The Teacup Pomeranian is a dog that looks more like a living teddy bear. This pocket-sized pup is one of the most popular dog breeds today.
The Teacup Pomeranian is a size variation of the Pomeranian. They are small even for toy-sized breeds. Famous for its teddy bear-like appearance, the Teacup Pomeranian have a fluffy coat that comes in multiple colors and patterns. It’s known to have a high-strung, energetic, and loving personality.
To help you decide if this is the right breed for you, I’ll be discussing all there is to know about the Teacup Pomeranian. First, I’ll cover the history of the Teacup Pomeranian and how the breed was developed. Next, I’ll discuss this breed’s personality and its appearance. I’ll even describe some of the coat colors that Teacup Pomeranians can have. Lastly, I’ll tell you all about how to take care of a Teacup Pomeranian and the common health issues that Teacup Pomeranians can have.
Table of Contents
The History of the Teacup Pomeranian
The Pomeranian originates from the German province of Pomerania. Despite its small stature, the Pomeranian actually has large ancestor breeds. This breed was developed from various Spitz breeds including the German Spitz, Samoyed, and American Eskimo Dog. Early Pomeranians were actually relatively large dogs, weighing up to 30 lbs when fully grown.
The breed became popular when it was introduced to Queen Victoria in the 19th century. Since the Queen had her own Pomeranians, the breed quickly skyrocketed in popularity and had the highest number of entries in dog shows at the time. As its popularity grew, Pomeranian breeders developed more color variations for its coat.
The breed was certified by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1888 and the American Pomeranian Club was founded just about a decade later. Today, the Pomeranian can be found all over the world in the households of its Pomeranian-loving fans.
Is the Teacup Pomeranian a Certified Breed?
The Teacup Pomeranian is not a certified breed. Teacup Pomeranians are simply Pomeranians that fall below the minimum size for standard Pomeranians. It is unlikely that it will ever be a certified breed due to the controversy that surrounds this tiny pup.
Teacup Pomeranians are surrounded by controversy because of their size. The term “teacup dog” was coined because these tiny pups can fit inside teacups. They’re also known as pocket-sized dogs because they can fit in your pocket.
The reason why their size is so controversial is that Teacup Pomeranians are often bred in inhumane conditions. Thanks to this breed’s popularity, there has been a large increase in “backyard” breeders that don’t prioritize the health and happiness of the dogs that they breed. Instead, they’re focused on making a profit and making as many Teacup Pomeranians as possible.
Breeders like this even go as far as lying about the pedigree of the Teacup Pomeranians that they breed. They will claim that their puppies are purebred and conceal that it’s actually a mixed-breed puppy to make you pay a higher price.
Reputable breeders, on the other hand, won’t ever promote producing Teacup Pomeranians. It’s widely known that miniature versions of breeds tend to have more health issues than their standard counterparts. This is because Teacup Pomeranians are either runts of their litters or bred from runts of two litters. It’s perfectly possible for you to have a healthy Teacup Pomeranian but it will actually just be a Pomeranian that is tinier than the standard size.
It’s not inherently wrong to want a tiny puppy because they are quite adorable. However, as a responsible pet haver, you must put a priority on your puppy’s health. Rather than focusing on how tiny your puppy is, you should first make sure if it can lead a healthy and happy life.
To do so, it’s important that you do extensive research on the breeders that you acquire your Teacup Pomeranians from. Make sure that they have good reviews from other pet owners and that you know what their dogs’ living conditions are like. Reputable breeders will also be transparent about your potential puppy’s medical history and its parents’ medical history.
The Teacup Pomeranian’s Personality
If you’re looking for an affectionate and huggable pup, then the Teacup Pomeranian is for you! These charming little dogs are spunky, playful, and love to be held. Teacup Pomeranians are known to be smart and expressive pups. They can even be a little sassy at times.
Despite its small stature, your Teacup Pomeranian will make for a pretty good watchdog. Teacup Pomeranians are alert and will bark when they sense danger. However, this can also lead them to bark at just any stranger, including your friends and others that don’t live in your household. To curb this habit, you should train your puppy early on to be quiet on command.
