Shih Tzu

Don’t Be Afraid Of Shish Tzu Breeders

Perhaps you’ve seen people picketing your local pet store because they were selling puppies. Don’t these people have anything better to do with their lives? Actually, no they don't. What they are doing is calling attention to not how the puppies in a pet store or treated, but where pet stores buy their puppies from – puppy mills. Puppy mills are not only cruel and unsanitary, but the puppies that come from there are often sickly, have ingrained behavioral problems and are sometimes sold with false papers. If you want a Shih Tzu or a Shih Tzu mix, then you are best off getting your puppy not from a pet store or an Internet site that sells puppies with no questions asked (except your method of payment), but from reputable Shih Tzu breeders or an animal rescue shelter. The puppies and their parents from Shih Tzu breeders are kept in ethical conditions an receive great veterinary care, often get to live inside of a house and come with health guarantees. These are some of the many advantages of buying from Shih Tzu breeders or adopting from a Shih Tzu rescue. Although animal rights activists and politicians like Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell (D) work hard to stop puppy mills, they can’t get them shut down if the puppy mill owners keep getting paid. Those payments come from puppies bought in pet store or Internet sites that only ask you where to ship the puppy and what your credit card number is. The big advantage to getting your puppy from a reputable Shih Tzu breeder is that you can see the parents of the Shih Tzu puppies. You can also meet the first humans your puppy will be in contact with and help shape their attitude towards life. You can also get to tour the kennel or home of a Shih Tzu breeder to see if the dogs are happy, healthy and treated humanely. Not only is humane treatment of dogs the right thing to do, it also makes for a healthier, better mentally adjusted dog. Always buy a Shih Tzu puppy from a reputable Shih Tzu breeder. Think about how a puppy lives in a pet store. They just sit in a cage all day and all night until they are sold. Every day they are fed, watered and their cage cleaned. The pet store employees usually have so much work to do that they cannot give the puppies the individual attention they need at this critical time. A puppy learns best from eight to fourteen weeks of age. When they miss this window, they will have a hard time learning to be a good pet. Nobody wins when a puppy is bought from a pet store. The buyer doesn’t win, because they have a sickly and maladjusted puppy. The puppy’s parents sure don’t win, being forced to live in overcrowded wire cages until they are shot for being too old to breed. But the biggest loser is the puppy. That someone will most likely buy Shih Tzu puppy in the window on impulse bereft of any Shih Tzu information can cause the puppy to soon be abandoned. A Shih Tzu breeder makes sure you and the puppy are well matched for life. The best way to stop puppy mills are to only buy puppies from reputable Shih Tzu breeders or adopt from shelters. One day no one will ever have to write about the existence of puppy mills in any further Shih Tzu information articles.

Shih Tzu Breeders You Should Not Give Money To

Once you have made the decision to bring a Shih Tzu into your family you are making a pretty important decision. You want to treat every step of the way like its own important decision and that is especially true of the Shih Tzu breeder you choose. Good Shih Tzu breeders are hard to find but definitely worth the search. You don’t want to buy a pet from someone who only looks at them as merchandise and inventory, you want someone that cares about pets as much as you do. You are going to talk to a lot of Shih Tzu breeders before you finally buy and a good Shih Tzu breeder not only expects that but also would probably insist on it. You aren’t hurting any breeder’s pride by looking around and they know you will choose the breeder that works best for you. If you see shady dealers engaging in animal cruelty then report them to the proper authorities right away. Shih Tzu dogs are living beings that deserve to be treated humanely and even breeders are capable of abuse. Always make sure any breeder you are dealing with is listed with at least one of the national breeder registries. You can find full listings by doing a search on the Internet and probably the gold standard that all breeders use is the National Kennel Club. If a breeder is not listed with any national breeder registry at all then you want to question their business practices and you probably do not want to do any business with them. You can also contact the local authorities in your area to see if a Shih Tzu breeder you are considering has any complaints against them. This is a step many people neglect to do but a breeder will smile at you and tell you anything you want to hear while they are trying to sell you a dog. You can find out the real story on that breeder by asking the local authorities if a particular breeder has any history of shady dealings or if they have ever been in trouble because of their breeding practices. This is very important. Your vet is always a great resource for any kind of advice or information you may need on any of the prospective Shih Tzu breeders you are considering. If you are getting your first pet then it would be a good idea to start a relationship with a vet anyway and what better way to start off with your new vet than taking their advice on a breeder? Your vet is only in it for the health and safety of your pet so their advice will reflect that concern and that is the information you need. Talk to the breeders as well. If you do not feel comfortable with one then do not do business with them. A breeder is supposed to not only sell you a pet but also be available to you for the life of your pet, so you want to be sure that the breeder you choose is someone you would have no problem talking to and dealing with. This is an important decision so take your time and do your homework. You can help yourself avoid shady Shih Tzu breeders by using this article. There is some useful Shih Tzu information in this article.

