Just a Little Update

I didn’t realize it had been so long since I updated everyone on how things are going. We have retired a few dogs and added some new ones since the last blog post. Trixie is enjoying retirement, living out her best life on our couch. Honey has recently been retired as well. We will be looking for a new home for her soon. Hunter just left us to go to his new home where he can get ALL of the love and snuggles and Bentley did as well. Retiring my dogs is always hard. Well, not the actual retirement but the deciding to rehome certain ones. I wish I could keep them all but honestly that wouldn’t be fair to them. Some do great in multidog families and some do better with just one dog to share attention with, those are the ones we find new homes for.

We added a few dogs to our program as well. We held a puppy back from a litter to be a future stud, we named him Paddington and he is just about perfect. We also got a new male and female shih tzu, Rye and Ginger. We adore them already and they have settled in quite nicely with our crew. So we have had quite a few changes take place within the last six months or so. Stay tuned for more exciting things to come :)

Update on Simon

Sweet, sweet Simon. I posted a few days ago about how dangerous hypoglycemia can be and how quickly it can happen, even for an experienced breeder. Today I am happy to update everyone that our sweet boy Simon is doing fantastic. He has made a full recovery and is getting caught up on playtime with his brothers.

I have kept his sweet family in the know through every step of his recovery and no one is happier than they are to know he is going to be just fine. They joined us in praying for him as soon as they were made aware of the situation and those extra prayers definitely helped our sweet boy. They have also been made aware that he is now spoiled and I’m okay with that. I believe in spoiling my dogs and puppies. If you aren’t looking for that then I am NOT your breeder.

I am extremely grateful for our vet and his staff. I hear horror stories all of the time about pets being lost due to negligence by a vet or because the office refused to see the dog in a timely manner. I am so happy that my vet has a love for my dogs like I do and his office staff truly loves their clients. They saved sweet Simon and comforted me when I came in in a total mess. I love each of my puppies, they aren’t just a “paycheck” to me. They are prayed over daily. I pray for their health and specifically for the right home for them. I am not a breeder because it “pays well” because to be completely honest, it doesn’t. It takes a lot of money to care for my babies. I do this because I truly love it. I love watching new life come into this world. I love getting to work with my puppies to ensure they get the best start in life and then I get great joy in finding the perfect homes for each one.

I will leave you all with a video of sweet Simon, our miracle baby, playing for the first time since Monday. Thank you all for your prayers! None of this would have been possible without them.

We almost lost him…

Father’s Day started like any other day. The puppies were given their breakfast of puppy mush, which they picked at and mama went in to nurse, but Simon, who is the smallest in the litter, kept getting pushed out of the way by his much bigger brothers. Mama has been weaning them for the past two weeks now and so her milk is all but gone, which means what little was there was quickly taken in by Alvin and Theodore. All three boys started out playing like usual but as the day went on we noticed that Simon was sleeping a lot more than normal. By 8 pm we knew something wasn’t right. I immediately gave Simon some Karo syrup. His blood sugar had dropped and he was very lethargic. I reached out to my vet who instructed me to give him puppy formula by syringe to attempt to get some nutrients into his little body. I syringe fed him several times before he started throwing it all back up. I kept a close eye on him all night. At about 8 am the next morning Simon suffered a seizure. I immediately notified my vet and rushed him into their office. He was examined and it was determined that he had a very low blood sugar also known as hypoglycemia. He was given fluids, nausea meds and a small amount of food. Once they determined that he was stable enough to go home, we were sent home with supplies for IV fluids, special canned food and more meds. I fed him small amounts of food every 1-2 hours all day and gave him 2 IVs for dehydration from the vomiting. We were told that it would be touch and go for a couple of days but that if he bounced back then he wouldn’t have any long term effects. He slept laying on my chest or curled up with my husband all of Monday. Then on Tuesday slowly we began to see small improvements. First, he began to whine to let us know that he needed to potty, then he began standing and walking and today for the very first time, he played with his brothers. He still isn’t 100% but he is so close.

I write all of this to say… I warn and educate my new puppy parents about the dangers of hypoglycemia in their small puppies. I give them handouts telling them what to look for and how to treat but I had never personally had a puppy experience it. I have always payed close attention to how much my puppies eat and they are fed at least three times a day but even with all of that I still almost lost sweet Simon. It happened fast and luckily I have an amazing vet who always responds to emergencies quickly. I hate to think what could have happened had I not known what to do and had a vet that took me seriously when I told him that something just wasn’t quite right. So… pay close attention to your sweet babies and monitor their food intake closely. This litter has been extremely picky with their food which has made the weaning process difficult. Most people will tell you that your dog won’t starve itself so if they turn their nose up at their food then let them but I am here to tell you that for toy breed puppies, you CAN NOT do that. They are so small that they don’t have a lot of fat reserves to pull from and they can and will go down extremely quickly if you aren’t careful. So don’t give up until you find a food that they will eat and make sure they eat it frequently. And once again, find a vet that listens and takes your concerns seriously. Thank the Lord, Simon looks to make a full recovery and will go on to live a nice long life with his sweet family.

