The correct pronunciation of Shih Tzu is Sheed Zoo in both the singular and plural. How much can the breeder know if they can neither pronounce Shih Tzu correctly or know that it is Shih Tzu whether you have one or many?
If they do it for the love of the breed and it's not a business, what are they putting back into the breed? You can’t improve or even maintain a breed type if you haven’t proven the worthiness of the breeding stock and that is generally done in the show ring.
If it is their passion to produce only top quality, why aren't they showing their dogs to PROVE they are only breeding worthy dogs? That’s the purpose of obtaining an AKC Championship on your dog. It sets the standard of quality for breeding.
Why do the puppies come from Ch bloodlines? Why aren't one or both of the parents CHs? It is often difficult for a for profit breeder to obtain a well bred dog from a show breeder since they have no intention of doing anything with that dog other than breed it for the money they can make on the puppies.
If they say they show their dogs, where are the show pictures of their dogs’ wins? This is something to be proud of and they should be eager to brag on their dogs and their records. Ask where you can go to see the dogs they have that are being shown. See if they can tell you. Then check. Dogs being shown have show records. You can go to the AKC website and sign up to access these records. Dog show superintendents post show wins. You can go to these websites and check on who is showing their dogs and what dogs are winning.
How many homebred CHs have they produced? Breeders should have a goal for our hobby other than to mass produce puppies for profit.
If they don't show, how do they know what a show quality puppy is? How do they know what SIZE of dogs are winning if they don't even participate? This takes a trained eye and skill in identifying puppies that can compete and finish in the ring. That's what makes them show quality. Who better to judge what a show puppy is than the people actually showing and winning?
There are no definitive genetic tests that are 100% certain. Tests are indicators of health of the puppy/dog at the time of the test. If someone tells you they have several thousands of dollars of testing done on the dogs before they are bred, ask them what tests they have done, then check with your vet to see if this sounds reasonable to them?
There are official websites that post test results and you can access them. (OFA, CERF). If the say they test, ask to see the official paperwork on the test.
There is no ultrasound test that proves a dog free of Renal Dysplasia. Ask your vet. If there is, they would know!
If they are so proud of their dogs why don't they display the parents’ pedigrees for you to look at? All CHs in the pedigree will be listed and you can see for yourself how far removed the CHs are from your dog. The closer the CHs, the better quality of the dog. You can go to the AKC website and get a dog's pedigree. wonder if that's why they never tell the registered name of the parents so you can't check these records for yourself.
Why do they charge more for their puppies than show breeders in the same area if they aren't in it for the money? Show breeders have far more invested in their dogs than the for profit breeders do. We often ask less because it is important that our puppies go to a good home. We can't keep everything we breed to show and often place puppies in pet homes that could easily finish their CH.
Sex, color or size of the dog does NOT make a dog more valuable. This shouldn't be a factor in the price. A spayed female has no more value that a neutered male. There are no rare colors. Some show breeders prefer not to breed for the unique as they don't do well in the ring. Smaller is not necessarily better. Often times those who have intentionally bred the tinies have inadvertently bred health problem into the puppies that the dogs of the standard size don't have. A Shih Tzu is a Shih Tzu is a Shih Tzu. They all have wonderful temperments and all make lovely pets. That is what they were originally bred to be, companion animals and pets. It just happens that ours are nice enough to win in the show ring.
