Teacup Chihuahua – Top Facts & A Complete Guide
Chihuahuas are tiny and feisty little animals who are sassy and moody and have a great personalities in tiny bodies. But do you know what is better than tiny Chihuahuas?
Even tinier teacup-sized Chihuahuas. There are a few breeds that are available in a teacup size, which are Teacup Maltese, teacup Yorkie and also teacup Poodle.
Although the ‘teacup’ is not a recognized breed is not a separate breed of that from a standard Chihuahua since they have the same history.
Wanna know what these tiny teacup Chihuahuas are, then keep on scrolling to learn everything you wanna know.
Breed Overview
But before we get to know a bit more about the teacup Chihuahua in detail, here are a few character details that we should know about.
| Origin | Mexico |
| Coat | Short and Long coat |
| Shedding | Minimum |
| Size | Less than 6 inches |
| Weight | 3 lbs |
| Color | White, Brown, Blue, Black Red, and Silver |
| Temperament | Courageous, Lively, Quick, Alert and Devoted |
| Good with children | Yes |
| Health Issues | Patellar Luxation, Color dilution, Cryptorchidism, glaucoma, Corneal Dystrophy, Demodicosis, MItral valve disease and also Hydrocephalus |
| Litter size | 1 – 3 puppies |
| Chihuahua Life Span | 7 – 12 years |
History Of The Breed
The teacup Chihuahua is a feisty little breed that is perfect if you wanna carry around one in your handbag, quite easily. The breed is known to come from the Techichi breed during the 9th century. It was known to have a strong relation to Mayans in Central America
This breed of dog is very popular among high-class socialites, social media influencers, and celebrities. Through them, these teacup Chihuahuas are becoming more and more popular.
Since the teacup Chihuahua is not different from any other standard Chihuahua in terms of its history, the AKC did not recognize the teacup Chihuahua as a separate breed. They are of the same breed as the standard Chihuahua, which was recognized by AKC in 1904.
The Chihuahua Club of America recognized the standard Chihuahua as a recognized breed and is currently ranked 33rd out of 193 dog breeds that are recognized.
Physical Appearance
The teacup Chihuahua puppies are known to be born to a litter size of about 1 to 3 puppies on average. Since they are tiny, caesarian birth is recommended by most vets.
And due to their popularity, you should know that they are quite expensive, ranging from about $500 to about $2,000 for one puppy. So think before spending this much money.
The Chihuahua is known to have an apple-shaped head with big eyes. And the striking feature of their physique is their large ears.
Coat
For an average teacup Chihuahua they have two coats – a short and a long coat. The original coat of the Chihuahua is the short coat, the long coat came later. Maybe after crossbreeding, the long coat was introduced.
The Chihuahua has a short, shiny, and easy-to-maintain soft coat, while the long coat hair is straight to wavy, which is a little bit high maintenance. So proper grooming is required.
Temperament
The teacup and the standard-sized Chihuahua have the same larger-than-life personality. They are the perfect lapdog who are happiest when they are with you. Since they love to seek attention, these dogs don’t like to be left alone.
These dogs suffer from separation anxiety, so don’t leave them alone for a prolonged period of time. But lucky for them and you, their size is great for carrying around in your purse to travel around with you. In fact, a lot of companies run kennel businesses on the side, so taking your dog with you would not be that much of a hassle.
These dogs are a feisty little breed who are quite protective and possessive towards their owners and also their belongings. But this behavior can be modified with a bit of training. However, they are not that intelligent, so you might face some hurdles while training your teacup.
Although they are not aggressive dogs, they are defensive against larger dogs and know how to protect themselves. The right amount of socialization can fix this behavior as well. So, do consider taking your dog to a dog park regularly. This would provide an opportunity for the dog to come across and interact with other dogs.
These dogs are generally not bad with kids. However, teacup chihuahuas are essentially smaller than their cousins, which means that they are way more fragile than usual. Therefore, rough handling of children can injure these dogs. Moreover, since teacup chihuahuas are essentially aggressive in nature, these dogs can react aggressively around children.
These dogs are the best definition of sass. Hence, these bite sized chihuahuas can be quite loud at times. These are essentially very protective animals who tend to like their space. So every time a teacup chihuahua feels threatened it will start barking. In fact, this breed is known to express their emotions through barking, so they can be fairly loud from time to time.
Health Issues & Care
The teacup Chihuahua is known to be prone to numerous health problems. A few of these problems are.