Officially Six Weeks!

Alvin, Simon and Theodore are officially six weeks old now :) They have been learning and growing so much in the last couple of weeks. They are getting better at eating their puppy food, they are still nursing off of mama several times a day. They are figuring out the tunnel and have started playing tug of war with some of the toys. They are still unsure of some loud sounds but we are making great progress. They are exploring more of the house and getting all of the snuggles. They have had their first “grooming” with a sanitary cut and they all did phenomenal.

These boys are just so sweet. Alvin is the most vocal so far but is still relatively quiet. I think this litter is the quietest litter I have had so far. Theodore is just a fluffy ball of love and Simon is just too cute for words. Simon has started coming out of his shell more in the last couple of days and it has been adorable to watch. He is getting braver with exploring although he still loves to curl up in my lap. They go tomorrow for their six week shots and checkup at the vet and I am a little sad at how fast time has flown. In just three short weeks they will be ready to go to their new homes. They are all three still looking for their furever home so if you are interested in one of these sweet boys then you can fill out a Puppy Application. You can also see these sweet boys on my YouTube channel, The Luckie Puppy.

Heartbreak

The loss of a puppy is something that every breeder experiences at one point or another, but no matter how many times, it doesn’t get any easier. Each puppy, in each litter, was planned for and prayed over. I have been lucky in that I have only experienced this loss a few times, but it hurts each time. This most recent loss may be the most painful of them all. Trixie, our beloved five year old shih-tzu mama, just blessed us with five beautiful babies, three beefy boys and two dainty girls. We were the most excited over this litter because it is Trixie’s last litter and we had planned to keep a girl. When she went into labor late in the afternoon on June 7th everything went as planned. She gave birth quickly and without any complications. She gave us not one but two beautiful little girls to choose from. One was her twin, brown and white with an adorable little brown nose. This was the one we chose. We named her Ginger. Ginger, was thriving, she was nursing like a champ and was even able to push her much bigger brothers out of the way to get to her favorite spot next to mom. Everything was great, until it wasn’t…

I was outside working for a couple of hours yesterday and came back in to check on Trixie and her puppies who were resting in their whelping pen in my bedroom. I always count puppies when I walk in to make sure someone didn’t get stuck under or behind mama. I counted only four. I began to frantically look for the missing puppy, there she was nestled behind her mama’s head. I was relieved until I picked her up and felt that she was cold and was acting very lethargic. I immediately began warming her up and tried to get her to nurse. After 30 minutes of no success, I called my vet. I rushed her in and they were able to get some formula in her and she perked back up. I brought her home feeling more optimistic than I had when I left. I stayed up all night feeding her every 2-3 hours and making sure she was warm and safe with mama. She seemed to be doing okay and I thought we had dodged a bullet. I stayed by her and Trixie’s side the entire time until this sweet girl that we all had fallen in love with breathed her last. We are all heartbroken. She was so loved and cared for in her short time with us. I find peace in knowing that this precious girl only knew love while she was with us but it still hurts losing her.

Early Neurological Stimulation

What is Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS)? It is a variety of exercises done with each puppy from day 3 of life through day 16 of life. The purpose of these exercises is to help each puppy respond better to different stressors as it grows. Day 3 starts with just handling the puppy and holding it in different positions for just a few seconds at a time. We do this alone until day 7 and then we start introducing different scents as well as gently placing each puppy on a different textured surface for just a few seconds.  We continue this until the puppies are roughly 16 days old.

Once the puppies have their eyes open and are able to move around more then we start to introduce more new textures as well as some new sounds. We introduce the potty pan when we start puppy mush around 3 to 4 weeks of age. We work diligently to get each puppy to only use the designated potty pan over the next week. During the next few weeks, we will introduce the electric toothbrush. We turn the toothbrush on and hold it on their paws to simulate a nail grinder as well as running it carefully over their bodies to simulate a groomer’s clippers. We focus on the face and head, as this seems to be the most sensitive area. We do NOT use a toothbrush that spins though, we don’t want to tangle the coat.

