Teacup Shih Tzu dogs are also called "imperial" and "tiny teacup". These are the little bitty dogs in small sizes. The terms "imperial" or "teacup" are used interchangeably by some breeders. Also some breeders use "imperial" for the smallest dogs in the 3 to 5 pound category and "teacup" for slightly larger dogs in the 5 to 6 pound size.

These dogs exist because there is a demand for them. The size is cute and all that Shih Tzu attitude in a small package is part of the appeal. The story is that the smaller Shih Tzu is truly a descendant of the dogs from the Chinese Royal Palace, thus the "imperial" description. So the idea is that these are truly the descendants of the royal lines.

Fact is, the official American Kennel Club and the American Shih Tzu Club standards call for a weight of 9 to 16 pounds. The breed is classified as a Toy breed and is already a small dog when bred to the breed standard. Also this standard weight matches closely the weight of the Shih Tzu as described by the Peking Kennel Club in 1938. The breed standard describes a rugged, stocky little dog that is small, but not at all fragile.

So, the really tiny Shih Tzu dogs do not meet the breed standard and are really a fad dog created to please a market looking for a dog that is not really a Shih Tzu. Now that would be OK as long as the dog itself is not harmed by this move. But in fact breeding for extreme small size can be harmful to the dogs in several ways. Consider how you can develop an extremely small Shih Tzu in a short period of time.

To get a really small dog quickly, there are only a couple of choices. The first is to select as parents the smallest dogs available and breed those dogs. Then continue selecting for small dogs over a period of time in subsequent matings. The problem with this approach is that if size is the main selection criteria, other traits will be ignored. This usually results in health problems because your unbalanced selection methods will almost always end up breeding unhealthy dogs simply because they are small. A dog can be small and healthy or an unhealthy runt with physical problems. Also tiny female dogs struggle with birthing and have very small litters usually.

Another approach is to breed a standard size Shih Tzu to a small dog of another breed. This may produce a smaller healthy dog but the dog will lack some of the characteristics of the Shih Tzu. Also any offspring of the crossbred dogs will show great variation in characteristics. You will not get offspring like the parents.

The standard Shih Tzu is a robust, balanced small dog. They are healthy, active dogs with good form and strength. Be careful if you choose a teacup Shih Tzu. It may be better to choose a different breed if you want a truly tiny pet dog.