The AKC standard size is a suggested nine to sixteen pounds. We do not raise Clydesdales. Our dogs fall within the small to midsize of the standard. If they were too big, they wouldn't finish to their CHs. On a small dog nine to sixteen pounds is a HUGE size range.
Shih Tzu are not supposed to have short, cobby bodies or double ring tails. According to the AKC standard they are supposed to be slightly longer than tall. Short and cobby is not a good thing in Shih Tzu. A teacup tail is standard.
Please don't ask if I will take less for my pet puppy. I already ask less than the local High Volume, For Profit Breeders (politically correct term for puppy millers). We have far more invested in our dogs than they do and only want to place them in suitable pet homes. Our fee is the same as other members in our breed club.
If they say their dogs are from the top breeders in the country, ask them according to whom? The American Shih Tzu Club keeps records of the top winners, breeders and producers. They are the authority. They keep the records. They can tell you who the top dogs and their breeders are.
A couple years in the breed does not as expert make no matter their claims of experience. These people are novices that could be learning at your and the dogs’ expense.
Anyone can make up any information they want to sell you a dog. Check with several breeders before you decide.
Why do they showcase new additions and not show prospects? If they love their dogs and they are their beloved pets why do they keeping new breedable bitches. These dogs have no other purpose than to produce more puppies for them to profit from.
Reputable breeders DO NOT auction off their dogs to the highest bidders. More concern should be the quality of the home than who will pay the most.
If a breeder claims to be dedicated to the breed and puppies and puppy buyers, why does it bother them to help people that have bought their puppy from someone else? Why do they actually refuse to give advice if a puppy is not purchased from them? A true Shih Tzu lover will be happy to help in any way they can.
Other than the breeder trying to sell the puppy, who says that their puppies are the BEST IN THE USA? Pretty big claim for dogs with no proven top quality for many generations.
Even though a breeder says they breed to the AKC standard and they tell the buyer to check it, what do they actually do to prove their dogs fit the AKC standard? Again, this is best proven in the show ring under respected, knowledgeable judges who award the points to make a dog a CH.
Dogs raised in clean, sanitary conditions with good preventative care measures do not get parasites. Nor do puppies commonly suffer from coccicidiosis unless they are not yet old enough to safely go to their new home. This disorder is most commonly triggered by the stress of being placed in their new home too young.
If show breeders only sell "leftovers" and the Profit Breeders allow buyers to purchase all the puppies they produce, how do these non-show breeders keep the "high quality" they claim to have maintained? Not every dog will produce the same out of the same litter. They must be holding back puppies for their own purposes too. Mustn't they?
Show dogs aren't the only ones that carry hidden genetic diseases. Think about it. Who is going to be more concerned about the health of their pet? The small to medium volume show breeder that sleeps with their dogs in bed and keeps them until the day they die because of sentimental attachments or the high volume breeder that brags about their dogs living in a kennel saying that they have had so many litters that something is bound to show up. Guess what, surprises occur everyday. Not every breeding we plan is successful, either.