We also are introducing items in their play area with varying heights to encourage them to climb and not be afraid of steps later. We have a small tunnel that we encourage them to walk through as well as setting up obstacle courses for them to have to work through. This encourages problem solving as well as overcoming the unknown. We expose the puppies to different loud sounds to desensitize them to things such as thunder or fireworks.

These “exercises” are all done during playtime every day. I also use these exercises to help match puppies to their new owners. Some puppies, no matter how much I work with them, will still need more help building their confidence once they go home and I make sure that their new owners know this. I can tell which puppies will typically be easier to train during this time and which ones will need a little extra patience.

All of this helps ensure my puppies get the best start in life, but puppy imprinting doesn’t stop when they leave me. As a new owner, you have a responsibility to continue working with and training your new puppy as all my hard work can be undone if you don’t.

Why Deposits are Important

Due to the increase in people using cute puppies to scam people out of their hard earned money, it has become increasingly harder to do business as a breeder. The consensus now is that if a breeder requires a deposit to hold a puppy then they are a scammer, however, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Breeders that require a deposit do so to protect themselves. People are quick to say that they want a puppy and will even go as far as schedule a time to pick up their puppy and then just not show up. This hurts the breeder because they have held a puppy for someone who didn’t have any intention of getting it and now the puppy has to wait longer to go to their forever home which often times means more expense for the breeder, not to mention the other families that wanted the puppy but couldn’t get them because they were told the puppy was already promised to someone.

If you find a puppy that you want and the breeder requires a deposit but you aren’t comfortable paying one without seeing the puppy in person then ask them to meet you somewhere so you can see the puppy and meet them face to face. There are ways for you to ensure that you are not dealing with a scammer but using the blanket statement that all breeders that require a deposit are just trying to scam you is hurting the reputable breeders. We strive to find the best homes for our puppies and we want them to go to their new homes as soon as they can because getting all of that time with their forever family is super important. It is less stressful on the puppy when they go home in a timely manner. So, do your due diligence, find a reputable breeder and don’t make a fuss about a deposit.

You Get What You Pay For

We have all heard the saying “you get what you pay for”. This saying couldn’t be more true than when it comes to the purchase of a new puppy. I know that we all have a budget and not everyone can afford to spend $1000 plus on a new puppy but I will tell you that most breeders who are charging $1000 or more are doing so because their puppies are worth it. We put a ton of time, money and work into each litter that we produce. Our work doesn’t just start when the litter hits the ground. We are working with our adult dogs daily and we take extra care of our mamas before, during and after breeding. Our mamas get special food to ensure they get proper nutrition so they can be at optimal health when they whelp. They continue to get special food while they are nursing so they can maintain their health while ensuring their puppies get what they need. We bring mama into her whelping area into our bedroom 2 weeks before she is due to whelp so she can get comfortable. We watch her and care for her around the clock until she delivers then we watch and care for her and her puppies. They stay in our bedroom for the first 2 to 3 weeks until they are big enough to start walking around. We are constantly cleaning the whelping and nursery area to ensure everyone stays healthy. We handle the puppies daily so they are well socialized when they go home. They get baths and nails trimmed on a regular basis and when they are right at 6 weeks old we do a sanitary cut on them so they have experienced being trimmed with clippers. They get brushed on a regular basis so they are used to a brush. They go outside on our covered porch when the weather is nice so they get to see our cat and hear our goats, cows and chickens. They get to smell new smells and hear traffic on the highway. We vacuum around their play yard so they are used to hearing it. We play the sounds of thunderstorms over loud speakers while hitting the floor next to their play area with our hands so they can not only get used to hearing thunder but they get used to feeling the vibration in their feet from it. We start out low and slow with this so they aren’t scared in the beginning. We gradually build up to it being loud. We wave things over their play area so they aren’t startled by unexpected items heading their way. They live in our house so they hear the noises of a normal household. They know the sound of a dishwasher, washing machine and dryer, blow dryer, kids playing and dogs barking. They know the sound of a television, radio and phone ringing. We try to expose them to as many sounds and experiences as we safely can. We put in countless hours ensuring that our puppies are the best that they can be. So when you see the price of our puppies, just know that you are paying for more than just a puppy. You are paying for our expertise in raising quality puppies.

It’s Time to Go Home

8 weeks flew by and now these babies are leaving to go to their new homes. Cupcake’s litter left this weekend and while I was sad to see them leave, I know they went to fantastic families where they will be thoroughly loved and spoiled. Molly’s litter will be leaving this next weekend and they are going to some pretty fantastic families as well. This part is equally the hardest and best. It’s hard because I love these puppies so much and have gotten extremely attached but it is the best because I know the families they are going to are so excited to get them. It is very rewarding seeing the smiles on their faces when I hand them their puppy. This is really why I do what I do.

