Hi, subwayseries, welcome to PetTalk! We'll try not to drown you in a sea of estrogen.


Originally posted by subwayseries
Every breed has ailments associated with them. Often Toy varieties can be born with additional medical problems if they're born too small, and don't develop properly. I have a Toy Poodle, and his tear ducts never developed, causing him to tear constantly. This is common with a lot of Toy Poodles.

"Teacup" is not a variety. It is a pet store marketing term. Toy Poodles, for instance, are 10" in height (at the shoulder) or less (in the US). The smallest ones are marketed as "teacups". Quite often they are runts. Acquire these dogs with caution. You can easily become attached after 5 minutes, and might face a dog who's not going to make it and/or will cost thousands in vet bills.
I can tell already that you and I are going to get along just fine!



Toy dogs are supposed t olive longer that any other group, because they dont do things such as head sheep, agility....etc. (:
That is 100% false. Small dogs certainly do things like herd sheep, agility, flyball, etc. Small terriers also compete in Earth Dog competitions, which are very competitive. Most terriers were originally bred to be ratters, and small terriers in ratting competitions were known to kill hundreds of large barn rats in minutes. The vast majority of small dogs AND large dogs these days don't do anything but go for a walk around the block and sleep on the couch. Small dogs do live longer than large dogs, but it is certainly not due to the fact that small dogs live a life of luxury and large dogs work hard. I personally knew a poodle that lived to be 21 years old, and my friend's great Dane died from old age at 10. Both were spoiled house dogs.