Looking At A Fake Shih Tzu Breeder

So the time has come to bring the pitter-patter of little feet back into your home and you and your family have decided on a Shih Tzu. The very first thing you are going to need to do is be certain that you find the right Shih Tzu breeder and one that you can trust, as your relationship will extend way after you leave their property with your new puppy. Choosing a breeder is important so take your time and consider many. Your first stop should be the National Kennel Club or any other national breeder registry that you can usually find on the Internet. These registries will point you to only the most reputable breeders in your area and also give you some information about how they do business and what you can expect. If you cannot find a particular breeder in a national registry then they may not be someone you want to get a dog from. A good Shih Tzu breeder knows that the relationship between an owner and a breeder does not stop after the transaction is signed and done. A good breeder encourages owners, especially novice owners, to contact them if they have any questions or concerns or if they feel they need any advice for the raising of a new dog. A good breeder knows that a good relationship between breeder and owner is essential to the ongoing good health of each dog. It is the job of a breeder to make sure that when you take your dog home you have complete and detailed care and feeding instructions so you know exactly what and when to feed your new dog. Most breeders will also send you home with a sample of food for your dog so you know what to feed it for proper health through its life. A reputable Shih Tzu breeder will get an extra incentive from insurance companies that the more shady breeders do not get. A registered and reputable breeder will get the option to offer new owners free pet insurance on their dog that extends for six weeks after the purchase date. The insurance companies want you to use the insurance just once on a vet appointment and then extend the insurance. The breeder just wants to make sure the dog is covered. Any good breeder will offer many options and pieces of advice to any new or experienced owner. You should discuss with your prospective breeder any of these conditions to see if you are dealing with a reputable breeder or not. A reputable breeder will offer to take the dog back at any point in its life if you can no longer care for it, with no cash refund. That is something you do not get from a shady breeder. There is very helpful information on narrowing down your search for Shih Tzu breeders in this article. You can use this article to help you find better Shih Tzu information in your search for a breeder.

Giving Your Shih Tzu Breeder The Third Degree

Every good Shih Tzu breeder is used to answering questions from their customers so you are not doing anything new or annoying for the breeder. Getting the right information to the owners is part of the breeder’s job and any good breeder is going to have the same level of concern for the animal's welfare that you do. So when you start asking questions you are not doing anything new, but there are some questions that you should always remember to ask your breeder when you are talking to them. You want to know your breeder so ask them how long they have been in business, how they got started, how they feel about the dogs they sell, and anything you think you need to know to feel like you know your breeder as a professional breeder. Leave any personal information out of it, you can find out what you need to know about their personality by just talking to them. Also ask them what national breeder registry they are listed with and why they chose that registry. Ask about them because they will ask about you. When it is time to take your new Shih Tzu puppy home your Shih Tzu breeder should be offering you free pet insurance. This pet insurance will extend for six weeks after you take your Shih Tzu home and many pet owners have never had pet insurance before so be sure you ask a lot of questions and understand how it all works before you leave. Pet insurance can really help out at that first vet appointment. If you do not get the free pet insurance offer then ask your breeder why. They get it for free so they should be offering it to you. Your Shih Tzu breeder will bury you in care and feeding instructions for your new Shih Tzu puppy and they expect you to ask a lot of questions before you go home. So go ahead and ask anything you can think of. It is important to the breeder, you, and your dog that you understand all of the care and feeding information you are given so that you know what to do for your dog when you get it home. Do not leave your breeder’s property without completely understanding your responsibilities. It may be a difficult question to ask but many reputable breeders have a policy where they will take the Shih Tzu back if you cannot care for it or no longer want it. No Shih Tzu breeder wants to do this, and they do not offer you a refund of any kind if you take them up on it, but it is a good thing to know that if you can no longer care for the pet that you are not going to have to abandon it somewhere. Always know your options and this is an important option to understand. Your Shih Tzu breeder is expecting you to have a lot of questions and the best breeders always have answers for you and probably even have the answers to many of your questions already written down for you to take home. But never be shy about asking questions, as this is the life of your dog you are considering and the happiness of you and your family. No one minds taking some time to answer those questions. This article will help you communicate better with Shih Tzu breeders. You can find very important Shih Tzu information in this article in regards to questions to ask breeders.