They’re 6 weeks

Well, we have finally made it to 6 weeks with both Cupcake and Molly’s litters. They have now both been to get their first set of shots and to be checked by our wonderful vet and everyone is healthy and doing great. Cupcakes puppies will be going to their new homes next weekend at 8 weeks and we are so excited for them but a little sad as well. We always get super attached to these sweet little ones and it is always hard to let them go. Molly’s puppies are still looking for their furever homes. We haven’t been pushing for them new homes as much because they have needed a little extra work to overcome a lack of confidence. They are showing great progress already and I can’t wait to watch them continue to improve. The little black and white female is by far the most curious and fearless. She doesn’t seem to mind loud noises too much and is always the first to come check out any noises or any new things added to their play yard. I have no doubt that with more work they will be just fine by the time they are ready to go at 8 weeks. They are all super friendly and playful, they just get a little nervous in new environments but we are working with them on that and they are making great progress. So if you are looking for a dog that will run headfirst into any situation then the black and white female is the one for you but if you want a dog that is going to be a little more cautious then any of the other three would make a great pick.

I know not everyone would share any challenges their puppies are facing or have faced but transparency is important to me. I want you to know as much about the puppy you are getting from me as possible, which means sharing the good, the bad and the sometimes ugly. Just know that I will NEVER place a puppy that is not ready or is facing any health challenges.

Molly’s Litter week 3

This precious little litter turned 4 weeks today. Week 3 was a big week for them though. The last of the litter opened their eyes and they have started playing more. They haven’t figured out their barks yet but they make the cutest little squeaks. They got their first baths today and got nails trimmed. They did great with both. They don’t mind the sound of the blow drier and they actually seem to like the brush. They will get introduced to puppy mush this week and the potty pan. We are actually going to be trying them on the Fresh Patch grass. We will see if we like it better and if they take to it better than the alfalfa pellets. Mom is still spending most of her day snuggling them, sleeping on mom seems to be their favorite past time right now. They have been doing great with different sounds. They are accustomed to and comfortable with my kids playing loudly, the vacuum cleaner, dogs barking and thunder (we have had some pretty loud storms lately). They got to go out on the back porch this morning and hear the chickens, ducks, goats and cows and they got to meet our farm cat, Cole. Their personalities are just starting to show and so far the black and white little girl seems to be the most active and playful but I’m sure her siblings will catch up to her soon. The little brown and white girl just loves to be snuggled and is content to sleep on your chest or in your arms. Both of the boys have been very laid back so far. I can’t wait to see how their personalities begin to blossom over the next week.

Cupcake’s Litter Week 4

It’s so crazy to think that these sweet babies are almost 5 weeks old now. They have grown and changed so much in the last couple of weeks. They are starting to play more and they have both found their bark. We have given them 2 baths as well as their first dose of dewormer and they have had their nails trimmed multiple times now. They do great with bath time and are very relaxed with nail trims. We have also started to slowly introduce puppy mush, they haven’t decided if they like it or not… They both have their furever homes already lined up and their new owners are getting weekly videos and pictures and they have been able to video chat to see their sweet pups in real time. Mom is still being very attentive and spends most of her day hanging out with her babies. She hasn’t needed to correct any bad behaviors yet as these babies are probably the most chill litter I have ever had. They are getting more play time outside of their play pen and they are loving exploring the house. We are introducing a potty pan and will start working with them on going in it. We are also introducing more sounds. They are accustomed to the sound of dogs barking, my kids playing loudly, the vacuum cleaner as well as thunder and today they got to go out on the back porch and hear the chickens, goats, cows and ducks. They also got to meet the farm cat, Cole. They are taking every new sound in stride and haven’t really shown any fear yet. We introduce these sounds slowly as not to traumatize them. The little boy tends to be a little more curious and is quicker to check things out than his sister, Zoey. In just a little over a week they will be visiting our vet for their first set of shots and well visit. The next few weeks with them will definitely be bitter sweet. We love them so much but we are so excited for their new families as well.

Molly’s Yorkiepoo litter

We have been blessed with a sweet litter of yorkipoo’s from our sweet girl, Molly. She delivered these precious babies on July 1st. We have been loving every minute of getting to snuggle all four of her precious babies. We have been getting them accustomed to being held and handled just like we have been working on with Cupcake’s litter. They are growing fast and Molly has been a great mama. They were born in the middle of the day and Molly did fantastic with her labor and delivery. She managed everything without any intervention on our part. We were simply there to offer support. She gave birth to two sweet girls and 2 precious boys. We can’t wait to watch them grow.

