Shih Tzu Puppies - What you need to know!

It certainly does make a difference where you get your Shih Tzu puppy from. Don’t just go with any Internet ad or sign in a window saying “Shih Tzu Puppies For Sale!” Chances are all of the Shih Tzu puppies from those places are from inhumane puppy mills. Although puppy mills are concentrated on the east coast of America, they also occur in other parts of the country. Because of the incredible popularity of this feisty toy breed, Shih Tzus are a popular choice for puppy mills.

The best places to find Shih Tzu puppies for sale are licensed Shih Tzu breeders and Shih Tzu rescues. Technically, for any kind of shelter or rescue, you pay an “adoption fee”, but you still have to put money down before taking a Shih Tzu home. In the minds of some people, they see Shih Tzus from rescues as the ultimate bargain for purebred Shih Tzu puppies.

If you take the shelter route in looking for Shih Tzu puppies for sale, keep in mind that they will be older and often have their breed misidentified as a Lhasa Apso. Spend some time getting to know different Shih Tzus in order to recognize a misidentified, scruffy Shih Tzu. Shih Tzus have luxurious, soft coats and a “chrysanthemum” shaped head. They also have round eyes while Lhasa Apsos eyes are shaped like almonds. Or, you could focus on Shih Tzu rescues that do the identifying work for you. Those puppies might even have papers.

Most of the puppies and dogs that end up in Shih Tzu rescues are there through no fault of their own. Their previous owners did not spend the time to learn proper Shih Tzu puppy care – such as how to care for the thick coat – and couldn’t cope with them. Shih Tzu rescues will tell you why the dog was given up before they let you have the dog.

Shih Tzu breeders tend to be small, as they are usually inside someone’s home. Your breeder might not have Shih Tzu puppies for sale right at that moment. You are able to go check out the kennel and meet the potential parents and relatives of your prospective pup so you get a good idea of their personality. You should also be able to see the health certificates of the parents or, technically, the sire and dam.

Shih Tzu breeders will usually do all of the registration for you, and offer you a list of great resources on Shih Tzu puppy care that they recommend. Some Shih Tzu breeders will try and answer all of your questions – but if they don’t know the answer, they should admit it and point you in the right direction. They may even be able to recommend a dog trainer and vet in your area. They are an invaluable support system in your adventure with a Shih Tzu puppy.

This author has written hundreds of articles on dogs, including where to find the best Shih Tzu puppies for sale. Considered one of the leading sources of information on Shih Tzu puppy care in the nation, this author also writes books on many other breeds.

Well your family all voted on it and everyone agrees that it is time to get a Shih Tzu puppy. Now it is up to you to find some place that has a Shih Tzu puppy for sale. It is not as difficult as you may think but there are some rules you should follow and some guidelines you should always keep in mind when buying a Shih Tzu puppy. Remember your family is counting on you.

First and foremost avoid pet stores altogether especially the national chain stores. The Shih Tzu puppy is a special kind of purchase and you do not want to leave the details of such a purchase to a clerk making minimum wage who knows nothing about Shih Tzu care or breeding. Add to that the horrible treatment pet stores give their inventory and it just makes you want to avoid pet stores completely and forever.

Probably the best place to get a Shih Tzu puppy for sale, that you can know and feel confident is a healthy pet, is from a local breeder. Make sure you check out several breeders before buying from one and make sure the one you are buying from checks out with at least some of the national breeder registries or your local vet. A good breeder will be with you for quite a while, so make sure you make the right choice.

Another reason for finding a breeder to buy your Shih Tzu puppy from is that a breeder will offer things like free pet insurance for six weeks after the purchase. This is a great service and can help you out a lot at that first vet visit. A breeder is also going to offer you feeding and care instructions and may even send you off with a food sample so you know what to buy your Shih Tzu puppy for healthy nutrition.

