UPDATED: June 3, 2022
I heard of this thing called a teacup Dachshund for the first time last week. Soon after that, I saw someone asking about a toy Dachshund.
I admit I was a bit taken aback by this reference but, ultimately, dismissed it.
However, a reader left a comment to one of my articles the other day and said she wants her next Dachshund to be a “toy”.
When I saw these refrences, I thought, “What the heck is a toy or teacup Dachshund??
In this article I will explain what these people may have been refering to and discussing whether teacup Dahchsunds exist.
So I am just going to get this out of the way up front.
Teacup Dachshunds don’t exist. It’s a made up fake term.
In the US, Dachshunds are either a miniature or standard. That’s it.
There is a category of smaller Dachshunds in the UK but they are not called teacup or toy Dachshunds (see section below).
NO, A “TOY” or “TEACUP”DACHSHUND IS NOT A REAL THING ACCORDING TO ANY BREED STANDARD AND YOU SHOULD NOT PAY A LOT OF MONEY FOR ONE. KEEP READING TO FIND OUT MORE.
In the United States and Canada, the Dachshund breed standard only has two classifications – miniature and standard.
A miniature Dachshund is a dog that weights 11 lbs or under full grown (approximately 12 months old).
A Dachshund that weighs less than 11 lbs is still a miniature Dachshund.
In some countries, there is a smaller class of Dachshund – a rabbit, or kaninchen (the German word for rabbit).
These Dachshunds are a smaller subset of miniature Dachshund.
While a miniature Dachshund is defined as being 11 lbs or under, the rabbit Dachshund is under 8 lbs, and has a chest circumference less than 12 inches, at 1.5 years old.
While the miniature Dachshund is recognized by every breed registry around the world, the rabbit Dachshund is not.
According to the (WCF), “While the 83 countries of the World Canine Federation separate Dachshunds into three classes (standard, miniature and kaninchen), the kaninchen is not recognized by the American Kennel Club, Canadian Kennel Club, or clubs in the United Kingdom.
Historically, the standard, miniature, and rabbit (in most countries) are the three sizes of Dachshunds that exist.
According to the , “Dogs referred to as toy, or teacup, dogs are found in the Toy Group of breed registries.”
If a breed is not listed in that group, there is no “toy” or “Teacup” classification of that breed.
However,
I was curious about the term “major or reputable dog registry”. Since Wikipedia can be edited by common people like myself. “reputable” may be subjective.
The largest and “most reputable” registry that comes to my mind in the United States is the American Kennel Club (AKC).
I checked their website and “toy Dachshund” is not not listed on their page of .
The other US registry that comes to mind is the . They only recognize two sizes of Dachshunds – the miniature at 11 lbs. and under and the standard at 11 to 25 lbs. (note that the AKC recognizes the Standard to be 16-32 lbs).
The United Canine Association (UCA) was the only registry in the world I could find that but even they don’t anymore.
The UCA is an “elite all-breed dog registry” willing to register breeds, and dogs with certain physical characteristics, that are not recognized by the traditional breed registries.
Toy and teacup breeds are a newer, or at a least newly popular, classification of dog. They are considered a “designer breed”.
With very few exceptions (like the toy poodle), designer breeds are not recognized by the AKC and UKC, or other reputable registries with a long history in the United States.
Designer breeds can make good pets but can not be shown since they are not recognized by these organizations.
They are often chosen by pet owners for their novelty.
None of the major and longstanding breed registries recognize the teacup Dachshund but the United Canine Association (UCA) did.
So who is the UCA?
I had never heard of them before so I did a little research.
I will admit I was skeptical of them and it’s possible to find information to support any belief. Being skeptical of new things is human nature so I tried to keep an open mind.
There was limited information to be found about them beyond their “yay us” website, but this is what I was able to dig up.
From Yahoo Answers (Source) (not a very reliable source but I didn’t have much to go on here):
Q: “Is the UCA (United Canine Association) a good dog registry?”
A1: “No, it is not. The allow dogs that are on AKC LIMITED registration to be registered, and also promote colors of different breeds which would be disqualifying colors by AKC standards.” (bottom line: they register dogs that don’t meet AKC standards)
The Designer Breed Registry (DBS) list includes the UCA on it’s .
A2: “It seems like the perfect place for new breeds and their breeders to go. It’s also an option for those sick of AKC type registries and their pompous rules and judge – mental nonsense.” (bottom line: The AKC has certain standards and rules. If a breed, or dog, doesn’t fit those standards, they won’t register them. However, there are other registries that might.)
I could not find when the UCA was established (the fact that they don’t say on their website is a red flag to me) but it seems that is a relatively new organization.
I asked breeder friend of mine about them and if they were a reputable organization. She said she had never heard of them so that indicates they are new.
She also said, in her opinion, “definitely NO on that one if they are registering “designer breeds'”.
The reality is, a Dachshund is a Dachshund and they come in all sizes. Some are large, some are small, and some are very small.
How much they weigh determines what breed category they fit into with breed registrars.
The World Canine Federation recognizes a “rabbit” Dachshund but not a toy or teacup Dachshund.
In my opinion, the teacup Dachshund is just the rabbit Dachshund with a different name.
Tiny dogs are super cute. So what’s in a name? A lot actually.
The name matters both in public perception and the amount of money breeders ask for a dog.
First, consider the size.
The smallest puppies in a litter used to be called runts. Runts are cute but often have heath issues.
Breeders realized that and started breeding runts together to ensure that most pups in the litter were also runts.
They decided to call this runt a toy or teacup dog.
It used to be that breeders practically gave the runts away but now they are trying to capitalize on them by giving them a new, cute name.
Second, consider the “non-show quality” dog.
Historically, every breeder assesses a litter and determines, based on breed standards, which dogs are “show quality” and which ones are “pet quality”. The show quality dogs are usually sold for much more money than the pet quality.
In the case of toy dogs, many breeders will charge as much or more for this “pet quality” dog because people thing teacup Dachshunds are special.
In my opinion, you should absolutely not pay more for a runt, or teacup, Dachshund.
You should be doing a lot of research, and asking a lot of questions, if you plan to buy a dog from a breeder.
During your research, discuss how small a breeder’s dogs usually are when full grown.
Choose a breeder who is able to consistently produce small miniature Dachshunds and ask for the smallest one in the litter.
Please do be aware that dogs bred to be teacup size often have many health problems associated with them.
A common ailment of Dachshund – a called Intervertebral Disk Disease (IVDD) – is linked to the dwarfism gene.
Smaller (more dwarfed) Dachshunds may be more prone to this disease.
That is just my speculation though – it may not be fact (my research says that the incidence of IVDD is not significant between the standard and miniature size so…).
Just be sure to ask the breeder about this health issue if you plan to purchase a Dachshund of any size.
