thoroughly and select a breeder that specialized in Pomeranians that meet this small AKC standard.

I personally have Poms on both ends of the spectrum that I got from the same breeder.

Murphy is a big boy who weighs in at 10 lbs. His a funny story of how he came into existence. His parents were not supposed to have been bred together. The male was much larger than what was suitable for the female. He ended up literally jumping a fence and the rest is history.

Willow is only 4.5 lbs. Her mom was of average size and her dad was on the petite side of average. She may only be 4.5 lbs but, she is full of sass.

Where Does The Term Teacup Dog Come From

I’m sure you’ve seen the adorable pictures of fully grown dogs sitting inside teacups. Over time the term “teacup” has become a popular term for any really small dog that could “sit in a teacup”.

Conclusion

Pomeranians are a small breed dog that falls under the toy group along with Affenpinscher, Biewer Terrier, Brussels Griffon, Caviler King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua, Chinese Crested, English Toy Spaniel, Havenese, Italian Greyhound, Japenese Chin, Maltese, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, Papillon, Pekinese, Toy Poodle, Pug, Shih Tzu, Silky Terrier, Toy Fox Terrier, and Yorkshire Terrier.

A fully grown adult Pomeranian remains small in stature with an average weight of 3-7 lbs, and an average height of 6-7 inches tall.

Due to the popularity of smaller and smaller dogs, breeders have started breeding their “runts” together and using other unhealthy breeding practices to achieve smaller “teacup” size Pomeranians that are smaller than the standard.

Not, all tiny Pomeranians are a result of unethical breeding practices, since Pomeranians are a small breed sometimes there will be puppies that are dwarfed in size or have medical issues that have stunted their growth.

A Pomeranian that is considered a teacup-sized dog will remain small once fully grown. These undersized mini Pomeranians are more vulnerable to health problems, and should not be sought after.