Another great option if you cannot afford the price a breeder will charge you is to contact your local animal rescue organization and ask them about the possibility that they have a Shih Tzu puppy for sale. A Shih Tzu puppy bought from an animal rescue shelter will have been checked over by a qualified vet, usually given all of its shots, tested for socialization and will be ready to take home. That grateful look on their face never goes away either.

A Shih Tzu puppy can make a wonderful pet for you and your family so be sure to take your time and decide which way is the best way for you to buy your Shih Tzu puppy. In the end you will end up with a wonderful family pet and just remember that they require a lot of attention so don’t forget their care and maintenance and they will reward you with years of love.

This article offers great advice on where to get Shih Tzu puppies. Shih Tzu puppy supplies can be found using the information in this article.

After discussing it with your family, everyone has come to the conclusion that they would like a dog. You have done some research, found an excellent breeder, and within a couple of months you have found a wonderful Shih Tzu puppy.

It is important to note that while you might like nothing more than to just hold and play with your new Shih Tzu puppy, you need to also pay attention to how you get the Shih Tzu puppy used to its new home. Take a corner of a room that has a tiled floor (preferably the kitchen) and set up a puppy play area. Until the puppy is housebroken, it is a good idea not to let the puppy out of the puppy play area unsupervised. Thus, creating a play area for your Shih Tzu puppy allows the puppy to be comfortable, yet get the puppy started on the road to being housetrained at the same time.

Some new Shih Tzu puppy owners might become stressed out at the prospect of trying to figure out how large the size of the play corner should be. However, it all is self-explanatory, because the play corner should be able to fit in to everyone’s living space comfortably.

Shih Tzu puppies love soft and cuddly beds. So, make sure that, along with food and water, a comfortable bed is also among the first things that the puppy sees when introduced to its new home. Of course, keep in mind that the puppy corner is not meant to be the puppy’s permanent home.

Indeed, a puppy should be given the full run of the house once it is housebroken. However, the playpen will always come in handy as a source of security for the puppy. So, once the puppy has been housebroken, keep the playpen area available so that whenever the dog feels the need for its own space, it always has its own area.

You have the playpen area all set up with food, water, and a comfortable bed. All that remains now is to add some toys and to start housebreaking your Shih Tzu puppy. When it comes to toys, make sure that you get toys that are safe.

Specifically, there are some dog toys that are available that have parts that can be easily chewed off and pose a choking hazard. The ideal toys for a Shih Tzu puppy are ones that promote teeth health and taste delicious too, such as various kinds of dog treats and dog bones.

When it comes to housebreaking your Shih Tzu puppy, one of the first things that you should do is get a bottle of spray water, and each time you catch the dog marking, you should say a firm “No” and spray the water at the dog.

Of course your new puppy also needs a name. You might choose a name based on the dog's personality. Maybe a reference to something in the Shih Tzu breed's long history would be appropriate, or maybe a combination of both a historical reference and personality trait. A little research into the history of the Shih Tzu breed could help you with this important decision.

If you are looking for a wonderful and inquisitive dog breed, You need look no further than Shih Tzu puppies. There are many different Shih Tzu puppy names that you can choose, but make sure that it’s a name that really fits your puppy!

The Shih Tzu belongs to the toy breed group and is a small animal that weighs just between nine and sixteen pounds and it grows to no more than between eight and eleven inches in height. It also is a dog that comes in a variety of colors and its coat is abundant and long as well as dense and also double-coated. However it does have a profuse as well as luxurious outer-coat that often touches the ground and which is also quite wavy. On the other hand, the Shih Tzu puppies also come with an under-coat that is soft as well as wooly in its texture. As mentioned, the coat comes in a variety of colors and this breed is also a minimal shedder and is considered to be hypoallergenic.

One thing that must be said about Shih Tzu puppies is that they are often known as little lions that have made their way from Tibet, though they are mostly associated with mainland China where they are kept as pets in palaces and are much sought after companions.

