Shih Tzu Breeders - What you must know!

If you have decided what your new family dog will be, and you have decided on a Shih Tzu, then you will then need to find Shih Tzu breeders in your area. It is always a good idea to have more than one breeder to consider, as you want to feel totally comfortable with the breeder you are buying from because you will be dealing with that breeder for many years to come. A good relationship is important to a good ownership experience with your new Shih Tzu dog.

The first place you want to look for a reputable Shih Tzu breeder is with the National Kennel Club. The National Kennel Club is the standard used by any reputable breeder in the United States and other parts of the world and if a breeder is not listed with the National Kennel Club then chances are you do not want to deal with that breeder anyways. You can either mail the National Kennel Club for their most recent information of you can give them a call at (865) 932-9680. This is probably the best place to start when looking for a good Shih Tzu breeder.

It is unusual, but not unheard of, that good Shih Tzu breeders choose not to list with the National Kennel Club. To find the local Shih Tzu breeder near you then you can search on the Internet or use your local phone book. The Internet may be better because a website can offer detailed information about a breeder and his business and that is the kind of information you are looking for.

A vet is always a great place for a referral on where to find a reputable Shih Tzu breeder. If you have pets of your own already then ask your vet for a referral to a good Shih Tzu breeder. Your vet may already do business with a breeder, which would be a great help to you. If you do not have a vet then visit your local vet for advice or ask one of your family members or friends who have pets who their vet is and take it from there.

The world is a smaller place thanks to the Internet and you can access any kind of information you can ever want with a search of the World Wide Web. The Internet is home to many forums and message boards including valuable message boards and chat rooms dedicated to Shih Tzu breeders and dogs. Not only can folks on a Shih Tzu message board help you find a breeder but they can also answer any questions about Shih Tzu’s that you may have.

A Shih Tzu breeder is just as important as the dog itself as your relationship with your breeder is very important to you and your dog. Make sure you take your time looking for the right breeder and also make sure you feel completely comfortable with the breeder you finally decide on. Your family’s happiness, and your new puppy’s life, depend on you choosing a good breeder.

With the information in this article you should be able to find a reputable Shih Tzu breeder. This article will show you where to find important Shih Tzu information.

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.

A reputable breeder will be offering you pet insurance when the sale is over that will extend for six weeks after you take the puppy home. Ask your Shih Tzu breeder about this pet insurance, how you are supposed to use it, how it works, and what it can do for you and your dog. If you do not get offered any pet insurance by your breeder then ask them why, because they get it for free so they should be offering it to you.

When it is time to take your Shih Tzu home your Shih Tzu breeder will have a lot of care and feeding information for you to look over and you have to completely understand it for the health of your dog. If you do not understand something then ask your breeder about it because they know how important it is for you to completely understand the responsibilities that come along with your new Shih Tzu puppy.

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.

You can use this article to figure out the questions to ask Shih Tzu breeders. You can find very important Shih Tzu information in this article in regards to questions to ask breeders.

You and your family have talked it over and it is time to add a new member to your family. Everyone wants a Shih Tzu and now it is up to you to find the right way to get a good dog for you and your family. You are going to need to find a good Shih Tzu breeder and this first step is one of the most important steps in the process. Finding the right breeder can make your experience in owning the dog that much better.

The place you can start is any of the national breeder registries you can find on the Internet or just skip right to the National Kennel Club, which is the standard by which many breeders go by in the United States. The registry will point you towards a quality breeder and help you start your search off on the best foot possible to get the best results.

The relationship between you and your Shih Tzu breeder extends way beyond the transaction itself. A good breeder wants to make sure you have a positive experience in owning the dog so they will make themselves available for consultation or whenever you have a question at all. If the breeder you are dealing with is not very accessible and seems unable or unwilling to answer questions then you may want to pick a different Shih Tzu breeder to deal with.

Every good breeder is very concerned about your dog’s health so a good breeder will make sure you leave their property not only with a healthy dog but with detailed care and feeding instructions so you know exactly how to care for your dog. Many of the more reputable breeders will also send you home with a sample of the type of food your dog will need so you know exactly what to get.

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.

This article has valuable information for spotting fake Shih Tzu breeders. This article contains a great deal of helpful Shih Tzu information.

When you are ready to buy a Shih Tzu dog you are ready to bring a new member into your family and that is a big deal and an important transaction. The Shih Tzu breeder you choose needs to be someone you feel comfortable doing business with and someone you can trust. Also gauge the feeling of the breeder as well. A breeder that does not seem to really care about the dogs he is selling is probably not worth doing business with.

Finding the right Shih Tzu breeder takes a lot of time and a lot of patience. You don’t want to settle on the first one you meet and a good breeder knows that a good owner will do their homework before buying a dog. So you aren’t hurting a good breeder’s feelings by acting responsibly. If in your travels you see any animal cruelty by any breeders be sure to report it to the proper authorities right away.

The very first thing you want to be sure of is whether or not the breeder you are considering is listed with any of the national breeding registries. If you ask the breeder they will tell you if they are or not and then you can go on the Internet and check for yourself, which you should do. A good and reputable breeder has nothing to hide and would have no problem with you checking out their background. Making their practices public is why they join a registry in the first place.

Many people neglect to take a step in their Shih Tzu breeder search that can be very important. Contact your local authorities and ask them if the Shih Tzu breeder you are considering has ever had any complaints lodged against them or if they have ever run into trouble with the law because of the way they run their business. This is very important information to have.

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.

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.

This author was introduced to this wonderful breed through friends who were Shih Tzu breeders. One day no one will ever have to write about the existence of puppy mills in any further Shih Tzu information articles.