Basically while I think it's wrong to deliberately miniaturise, it's possible that a smaller puppy will develop very nicely.
:xctly:
And small puppies often catch up to become within breed standard dogs anyway. Puppy size isn't always a very good yardstick (so to speak! :lol
for guessing adult size. Check out Bruce's forum on his two litters and you can see the smallest puppies tend to catch up and sometimes surpass littermates eventually.
An ethical breeder knows the breed standard and breeds to it; always prioritises health issues first and then equally, temperament and conformation; and ideally, is involved in the dog world showing and with the regional and local clubs because then they are easily able tostay on top of breed health issues, latest news, and know how their dogs stand up against the benchmark dogs winning in the rings.
It's also really important for folks to know that there is no such thing as a teacup cavalier so they can buy a puppy wisely. This is a marketing ploy to breed non-conforming dogs and sell them to the unsuspecting -- and any breeder aiming for undersized dogs without regard to how this affects overall breed and individual dog health is sure unlikely to be breeding for health, temperament or conformation generally. Which means potentially costly health issues for owners, and very unethically, producing undersized puppies that may have truncated lives and suffer due to health problems (as posts here indicate, small size can be due to serious liver problems, hydrocephalus, and other potentially major problems that no one would want passed to new generations). If buyers are asking for teacup cavaliers, it's definitely a great opportunity for breeders to be really supportive and educate their potential buyers about why they should avoid same, and what they should really be looking for from a breeder -- like cardiac, eye, hip and patella clearances for dam and sire (and potentially, SM MRI for breeding stock).
Cavaliers are so wonderful just the way they are (need I persuade anyone? :lol
, and many naturally fall over or a bit under the breed standard without breeding outside of it -- and there are many options for people to select a miniaturised breed that has been miniaturised over decades -- even centuries -- of careful breeding for health and conformation.
That's what is wonderful about dogs -- if one breed doesn't meet one's desires there are always others.
The UK standard incidentally runs 12-18 lbs so takes in a slightly smaller cavalier.
I have a feeling Lily is now down around 12 lbs herself (from a whopping -- for her -- 18lbs when she came from the pound) ... might get a chance to weigh her at the vet tomorrow. She is definitely a BYB or puppy farm cavalier though and has a really tiny head.
It's just not right.