There is no such thing as a 'teacup' breed!

There are toy breeds out there. This isn't a complete list, but it does give you a pretty good idea of what exists out there for toy dogs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_dog There are a lot of crossed wires out there, though. People that didn't bother to do their research and are now touting their 'Toy Doberman Pinscher' (a Miniature Pinscher), which is fine, although a little silly in the advent of a digital world where almost anything information you need is at your fingertips. You should really be as serious about getting your dog as you are about buying a car, because a car doesn't live in your house with you and most (sane, rational, not male :D) people don't form a close emotional attachment with their car in the same way they do with their pets. If you make sure you check under the hood of a car you buy, or you check out statistics on that make and model, do the same for your new fur friend. The best thing to do is make sure you research, thoroughly. Don't find one source and take that as gospel, check out several sources and run, don't walk, from anyone claiming to be selling 'rare' dogs or rare colors of a breed. Not saying that there aren't rare breeds out there because there are several, but sadly many unscrupulous people try to cash in on people's tendency to want something ultra unique by selling mutts as rare whatevers or more uncommon (but not rare) coat colors as a 'rare color' of the breed. I searched my classifieds today and discovered one 'rare' black and tan American Cocker Spaniel standing at stud (not a rare color at all, the American Cocker rescue here in the city has 4 currently), a litter of 'rare' Papillon puppies (again, not a rare breed by any means, at the last dog show I was at, there were 10 entered in comparison to the 6 Siberian Huskies, which everyone has heard of) and a 'rare' 10 month old Chi-Poo dog (which anyone with 1/4 of a brain should know if just a Chihuahua Poodle Cross, not a rare dog at all). The prices on these animals? $600 for stud service for the cocker, $1300 for the Pap puppies and $950 for the Chi-Poo. The reality is that a moral show breeder doesn't sell a different coat color, a smaller or larger dog, different eye colored dog for anything more than their littermates of equal quality. They may charge a greater price for dogs that are going as show stock, because they have a certain something or better conformation than their littermates and because that dog has the capacity to build a reputation and a bloodline for the purchaser. Dogs sold as pets are generally expected to be spayed or neutered since they are intended as companions. Dogs of uncommon coloring usually DO go as pets, because in the show world, if it's an acceptable color for the breed, it's likely not that uncommon. Those that do have unusual colors, coats or markings are usually a recessive trait unknowingly popping up, which can and does happen, and in most cases is not an acceptable coloring because it doesn't fit in with the breed's original purpose, the 'type' of the breed (meaning what makes a breed that breed.. a Dalmatian without spots doesn't really look like a Dalmatian anymore, a Black Golden Retriever is no longer a Golden Retriever, etc.) or because there are health problems associated with that trait. For most people, though, a dog is a dog is a dog, and whether it's gold, purple or blue with yellow polka dots, as long as it's a great companion, it doesn't matter. You certainly shouldn't have to pay more for it, though, since in most cases, it's an accident. A GOOD breeder also won't charge you anything extra for registration papers for a purebred dog. In Canada, at least (and I'm almost 90% it's the same in the US), you cannot sell a purebred animal as a purebred without documentation to back it up -- namely the registration papers. Anyone claiming that the pedigree of the dog is just as good as registration papers is lying through their teeth in an effort to get out of paying the extra $20 the AKC or CKC requires to register a puppy. Or worst case, the 'purebred' dog that you're buying isn't eligible for registration because it's not really a purebred. If you don't get a piece of papers with registration numbers, names and a AKC or CKC stamp on it, the purebred dog you bought can't really be called that. Not that it makes a big difference to pet owners, but it is unfair to be paying just as much for a dog with no registration papers as you could for one with if you looked hard enough. No one likes to be conned out of their money, but it happens far too often, and with a dog being a living, breathing possession of yours for the next 10-20 years, you owe it to yourself and your dog to make sure you cover all the grounds. It probably won't stop anytime soon, but this is why education is truly key in a world where Caveat Emptor is just some latin words that no one seems to know the translation to. Do your research, and if you have any questions about buying a puppy, I'm more than willing to try to answer them. Best of luck!

There are 3 different poodle sizes -- the toy, the miniature and the standard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poodle The toy variety is the kind most people classify as a 'teacup', or when breeders breed small dogs to small dogs to get smaller toys, they'll often inflate the price to sell their 'tiny poodles' as a 'teacup' variety hoping to get more. Don't be fooled, a tiny poodle is a Toy Poodle (very common), not a Teacup.