In the United States poodles are separated into three size categories. They are the Toy, Miniature and Standard. The height of the dog at the withers or highest point of the shoulder determines which category the particular Poodle fits into.  Every other item in the Breed Standard is the same for all 3 sizes.

The picture to the right shows where the height measurement is taken: from the withers to the ground.

The Toy Poodle is 10 inches or under at the highest point of the shoulders.

The Miniature Poodle is over 10 inches up to and including 15 inches.

The Standard Poodle is over 15 inches at the highest point of the shoulders. (Most standard poodles are between 21 and 26 inches tall.)

A toy poodle is a very small dog. Although the weight of the dog is not mentioned in the standard the weight range of an adult toy poodle is generally between 5 and 8 pounds. Height is usually between 8 1/2 inches and 10 inches. Many toy poodle litters contain puppies who will be slightly over 10 inches at maturity which will "officially" make them miniature poodles. These are sometimes referred to as "oversized toys". There is no such distinction made by the kennel clubs.

"Teacup Toy" or "Tiny Toy" are phrases you will see that refer to very small Toy Poodles. They are all registered as toy poodles. Teacup is the term usually used to describe a poodle that will be under four pounds at maturity. These are more rare than many breeders would have you believe. They are also usually very expensive. (Most breeders who advertise teacups will not guarantee that the dogs will actually be teacups at maturity. Take this as a clue.) It would not be impossible for me to have a teacup puppy in a litter but it is not my goal to produce dogs this small. 

Interesting note: Over half of the people who think they own toy poodles actually own miniature poodles. This is a moot point unless the dog is going to be shown but it does cause some confusion.

It can be difficult to predict what the adult size of a puppy will be. Not all puppies grow at the same rate. Before a litter is born I will state the sizes of the parents (on the Available Puppies page) and most puppies will fall somewhere between the size of the mother and the size of the father at maturity.  Once the litter is born it is easier to tell if the pup will be closer to the mother's size or the father's.

All toy poodles are small enough to fly in the cabin of an airplane in an under-the-seat travel bag. Panama Red is my largest dog by far and he too can travel in the cabin of a plane. (He's a lot smaller than his hair makes him out to be.)