- Hypoglycaemia
This health disease occurs when your blood sugar falls. To help with this, you need to feed your teacup Chihuahua at regular intervals, more than a few times a day.
- Patellar Luxation
This is one of the most common health issues that are caused in smaller dogs. This occurs when the patella organ doesn’t work properly. This non-alignment causes abnormal gait and lameness of the leg.
- Heart Disease
The teacups are prone to heart disease, so to avoid this happening, don’t let them become obese.
- Corneal Dystrophy
The health disease is a type of thin layer of film on your dog’s eyelids, which can impair your dog’s vision. There are eye drops and other antibiotics, and finally, eye surgery to deal with such problems.
- Cold Weather
Being tiny-bodied, these dog breeds are highly susceptible to cold weather. So you need to put a sweater on your full grown teacup Chihuahua.
During the cold weather, since they are not fluffy teacup Chihuahuas, these dogs are prone to cold weather.
Care For A Teacup Chihuahua
- Don’t keep your puppy in a higher place since jumping down can become a problem.
- The breed is prone to hypoglycemia, occurring due to the dropping of the blood glucose level. So feed them more times a day than other dogs.
- Exercise is very important for your teacup Chihuahua since they can get overweight due to the lack of it.
- Clear out all the dangers, such as pointed sharp objects, open wires, and even toxic products, that can hurt your teacup Chihuahua.
- To avoid any risk of dental problems, brush the teeth of your teacup Chihuahua on a regular basis.
Food & Diet
Due to their smaller size, this micro teacup Chihuahua usually requires about 40 calorie intake as per their body weight. So about 150 calories of food are to be given to the dog breed every day, which is about 1 full cup of dog food.
It is important that your Teacup Chihuahua gets all the nutrients that it requires for proper growth and body development. There are specialized food formulas that are specially designed for smaller dogs.
Make sure that you don’t overfeed your Chihuahua since they are prone to gain weight quickly. And this overweight can result in many health problems.
Grooming & Exercise
Even though the teacup Chihuahua is an expensive dog breed, they are not as high maintenance as they depend on the coat length. The short coat Chihuahua doesn’t need much grooming.
But the long coat Chihuahua needs a bit of grooming so that they don’t get matted up and remain smooth and soft and also to remove dirt that gets stuck on their long coat.
The teacup Chihuahua doesn’t require much bathing, only every 1 to 2 months. Using a specialized dog shampoo is important so as not to create any skin irritation. Clipping their nails and brushing their teeth on a regular basis is important as well.
If you get a teacup Chihuahua, you should know that it is a very energetic dog breed. Despite being small, their energy level can mislead you, and often, they tire themselves.
Due to this reason, you should tire them only for 2o minutes, and not more than that, as this can be unhealthy for the teacup Chihuahua. Since the dog breed is a very playful breed, you should give them a few toys so that they are entertained.
Is It For You?
Before making any decision regarding a dog, you must take a moment and ask yourself, ‘Why am I getting the dog?’ This might sound stupid, but trust us whe we say it that it can answer a lot of your questions. However, we still bring you a short list that would elaborate certain roles and how these dogs fare in them.
Watchdogs
Even though these dogs are essentially small in size, they can be excellent guard dogs. Contrary to their size, these dogs are essentially quite loud. So if somebody breaks into your apartment, the dog might not physically assault the perpetrators, but it can definitely raise enough hell to alert everyone.
Apartment Dogs
Moreover, if you are a student or somebody who lives in a small apartment, then these dogs are essentially perfect for you. Due to their size, these dogs do not take too much space. Still, these dogs can develop chronic ailments quite easily. Hene, you should provide enough exercise to your pooch to keep it healthy.
Service Dogs
If you are looking for a service dog, then chihuahua might not be the perfect dog for you. Firstly, these dogs are one of the smallest breed of dogs that is out there. As a result, they would be unable to perform any of the services that service dogs are expected to provide. Moreover, this breed is not sharpest knife in the mix. So, these dogs can not be trained like a service dog.
Wrapping Up!
The teacup Chihuahua is a beautiful yet playful and energetic dog breed, that will feel your life with a lot of entertainment. They are costly for sure, but they are not as high maintenance in terms of their diet or grooming, so first-time pet owners can also take care of them.
So if you liked this article, then give us a like and comment down below to let us know whether you are thinking about owning a teacup Chihuahua or not.
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