[Adam]

We make no apology if any of the following sounds patronising. Far too many bad stories exist for us to be too concerned about that. We make these points to make people aware of some of what they should be looking for in a puppy and a breeder. This guide is far from exhaustive and is in addition to what might be considered common sense points such as the puppies, mother and overall environment being clean and in decent condition and the breeder showing at least some breed specific knowledge.

Most puppy buyers are vulnerable. You are, even if you don't think you are. You have several hundred pounds to spend in a fairly unregulated environment and for the most part know very little about what to look for.

DO NOT take home a Shih Tzu puppy under the age of 8 weeks.
It is better if the puppy is 9-10 weeks old but it is unacceptable for a reputable breeder to let them go before 8 weeks and unfair on the puppy for you to ask.

Reputable breeders DO NOT breed with unregistered pedigree animals.
even if the puppies are not being KC registered.

ALWAYS expect to see the mother with her puppies at the breeder's house.
Anything else is NOT good enough. If you aren't prepared to make the trip to see your prospective puppy a reputable breeder shouldn't sell it to you, save in exceptional circumstances.

All puppies should have seen a vet before you buy, if not you are taking more of a risk.
Better yet, they should have had 1 or more of their vaccinations. Some breeders don't like to vaccinate until later on so if your puppy is unvaccinated and you are happy with the breeder's reasons why then fine. It should have been seen by a vet though.

DO ask if the breeder is a member of a breed club.
or, at the very least, abides by a breed club code of ethics.

Expect as a MINIMUM to receive:
written diet advice, worming record, legible pedigree, written advice on grooming and training and clear breeder contact details.

DON'T be fooled by ads claiming famous breeding lines.
Some of them are genuine but it only takes 2 generations of indiscriminate breeding to make the supposed benefits of a claim like that almost meaningless. Ask to see the pedigree, if those famous names that attracted you are only seen further back than grandparents, they don't have that much influence.

DON'T allow yourself to be rushed into a quick decision.
Even if taking your time means you miss out on a particular puppy. Equally, don't waste people's time.

A written contract setting out what is expected of both parties is highly desirable.


Further information can be found at the following links:

Breed Club Codes of Ethics
(this one is the Shih Tzu Club's one but all 5 clubs have very similar codes of ethics)

Finding Puppies & Breeders
(this is a post on here which can help point you in the right direction)