One of the most frequently asked questions that we get is "do you have any teacup Maltese?". The simple truth is that neither
we nor anyone else on this earth has a "teacup" Maltese because no such classification exists. Let us clarify.

The official breed standard for the Maltese calls for Adult to be under 7 pounds, with 4 to 6 pounds preferred.
This definition was approved on March 10, 1964.

There are only two reasons breeders would advertise "tea cup" puppies:

Fraud

Some unscrupulous breeders advertise teacup Maltese to take advantage of those people who are not very familiar with the
breed. By telling someone that they are getting a "teacup", they make the buyer feel that they are getting something special.
Beware, many of these people also advertise "toy" and or "standard" Maltese with weights up to 10 or 12 pounds. As stated
above, a standard Maltese must weigh no more than 7 pounds.

Ignorance

Sadly, there are people out there breeding Maltese who simply aren't knowledgeable enough about them to know that there is
no such thing as a "teacup". One can only image their general breed knowledge and the quality of their puppies.

I want to point out that as of last year, the smallest dog in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was a
Chihuahua who weighed just under 2 pounds at 1 lb. 14 oz. For someone to claim that they regularly have adult dogs weighing
less than 2 pounds is a stretch of the truth to say the least.

On average, Maltese weigh between 4-6 pounds as adults. There are, of course, smaller Maltese born that will weigh less.
Most of the Maltese that you see participating in the show ring tend to be 4-6 pounds.
A dog weighing 2-3 pounds is considered very small and often requires special care. Dogs this small should not be handled by
children expect under strictly controlled conditions. Children are clumsy by nature ~ not intentionally ~ and dogs weighing less
than 4 pounds are fragile, with easily broken bones. A lot of these dogs are known to have an open fontanel (soft spot) on the
top of their head. Fragility results in easily broken bones, especially legs, when they jump off a piece of furniture or a lap. There
have been cases of bones simply shattering on impact in the course of normal playing, tumbling around on the floor or yard, or
being held too firmly. One adult Maltese was routinely carried in the owner's pocket and caught a leg on the pocket, breaking it
from relatively minor force.
Often the dog's mouth is simply not big enough to accommodate all it's adult teeth and problems arise with crowded teeth,
deteriorating adult teeth, etc. Internal organs may not be fully or adequately developed.
One of the biggest problems with any tiny is that they expend so much energy simply trying to keep their own body temperature
normal, that they can't consume enough calories to fuel their own body and essentially starve to death despite proper feeding.
They require careful care and monitoring because they often simply can't maintain a healthy body temperature.
Tinies may have problems regulating their own blood sugar.
A simple case of diarrhea can kill one of these puppies since it dehydrates so quickly, and will most likely cost a minimum of a
trip to the vet.
It is not uncommon for a tiny to die at a very young age, even with an owner who takes the best of care. (Of course those that
make a living selling these dogs aren't too bothered since this certainly opens up the market for them to sell you another one!)


With all of this being said, we hope you understand why we do not intentionally breed for a small Maltese. We breed for happy,
healthy puppies only, with the greatest temperament possible. We are constantly trying to improve our breeding program, and
will not settle for less. We do occasionally end up with a smaller than normal Maltese, and when this happens, we do have extra
expenses, as we require extra testing done to ensure that they are healthy enough to be petted out. The extra testing and extra
vet expenses will sometimes raise the price of these smaller puppies.

We hope this helps clear up some of the myths about Tea Cup Maltese.

This page was created by Becky Stephens of ClaBec Maltese
Myths & Facts About Tea Cup Puppies