Miniaturization of breed's

Do you think its right for people to try to breed smaller and smaller versions of certain breeds ??
Does a small pup from a litter = a runt ??
I assume breeds like the Klee Kai have used other breeds in their pedigree rather bred down from small huskies, am I right ??...

Small pups aren't necessarily runts it all depends on proportion. Many 'teacups' of established breeds have dwarfism rather than genuinely bringing the size down but maintain type. There is only so small certan species can get to before issues arise and the same with making them bigger!
As for the Klee Kai, despite their 'legend' there has quite clearly been an introduction of smaller breeds to reduce size, same with the miniature dalmation, another breed that is claimed to be simply a small version but the head shape quite clearly betrays their ancestry!
I really don't know why people can't simply tell the truth!
Becky

Well in principle it shouldn't matter any more than people breeding for any other characteristic - however in practice obsession with a particular characteristic, whether size, shape, ability, tends to tempt breeders into bad practises so on that basis I would be wary...

Makes me gag to see people breeding for tiny dogs
I have a friend who got a tiny teacup yorkie - who is totaly lovely but too small to live as a real dog - cannot play with other dogs
She also almost died on the operating table cos she is so tiny

I know in america some people are crossing paps to collies to make smaller dogs for flyball - and trying to get mini collies

Yuck!

I think there are enough breeds in the Toy Group, along with the many hundreds of small dogs in rescue to make creating more 'tiny' dogs a bit pointless. All it is likely to create is more 'tiny' genepools and a few bigger bank accounts for the greedy few who prey on gullible fools on the internet!!!

Mini looking versions of known breeds..
Carlin pincher.
Bantam bulldogs .

I was in a shop today where there was a lovely bulldog who couldn't breath without snoring.... Poor dog... And it was finally cool here today..... hate to think the torment he's in when it gets hot again... Breeding for good health is IMO fine, but this dog was obviously not bred for that reason!

As for breeding for tiny miniatures.... For heavens sake, get a rat! I hear they can also be trained to a high standard, but let dogs be dogs..... On all four paws and never in a handbag... If you can't handle a normal sized dog, don't get a dog....

Define "normal size dog" please

dogs come naturally in all sorts of sizes, there shouldn't be any need to create minature versons.

Things that come in more than one size...

poodles - standard, mini, toy
shnauzers - giant, standard, mini
pinschers (kind of) - Dobermans, German Pinschers, min pins
German Spitz - Gross, Mittel, Klien (and you can add Keeshond at the top end and pomeranians at the other as they are the same family)
Mexican hairless - Large, standard, mini

none of these are "teacup" (hate that phrase) size, nor as far as I am aware are any of them deliberately bred to make the different sizes.

Quite by coincidence, when staying with a friend in the USA in 2001, I was taken to his aunt's house - mainly to go horse-riding as she owns Quarter horses.

She also, unknown to me - bred dogs - and I met about 6-7 Mini Australian Shepherds. They were lovely dogs, and bred down in size from standard Aussies starting in the 1960's, to Sheltie size.

At the time I didn't know anything abut Aussies big or small, but I did like these little dogs. I understand there's a lot of controversy around them, but I still saw them in their own right as a very nice breed. All the ability of a Sheltie or BC but smaller and with a lot less coat than a Shetland Sheepdog.

I can see why they have become so popular, especially in Germany, it seems. If I was looking for a smaller dog that could do agility, HTM etc but didn't want a Sheltie then I would certainly give them a look.

Seems my friend's aunt's dogs feature in a few of the European lines of Mini Aussies.

They now seem to have a tea cup ,toy and mini version of the Australian Shepherd