You’ll also need to be especially attentive when your Teacup Pomeranian is interacting with other dogs. These puppies are just as wary about dogs as they are people. They can also be especially feisty toward large dogs because of their size complex. Teacup Pomeranians aren’t really aware of how tiny they are and will pick fights with animals that aren’t their own size.
With enough socialization and training, your Teacup Pomeranian can become a wonderful dog. They’re naturally sociable and affectionate dogs that get along great with their families. They’re known to even get along with children and babies. It’s important that you train and socialize your Teacup Pomeranian early in its life so that it can easily adapt to some changes in its instincts.
What the Teacup Pomeranian Look Like
Now it’s time for me to go over what you can expect your Teacup Pomeranian can look like. Since the Pomeranian has been developed over a couple of centuries, its features come out pretty consistent. However, most pet owners believe that there are actually three types of Pomeranians. I’ll cover each of those alleged types and why they exist. I’ll also discuss the Teacup Pomeranian’s appearance, size, and coat colors.
Are There Three Types of Pomeranians?
The truth is there is only one correct type of Pomeranian and that is the Standard Pomeranian. However, you might have heard of Fox Face, Teddy Bear, and Baby-Doll Pomeranians. These Pomeranian “types” were coined by backyard Pomeranian breeders trying to create a frenzy based on Pomeranian face variations.
The Standard Pomeranian has what’s known as the Fox Faced Pomeranian. However, Teacup Pomeranians normally have either Teddy Bear or Baby-Doll faces. To differentiate the three, you simply have to focus on the size of their eyes, the length of their muzzles, and the shape of their ears.
Standard or Fox Faced Pomeranians have longer muzzles and pointed ears. To meet the AKC’s standards, their face must have a 1:2 ratio wherein the length of the muzzle is twice as long as the height of the head.
Below are the three types of Pomeranians:
- Fox Face
- Teddy Bear
- Baby Doll
Fox Face
Fox Face Pomeranians have longer muzzles and almond-shaped eyes. They also have small pointed ears that sit on the top of their heads. As the name suggests, they closely resemble the face of a fox. According to the AKC, this is the standard face for a Pomeranian.
Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear Pomeranians have large round eyes and shorter and rounder muzzles. Their ears are less pointed and can sometimes appear squarish. This face type was developed because of the boom in toy-dog pet breeds that made pet owners want dogs that resembled stuffed animals. This face type, unfortunately, does not qualify for Pomeranian breed standards and cannot register for shows.
Baby Doll
Finally, there’s the Baby Doll Pomeranian. This is the face type that Teacup Pomeranians have and is arguably the cutest among the three. Baby Doll Pomeranians have typically small faces with the eyes being closest to the muzzle among the three Pomeranian face types. The Baby Doll Pomeranian’s eyes look a lot like the eyes that dolls have which is how it earned its name. This face type also has round ears that make its face look even cuter and rounder!
Appearance
Teacup Pomeranians have a build that’s unique to the breed. It’s similar to the build of a standard Pomeranian but sized down. Your Teacup Pomeranian should have a wedge-shaped head and a pair of high-set ears. It will also have a short back that slightly slants down toward the tail.
Teacup Pomeranians also come in a wide array of colors! The color possibilities are pretty much endless with these adorable pups. They can have a solid color, two colors, or three colors. The possible colors come in different combinations so you’re sure to find a teacup pomeranian in the color of your choice.
The Teacup Pomeranian’s nose and paw pad colors can either be black or match the color of their coats. Their paw pads can even have a mix of colors that make them look like they have cute splotches of paint on their feet. Whatever the combination of color, the Teacup Pomeranian always looks adorable.
Size
As you probably already know, Teacup Pomeranians are extremely tiny dogs. But just how tiny are they supposed to be? Standard Pomeranians weigh anywhere between 3 to 7 lbs and are about 8 to 11 inches tall. For your pup to be a Teacup Pomeranian, it has to fall below that standard size.
