How Shih Tzu Breeders Prepare for the Big Day

When it comes to being effective Shih Tzu breeders, the key is to be prepared when the big day comes and the puppies are going to be born. This means that well before the day the puppies are due, you need to have already purchased and readied all of your supplies. You should wait no later than one week before the due date.

In the past, Shih Tzu breeders would often allow their dogs to whelp wherever they wanted. However, today's reputable breeders consider the health and success of the breeding to be an important investment and therefore put a great deal more energy and money into the occasion. Being a Shih Tzu breeder, specifically, is quite a job and you'll have your hands full. You will want to make sure that you are passionate about the breed and about bringing new puppies into the world because you will need to dedicate a lot of your time to the matter.

You will need to take special care to make sure that the mother receives the right nutritional and emotional care and is provided with the right whelping area when the time comes. Creating a proper whelping environment is one of the most vital things that you can do to ensure breeding success.

Of all the supplies you need, the whelping box itself is the most obvious and most important thing you'll need to create. This cannot simply be a cardboard box. It is neither sturdy nor sanitary enough for proper healthy whelping. Instead, you may want to use a manufactured whelping bin that has been created specifically for that purpose.

Some Shih Tzu breeders use plastic storage bins as they are strong and very easy to clean. Others like wooden boxes that are painted with glossy paints that can be effectively wiped clean and disinfected. You may want to invest in additional heating pads that can be placed under the puppies to add extra warmth.

Make sure that you've already chosen a place for the whelping box where it may remain for a few weeks. Once the puppies are whelped, it's not a good idea to move either the mother or the puppies from the original location.

You will also need an additional puppy box that will allow you to keep the puppies warm as the mother is whelping the rest of the litter. Be very careful as you use this as Shih Tzus tend to be very possessive of their puppies. However, it is very important that the puppies stay warm when they are newborn. This box should consist of a shoe box or similar sized plastic box lined with a heating pad and a flannel baby blanket.

Shih Tzu breeders may also need sterilized blunt-ended scissors or sterile hemostats, dental floss or heavy sterile silk sutures, heavy sterile silk sewing thread, petroleum jelly, surgical gloves, surgical antiseptic scrub, a rubber pediatric bulb syringe, a note pad and pen.