Choosing A Breeder

If you are going to buy a Shih Tzu you want the best example of the breed you can find. A responsible breeder can assure you that the dog you choose is a purebred; he/she will know most of the dogs in a five-generation pedigree, some of them personally. He/she will also know what diseases to look out for and will have tested breeding stock for them whenever possible. He/she will be able to tell you which puppy would best fit your lifestyle based on its personality traits and those of its family. A responsible breeder will require that you spay or neuter your pet.

Since there is no perfect Shih Tzu, our breeding program is aimed at improving each generation. Each litter is planned with the hope of improving or strengthening one or more traits. Hopefully there will be at lest one puppy in each litter that we can add to our breeding program after it attains its AKC championship. This usually leaves several equally nice puppies to be placed with loving families. Since we "puppy-sit" any of the puppies we place we also have the opportunity to see how the ones we did not choose to keep grow up. This really helps in evaluating a particular breeding. I keep in touch with other area breeders so I can recommend someone else when we don't have puppies available. All puppies, and occasionally older dogs, are sold with a contract that requires spaying or neutering and guarantees that the puppy/dog can be returned anytime in its lifetime if the need arises.

Shih Tzu are lucky in that they do not have many inherited diseases. However, the only way to improve on this is to do whatever testing is available to make sure that the dogs that are bred are healthy. Common tests are CERF, for inheritable eye diseases, OFA, for hip, knee and elbow malformations, and the VenGen test for the marker gene which usually occurs when a dog has the possibility of having renal dysplasia, a kidney disease that usually kills young puppies. Because of our concern for the future welfare of the breed, all of our breeding stock has been tested for inheritable eye problems as well as the marker gene for renal dysplasia. Please see the American Shih Tzu Club website for more information.

How to Evaluate a Breeder?

Here you will find an overview on how to evaluate a breeder. Click on the image below to be taken to a a page where you may read our recommended evaluation process.

Click on the camel to answer questions on "How to Evaluate a Breeder"

Return to the top of the page