You can expect your Teacup Pomeranian to weigh at most 3 lbs when fully grown. It’s difficult to fathom how tiny these puppies are but you can expect to feel like you aren’t holding anything at all when you carry them. They’ll fit comfortably in even the smallest of carriers or even your purse!
Although there are no standards for Teacup Pomeranians, they normally only grow to be about 6-10 inches in height. Their tiny size plays a big part in their adorableness but it’s also the reason why Teacup Pomeranians will never be recognized as an official breed.
Coat
Your Teacup Pomeranian will have a medium-length overcoat and a short and dense undercoat. The overcoat is normally coarse in texture and very fluffy. Its fur feathers around the chest, ears, and tail. Teacup Pomeranians have fan-shaped tails that normally develop their shape a few months after they’re born.
The Teacup Pomeranian has can have the same colors that a Standard Pomeranian has. There are three patterns and three color classifications that cover all the official colors for the Pomeranian.
The Pomeranian’s official patterns include:
- Brindle. Features a solid color that has dark cross stripes all over. Brindle Teacup Pomeranians will have either dominantly black or brown fur with light-colored streaks from head to toe. It resembles the color that is commonly found in Boxers.
- Parti. Has a white base coat along with a solid color or standard pattern. The color or patterns that appear on this coat color can appear in different parts of the Pomeranian. However, it’s most commonly seen having a mask-shaped pattern wherein the secondary color covers the Pomeranian’s head and face. This coat pattern includes Piebald Pomeranians as well.
- Tan Points. Pomeranians with this pattern will have a dark solid color like black, blue, or brown and rust or tan point markings. The points are the muzzle, eyebrows, chest, legs, and underside of the tail. The undercoat is lighter than the overcoat and black fur tips.
The official color classes for Pomeranian coats include:
- Open ROCS Class. This color class includes Teacup Pomeranians with Red, Orange, Cream, and Sable coat colors. Sable includes Red Sable, Orange Sable, Cream Sable, and Wolf Sable.
- Open BBB Class. This color class includes Teacup Pomeranians with Black, Brown, and Blue coat colors. The colors must be solid without any other colors visibly apparent in the coat for the dog to fall under this class.
- Open AOAC Class. This color class includes Teacup Pomeranians with any other color, pattern, or variation. Specifically, these are Beaver, Brindle, Merle, Parti, Tan Points, and White.
Taking Care of a Teacup Pomeranian
For the next few sections, I’ll be discussing what it’s like to take care of a Teacup Pomeranian. The Teacup Pomeranian is a surprisingly high-maintenance breed even though it’s a small dog. It takes quite a bit of effort to maintain this tiny dog’s coat and to keep its teeth clean. On the other hand, they’re easy to keep fed and to exercise.
Grooming
The most difficult part of taking care of your Teacup Pomeranian is maintaining its coat. To keep your Teacup Pomeranian’s coat looking neat and fluffy, you should brush it at least twice a week with a high-quality slicker brush. Using a slicker brush will also lessen the amount of shedding that your Teacup Pomeranian will experience. Teacup Pomeranians are medium to heavy shedders. They shed harder during the spring and fall seasons so they’ll need a brushing every other day.
On the bright side, Teacup Pomeranians don’t need to be bathed often. You will only really need to bathe your puppy when it gets into a messy accident or situation. When bathing your Teacup Pomeranian, make sure to use warm water and a natural pet-friendly shampoo and conditioner.
Feeding
Feeling a Teacup Pomeranian is relatively easy, but how to do it properly depends on the age of your dog.
Feeding a Teacup Pomeranian Puppy
The best food for Teacup Pomeranians is the Royal Canin X-Small Puppy. You’ll have to feed your puppy 0.2 cups of this a day. Since the bag is 15 lbs, that makes your dog consume 4 bags a year. Since the cost of a bag is $65.99, choosing this option will end up costing you $264 a year.
As said, while your Teacup Pomeranian is still a puppy, you will need to feed it just about 0.2 cups of food a day. It’s best to divide your puppy’s food into four meals a day. This will keep your puppy’s energy stable throughout the day and also lessen the hazards of bloating and choking. You should maintain this feeding method from 3 months old to 10 months old.