Without a doubt, Shih Tzu puppies have a lot of spunk to them even in spite of the fact that they are tiny toy breeds. In fact, they are also known to be very alert and make good watch dogs and they have loads of character. They are certainly very royal as well as dignified in the way they carry themselves about, and courage is another trademark of this excellent breed. Nevertheless, they can also be gentle and also loyal and are known to easily become your friend, though often they can be a bit obstinate.

However, they respond well to training and all it takes is to be patience and they will even learn housetraining. You will have to put up with their pronounced barking, and they are also stubborn, though clever and are known to snap at you if they are surprised or angry about something – so watch out.

After all has been said and done, there is no denying the fact that Shih Tzu puppies are going to make excellent companion dogs, who like to stay indoors and who are most at home when they are around the company of other family members whom they love to distraction. They are also puppies that require a lot of grooming and because of their particular coat require being brushed daily to avoid the possibility of their coat getting matted and tangled up or even knotted.

You also must realize that it is not all that easy to housetrain Shih Tzu puppies, although with crate training you can get around the problem. You also should ensure that it is taken out daily for a walk, though that should not mean that it does not like the indoors – because it is quite at home inside the home as well which is evident when it plays vigorously inside the home.

Because Shih Tzu puppies make excellent companions, you would not mind taking extra care of their thick and abundant coats, which is but a small price to pay for the love and affection that they give you. The purpose of this article is to provide information that can help you learn about the best way regarding how to choose the right Shih Tzu puppy and how best to raise and take care of them.

Now that you have brought your Shih Tzu pup home it is time to start getting your pup to understand the rules of the house and how you want your new dog to behave. Whoa! Slow down there. The Shih Tzu is descended from dogs preferred by Chinese royalty and they maintain that regal air to this day. They carry themselves very well, they have a strong air of confidence, and they are very stubborn and arrogant dogs. This is not going to be easy.

The first thing you want to do when you get your pup home is let it explore its new surroundings a little. You will be confining it to its pen or crate very soon but just let it wander a little and if it starts sniffing in areas, or circling an area, get it outside immediately and then praise the dog when it does its business outside. We will go into housebreaking in a minute but just remember that a Shih Tzu does not respond at all to punishment but they respond very well to praise and positive reinforcement. Such is the ego of the Shih Tzu.

Of course the most important thing on any new Shih Tzu pup owner’s mind is housebreaking the animal. You want the dog to understand that the house is not its personal toilet even though it probably comes into the house thinking that way. You need to get a big crate, or some people prefer to find a room in the house and create a pen, and make that your Shih Tzu pup’s living space. Put its food and bedding there and play with your dog so it is comfortable in its new living space. Then the games begin.

Keep the dog in the crate or pen while you are home and every 45 minutes you need to take it outside and see if it does its thing. If he does go to the bathroom in the designated bathroom area then praise it a lot. The Shih Tzu will not mess its own living area unless you leave it locked up too long and that is why you need to take it out frequently. Then start moving to different parts of the house and repeat the process until the dog gets it. Then you can let it wander.

The coat of a Shih Tzu pup needs to be neat and clean at all times. You will be brushing your Shih Tzu daily to make sure their long coat remains tangle free because if a Shih Tzu gets a tangled coat then that Shih Tzu could wind up sick and that is not something you want to happen. Make sure you discuss bathing habits and needs with your breeder so that you will know how to properly bathe your Shih Tzu pup.

The Shih Tzu pup is a fireball of energy and they want to be right at the center of attention. Your Shih Tzu pup will require a lot of your attention and you should be prepared to be spending a lot of time each day playing with your Shih Tzu pup and getting them to run around and be happy. They are very loyal pets and if you take the time to make them feel happy then they will return that love to you in a way that only the Shih Tzu is capable of.

You can find helpful information on training Shih Tzu puppies in this article. Important and helpful Shih Tzu puppy care information can be found in this article.