|
Tips on Finding a Good Breeder and Healthy Pet January 2011 You are on a journey in finding your next beloved forever pet, new family member. But where do you go and what do you look for? We know you want to find the perfect dog to brighten your life and entertain your family. And we take joy in making matches to those who are seeking to find just the right one. When we began, we interviewed with several breeders, visited many kennels and their quality of dogs. We know what it’s like to look at hundreds of websites looking for that perfect pet from a reputable breeder. Making money seems to be more important than raising quality pets and ensuring healthy, happy puppies go to safe and loving homes. For your benefit, here are some things to consider when adopting your next family member. -Questionaire: A reputable breeder will care about the home the puppy will be raised in. He/she will ask the buyer questions regarding how he/she will care for puppy, inquire about the environment pup will live. -Can you relate with the breeder? Is she someone you can call on for any question while you are raising your Shih Tzu for the life of your pet? Or is her commitment complete after you pick up your pet? I care deeply about every pet that’s delivered from one of my girls or from a Dam of one of my wonderful friends. They are like family to me/us. I would love to receive periodic updates and pictures. I am here to offer advice on raising, training and taking care of your puppy. I feel as a responsible breeder this is one of my commitments to new owners. -Reasonable Guarantee: Does the breeder offer a health guarantee and for how long? Breeders will advertise they offer a health guarantee, but they are typically only a 48 hour vet guarantee. We give a double health guarantee. We give the 7 day vet guarantee and against the main viruses. However, what sets us apart is we give a TWO YEAR genetic health guarantee. Breeders that only offer a 6 month genetic guarantee know that it takes 6 months+ for genetic health problems to show up. This is all according to our contract. -Puppy size: A responsible breeder will not guarantee you the size the puppy will be. Responsibly, I can only tell you an estimated-guesstimated adult weight according to growth charts. I can tell you the parent size so you can better know what yours may be. -Parents on premise: All puppies-in-the-window are darling and cute. Don't let a puppy steal your heart just because it is cute. The cutest puppy can grow up rather ugly and with a lot of health issues. Seeing the parents should give you a good idea of what the puppy will look like and behave like. -Pen conditions: Has the pet always been in a small cage or with loving, caring, hands-on family with freedom to run and play? Our pet pen grows as they grow and is in our home or the home of one of my Breeder friends, so the puppies get continual attention through the day. They are socialized with humans and doggie friends. -Is the environment heat-cold protected? Our pups even though raised inside, stayed on a heating pad for the first 3 weeks to ensure they not become chilled. 3+ weeks old puppies are raised indoors, not on cold concrete or linoleum flooring indoors or outdoors. -Kibble Quality: Are they mal-nourished? or underfed (some breeders underfeed to keep a puppy small size)? Did the mother and puppies eat a high grade, quality kibble which does not contain corn? Our Mamas and Puppies are fed PURINA PRO-PLAN PUPPY, a premium puppy food that does not contain wheat-gluten or corn. -Physical Stimuli: Are they given ample exercise and given various stimuli for the best head-start in developing muscles and keen awareness? We use the BIO-SENSOR PROGRAM on our puppies which provides early neurological stimulation to give the puppy a superior advantage. Its development utilizes 5 exercises from days 3-16 one time per day to stimulate the neurological system. The benefits are: 1. Improved cardio vascular performance(heart rate) 2. Stronger heart beats 3. Stronger adrenal glands 4. More tolerance to stress 5. Greater resistance to disease In tests of learning, stimulated pups were found to be more active and more exploratory than non-stimulated pups, performed higher in problem solving tests, such as using detours in a maze, were less disturbed or upset by test conditions when comparisons were made. Early Neurological Stimulation provides a smarter, stronger, calmer,more well adjusted puppy. -Vet checked: Will your puppy be vet checked with ear, heart, lung exams? In this economy, I've heard breeders are foregoing a vet check to reduce their costs. We vet check all our puppys. - Groomed: Will the puppy be groomed when picked up? Here, not only will our puppies have been groomed all along, but will be looking beautiful when you come to pick him/her up. This includes clipping nails, expressing anal glands, clipping hair from pads of feet and genitals, pulling hair from ears. A kennel is not in good sterile condition if you visit a puppy to find it had been lying in poop! -Toys: Our puppies receive various toys to stimulate their senses and aid with their teething. -Potty training: Here our puppies have begun with their pee pad training at 3 weeks, when they begin their weaning process. If they are older,( 4 months or more) they will be acclimated to going potty outside with our adult dogs. -A Reputable Breeder will take back a dog he/she has bred or help to find it a home should the owner no longer be able to care for it.
If there were just two things that I could stress upon you, that you'll take with you after reading this page, it's: DON'T BE IN A BIG HURRY to buy a puppy from the first person who has puppies available and DO YOUR HOMEWORK first! This is a long term commitment for you and your family both financially and emotionally. So you owe it to yourself (and to your new puppy) to buy from a good breeder who health tests their dogs and breeds to the AKC SHIH TZU Standard so that you could have a good example of the breed and a healthy companion for many years to come.
Above all, once you find and purchase your next pet, please be a RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNER. This includes training your dog to be a good companion to all including children and other pets. See that your fury companion has regular veterinary care, spay or neutered for its own safety, and be considerate of neighbors and others who may come in contact with your dog.
Thank you for considering adopting one of our little Shih Tzu puppies. If you are not 100% sure which puppy to choose, I encourage you to interview with several breeders and see the living conditions. Just be confident that you are getting a healthy, happy pet. If you choose us, I look forward in meeting you and helping you find the puppy of your dreams. Blessings in finding your next fury addition to your family. You can count on us to be YOUR REPUTABLE BREEDER!
Ali and Robyn Bells Arizona Shih Tzu and Rockin R Farms Shih Tzu www.BellsAzShihTzu.com
~From the ANCIENT IMPERIAL PALACE to OUR SOUTHWEST ARIZONA HOMES~ |
|
Recognized as a quality Breeder. Discover 300+ breeds & find shih tzu puppies for sale. |
|