Teacup Pomeranian puppies are notoriously aggressive eaters so if you have other animals at home, you might want to give your Teacup Pomeranian a lot of space around their feeding area. They might wrongly assume that your other pets are trying to steal their food and pick a fight. Be sure that other animals can’t get to your Teacup Pomeranian’s food during meal times.
Feeding a Grown Teacup Pomeranian
The best food for grown Teacup Pomeranians is the Royal Canin Pomeranian Adult. You’ll have to feed your puppy 0.5 cups of this a day. Since the bag is 10 lbs, that makes your dog consume 11 bags a year. Since the cost of a bag is $113.61, choosing this option will end up costing you $1250 a year.
As said, adult Teacup Pomeranians will only need about 0.5 cups of food a day. It’s best to divide their food into two meals a day to help them maintain a stable amount of energy. It’s also important to make sure that your Teacup Pomeranian drinks enough water to complement a dry food diet.
Teacup Pomeranians tend to eat their food too fast and become prone to choking. To prevent this, you can use a slow-feeding bowl. Slow feeding bowls force your dog to take its time when eating and will prevent choking and bloating.
Dental Care
Taking care of your Teacup Pomeranian’s dental health requires more maintenance than most breeds. This is because, like most toy-sized breeds, the Teacup Pomeranian is prone to teeth and gum issues.
The most important step to take is to make sure that your Teacup Pomeranian gets a regular dental exam. Ideally, your Teacup Pomeranian will see its dentist twice a year to make sure that its teeth are in check.
At home, you will have to brush your Teacup Pomeranian’s teeth. The best and ideal frequency is once a day but brushing your dog’s teeth twice a week should be enough. When brushing your puppy’s teeth, you can use a finger toothbrush which is ideal for small breeds. It also helps to feed your dog dry food which can act as a natural teeth cleaner whenever your dog eats.
Exercise
Teacup Pomeranians are playful dogs with medium energy levels. The benefit of exercise isn’t much for your dog’s physical fitness but rather for expending its energy and calming anxiety. Teacup Pomeranians can easily become restless without enough playtime and exercise so you must give your pet enough daily activities.
Just 40 minutes of exercise or playtime a day will be more than enough for your Teacup Pomeranian. They prefer to play rather than go on walks so your puppy will love you if you invest in some exciting toys. A few rounds of fetch and running around will keep your Teacup Pomeranian healthy and happy.
Health Issues in Teacup Pomeranians
Even though Teacup Pomeranians aren’t known to have more health issues than other dogs, their size makes them suseptible to health issues that smaller dogs tend to be more prone to.
Knee Dysplasia
Knee Dysplasia is a medical condition wherein the dog’s patella, which is a part of its knee bone, slides out of the socket that it’s meant to be in. This is common in Teacup Pomeranians due to their small size. It normally causes limping and an inability to bend or straighten the leg. The only existing treatment for this is surgery.
Tracheal Collapse
Due to their short muzzles, Teacup Pomeranians are prone to having a collapsed trachea. This causes their airway to occasionally close and makes it difficult to breathe. Teacup Pomeranians with a collapsed trachea will often cough and wheeze. This is treated with surgery and maintenance medicine.
Final Thoughts
Personally, I understand why Teacup Pomeranians are so hard to resist. I’ve met a few of them in my life and every time, I have swooned over their adorable looks and personality. After all, who wouldn’t want their very own teddy bear?
However, I also think that it’s important to understand the controversy that surrounds this breed. The controversy might not deter you from having a Teacup Pomeranian of your own but I think that it cannot be ignored.
Responsible pet owners should do their best to find a Teacup Pomeranian from a reputable breeder rather than purchasing one from backyard breeders. They should also know about the different health problems that Teacup Pomeranians can have and what they need in order to live a healthy and happy puppy life.

Hey there! I’m Matt and I’m a content writer from the Philippines. I’ve raised over 10 dogs and 5 cats. I love taking care of my rescue dog Kewpie and my two rescue cats, Misty and Rosy.