Questions to Ask

Questions to ask a breeder when purchasing a Shih Tzu :

Always ask if there are umbilical hernias or inguinal hernias. Females should never be bred if there are inguinal hernias
and this is the opinion of two top vets in our area. And yes Shih Tzus are well known for umbilical hernias. Umbilical hernias are not an issue as long as they are SMALL in size, IF they are large in size this can be very dangerous to your shih tzu. This is a fact.
The intestines can become pinched off very easily and quickly and your pup will become very sick very fast, this is a medical emergency. A LARGE umbilical hernia is one large enough to insert your finger through the opening, always check your puppy for this before purchasing.

Always check for eye white, eyes should be looking straight forward, not turned outward.

Ask if the puppies are champion sired and have champions in the first 3 to 4 generations. Try to get familiar with top pedigrees and look for those in a pedigree. Some examles are Wenricks, Karyon, Tu Chu, Souyens, Validian, etc.This is especially a must if you are looking to breed and you care about top quality.

If you are purchasing a male, ask if he has both testicles, whether you are looking to breed or not, if he is to be neutered it will cost more for neutering with testicles that are not down.

Ask to see the parents and inquire about the size and weight of parents. And if parents and the puppies have correct bites. Also ask about the temperments of parents, they should not be hyper but playful. Inquire about parents coat. They should not be stringy and thin looking but full thick coats. Make sure both parents are AKC registered only. Sire should be DNA profiled by AKC standards.

Ask what food the breeder uses. Should be a good quality food such as Science Diet, Eukanuba, Canidae, Biljac, etc. These are just a few good examples.

Ask the breeder if the shih tzu is the only breed they have. Most often then not, if they have more then one breed, it could smell of PUPPY MILL all over it Do not take the chance, move on !!! Be very careful of MASS BREEDERS, this in our opinion and most vets opinion, they are in it for the money and you don't know what you could be getting in quality. In our personal opinion a reputable breeder will only have one breed and will not be a mass breeder. The environment that your puppy is coming from should be clean and neat. BEWARE of anyone who will not let you see the parents or invite you in to visit. Your puppy should not have any fleas or tics on it and should be clean and in excellent health.

Ask if puppy is current with shots and wormings and if parents are also current with vaccines. You should always have a health certificate from a licensed vet with this information on it. A vet will usually always list on each certificate his findings on each puppy, hernias, etc.

Ask about the health guarantee you will be getting with your puppy, and make sure you get a copy or print a copy is you are purchasing from a website.

ALWAYS ask if there is any pinched nostrils or MOUTH BREATHING. Even though the breed is known for pinched snares, snorting and blowing bubbles out their nose, you don't want this..especially any mouth breathing. Our opinion and our vets opinion is that it is
NOT BREEDING QUALITY. Some DO NOT grow out of this..better to move on to higher ground. Pet quality should be just as important as breeding quality.
Slightly pinched nostrils are okay and for the most part does not cause any health issues,BUT there should NOT be by any means MOUTH BREATHING. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO US AND IT WAS NOT GOOD !!! The breeder also knew we asked and made sure and asked again that there were NO breathing issues before we purchased this female because we were going to breed her and she was not. It was that bad that she was actually struggling to breath when we got her at the airport, needless to say we contacted that breeder and let him know exactly what we thought of his HIGH QUALITY SHIH TZUS,
He also thought I was suppose to pay for the shipping to ship her back, I think not, any reputable breeder will pay for the shipping both ways AND replace the puppy with the quality you paid for..

Ask if the puppy is bowl legged, this to is not good quality in a shih tzu and this trait can be passed down to any future puppies. If you are buying as pet only and don't plan to breed then this is not an issue.

Look for nice round heads, nice big round eyes, top level line. not leggy, nice tale set. You can go to AKC website and they have listed the traits in the shih tzu, This is what you are looking for in show quality as well as a slighty undershot bite. AKC website has all the information on show quality.

If you have any questions you want to ask please feel free, we are 110% honest and we go the extra mile to insure that we have top quality, healthy puppies and adults. And if we feel they are not breeding quality we tell you and they are listed as pet only.

Please note that in the State of PA.
you have 10 Business days to have your puppy checked out by your vet to make sure the puppy is healthy. We follow the Puppy Lemon laws for PA. in our guarantee and give a 3 year health guarantee on our spay/neuter contracts ONLY. With FULL REGISTRATION you get one year only. And puppies must be current with all vaccines at all times for our contract be stay valid. Please go to guarantee for more information.