Toy and Teacup Puppies

What “toy” covers, and where “teacup” comes from

Toy is a real category. The national kennel clubs keep a toy group, and the breeds inside it were developed for one job — to be company. The Chihuahua, the Maltese, the Papillon, the Pomeranian, the Pekingese, the Shih Tzu, the Silky Terrier, the Yorkshire Terrier, the Havanese and the Toy Poodle all sit in it, most with a few hundred years of somebody’s lap behind them.

Around it sits a second layer of small companion breeds and crosses that land in the same range even when the paperwork files them elsewhere: the Bichon Frise, the Coton De Tulear, the Lhasa Apso, the Mini Dachshund, the Mini Schnauzer, and a long run of poodle and bichon crosses bred down from larger parents.

“Teacup” is a different kind of word. It came from the market rather than from a breed club: there is no teacup breed, and no kennel club recognizes a teacup size. What people mean by it is the smallest end of the toy breeds — the individual puppies that finish below the usual range for their breed. A teacup Maltese is a Maltese. A teacup Yorkie is a Yorkshire Terrier.

That is worth knowing, because it turns a label into a question you can answer: ask what a puppy’s mother and father weighed full-grown. That number tells you more about the adult dog than any adjective does, and it is one of the first things our staff will pull up for you.

What this size gives you day to day

The appeal here is practical before it is anything else. A dog you can lift with one arm goes where you go: a carrier under an airline seat, the footwell of the car, the hardware store, under the table at brunch. A weekend away becomes a matter of packing a second bag.

They also fit the home you already have. A good part of a toy dog’s exercise happens indoors — a hallway, a rug and a small ball cover more of it than you would think — so a walk around the block counts as a real outing. Apartments, condos and upstairs units all suit them.

What surprises most first-time owners is how little of the personality scaled down with the body. A Pomeranian still thinks like a spitz and will tell you the mail has arrived. A Shih Tzu will decide which cushion is now its cushion and hold that position for the rest of the evening.

These are close-up dogs. A large breed lives around you; a toy breed lives on you — at your elbow on the desk, in the crook of your arm, on the bed at the exact spot behind your knees.

Start with the coat

Coat is the biggest difference across these breeds, and the one that shapes your week.

Long and silky. Hair that grows rather than turns over, hanging straight and glossy when it is kept long. The Maltese in white, the Yorkshire Terrier in steel and tan, the Silky Terrier, the Shih Tzu, the Lhasa Apso and the wavier Havanese all carry it, and so do crosses like the Morkie and the Shorkie. Kept long it is the showiest coat here; in a short trim it is the easiest, and plenty of owners alternate by season.

Curly and clipped. The Toy Poodle’s curl, the Bichon Frise’s powder-puff, the cotton texture of the Coton De Tulear, and the long run of crosses that borrow them — the Maltipoo, Shihpoo, Yorkiepoo, Cavapoo, Cockapoo and Havapoo on one side, the Cavachon and Havachon on the other, the Mini Goldendoodle at the top of the size range. These coats hold their hair rather than dropping it around the house, and they run on a cycle: a comb at home, a trim every couple of months.

Plush and standing. The spitz double coat, which stands off the body and gives that round, upholstered outline. The Pomeranian is the reference point, and the Pomchi, Shihpom, Bichonaranian and Pomsky each carry a version of it. The Pekingese has a heavier take, with a mane over the shoulders.

Short and smooth. Wash-and-go, and a real option if you would rather spend the evening doing something else. The smooth Chihuahua, the Mini Dachshund, the Chiweenie and the Foxy Rat Terrier sit here.

Wiry. The Mini Schnauzer stands on its own with a harsh jacket, a beard and eyebrows — a coat with actual architecture to it.

Then there is the Papillon, which fits none of those: a fine flat coat with no undercoat, a chest frill, leg feathering, and the fringed butterfly ears the breed is named for.

The lively ones and the lap-first ones

Weight tells you nothing about pace. Two dogs of the same size can run entirely different households.

At the busy end are the ones with a working breed somewhere behind them. The Papillon is a real athlete and among the quickest learners of any size. The Toy Australian Shepherd and the Mini Aussiepoo bring herding wiring in a tiny frame. The Yorkshire Terrier, the Silky Terrier and the Foxy Rat Terrier have terrier engines under the coat, and the Pomeranian and the Pomsky keep the spitz habit of holding an opinion about the street. These are at their best with something to do: a training session before dinner, a puzzle toy, stairs to be sent up and down.

At the settled end are the companion breeds that were never asked to work at all. The Shih Tzu, the Pekingese and the Lhasa Apso came out of palace life and still carry themselves accordingly. The Maltese, the Bichon Frise, the Coton De Tulear, the Cavachon and the Cavapoo are affectionate and easy-tempered, and their favorite activity is whichever one you are doing. The Teddy Bear and the Milky, bred for a plush look and an indoor life, belong here too.

Most of the crosses land between the two, which is much of why they exist. A Morkie is softer than a Yorkie. A Maltipoo is livelier than a Maltese. A Havanese sits near the middle of everything, which is why it suits so many households.

Narrowing it down to one

Three questions do most of the work.

How much dog do you want in the house? Four pounds and fourteen pounds are both small, and they feel nothing alike. A dog at the bottom of the range fits in a tote bag and a lap at the same time. One in the low teens suits you better if you picture long walks and a dog underfoot in a busy kitchen.

How much coat do you want to look after? A smooth coat is a minute with a rubber mitt. A clipped coat is a comb at home and a standing appointment with a groomer. A long silky coat is the most involved and the most striking.

How much company will the dog have? Every breed here was made to be with people, and they are at their best where somebody is usually around — or where the dog simply comes too, which is the quiet advantage of this size.

Then there is who else lives with you. These are sociable dogs with other dogs and with cats they grew up beside, and children who will sit on the floor and let a puppy come to them tend to make a friend for life.

The routine, week to week

None of this takes long. It just wants to be regular.

Combing is the anchor. A long or curly coat wants a comb down to the skin a few times a week, working first behind the ears, under the collar and in the armpits where the hair is finest. A plush spitz coat wants a slicker and an undercoat rake weekly, with more attention twice a year when the undercoat lifts. A smooth coat wants a rubber mitt and about ninety seconds.

Clipped coats go to a groomer on a cycle, usually every six to eight weeks, and it pays to book the next appointment on the way out. Nails get done every few weeks — you will hear them on a hard floor when they are ready. Teeth brushed, started in the first week, because a puppy who thinks a toothbrush is a game grows into a dog who stands still for it.

One habit is worth building early: teach a small dog the manners a large one learns. Four feet on the floor to greet people, a loose lead rather than being carried, a mat to settle on while you eat. Small dogs get away with a great deal, and the ones who learn the house rules are better company for it.

Come and meet the small ones

Photographs flatten this whole group. Small fluffy puppies look much the same on a screen, and the things that actually decide which one goes home with you — coat texture under your hand, whether a puppy folds into your lap or wants back down to keep exploring — are things you learn in ten minutes on the floor with a litter. Our puppies come from our network of licensed breeders, and our staff can tell you what a particular puppy’s parents were and what they finished at. Every puppy here goes home with its vet records, its vaccination history and a health warranty, and our team will walk you through what those cover.

Our stores are in Orlando and Nashville, and you are welcome to sit with a few puppies before you decide anything. Find directions and hours, and if you would like to spread the cost, ask about financing while you are here.