Check back in next week for their two week update.

Cupcake’s litter Week 2

The litter is now two weeks old and they have grown so much. Cupcake is still an amazing mama. This past week mainly consisted of just getting the puppies accustomed to being handled on a regular basis. We played with their paws and touched their mouths. We snuggled them and carried them all throughout the house. They slept in our laps while we watched tv at night. The little boy's eyes opened yesterday and as of me typing this, the little girl still has hers closed. We are still getting them accustomed to different textures and different smells but we will wait until they are getting around better before we start anything else. We also had their first big photo shoot the other day and they did amazing. They really are very calm puppies so far. Check back next week to see how week three goes.

The First Week

We are almost one whole week in with Cupcake’s first litter and I couldn’t be more proud of her as a mama. She has truly been an amazing mom. I honestly wasn’t sure how she would do because she was very unsure of the whole whelping process. Luckily, I was there to help her and she flew through it. So, now that the whelping is out of the way, what does the first week look like? The first three days are spent keeping mama and babies clean by constantly changing pads and bedding and giving mom ample time to bond with her babies. I try to be very hands off during this time unless needed. On day four we begin handling the puppies and introducing their sweet little paws to a different texture. We also begin slowly introducing them to different smells. We do this by putting a drop of lavender, lemon, lime or any scent onto a cotton ball and passing it in front of their nose while holding them. It is very interesting to see which scent they will gravitate towards. Some puppies will like lemon and some won’t and some will love lavender while others may hate it. We take things slowly, after all, we do have eight weeks minimum with them. We mainly focus on getting the puppies somewhat comfortable with being handled during the first two weeks. We won’t start the really fun stuff until they have their eyes open and are a little more steady on their feet. Check back next week for week two’s update.

Whelping and the First Few Days

I discussed in an earlier blog post what it is that makes us different and now I want to break down exactly what we do before, during and immediately after whelping. With our sweet Cupcake having just given birth, I thought this was the perfect time.

When our mamas are about a week out from their estimated due date we set up the whelping area in our bedroom. We start getting mama comfortable with the whelping pool. She may sleep in their or just sniff around it and lay next to it but it is important that she be introduced to it early so she is comfortable delivering in it. We use a combination of disposable pads and washable pads in the pool. We utilize the disposable pads during the actual birth and then change over to the washable pads for the next few weeks.

We begin checking mamas temperature several days before her estimated due date. She is given free reign in the house until we notice her temp drop. Once her temp drops she is kept mainly in our whelping area in our bedroom. We don’t want any puppies to be born under any furniture. She is still allowed out in the house and outside to potty but only when she can be closely supervised. She will sleep in the whelping area and relax in there the majority of the day. We strive to keep our bedroom cool and quiet so as not to cause any stress.

Once we observe that mama is in active labor (panting excessively and occasionally shivering) it is all hands on deck. Mama is never left alone while delivering her puppies, whether she is having her first or third litter. We prefer for mama to do all of the work as this is how God intended it but we will step in to break a sac, cut a cord or dry a puppy if needed. We view ourselves as being as supportive as possible without taking over. After all, mama needs to do as much as possible so she can bond with her puppies.

Once mama has safely delivered all of her puppies and we have made sure that all of the placentas have been expelled we make sure that all of the puppies get a good latch and nurse. Once again though, we view ourselves as merely supporting mama so we allow her to navigate as much as possible on her own. We have a puppy safe heating pad that is placed under the pads in the whelping pool to help puppies stay warm but it is small enough that mama can easily lay beside it as to not cause her discomfort.

We keep mama and babies under almost 24 hour supervision until the puppies are close to two weeks old. We want to be there to assist mama and babies when needed and to ensure that no one gets sat on or under a pad. It makes for an exhausting couple of weeks but it is so worth it. We do not handle the puppies, outside of moving them around to change pads and assist with nursing, until they are three days old. At that time we start our Avidog work, I will cover that in a later post.

What Makes Us Different

We are just a few days away from our sweet Cupcake giving birth to her very first litter of shihpoos and I want to take some time to explain why our puppies are different and what sets us apart from other breeders. I have purchased puppies in the past from pet stores, backyard breeders and reputable breeders and I can tell you that there is a very big difference in those three. The one puppy I purchased from a pet store many years ago turned out to be a nightmare to house break and came with a host of behavioral issues while the puppy purchased from a back yard breeder didn’t fair much better. The puppy purchased from a reputable breeder was like night and day from the others. It was after comparing my own personal experiences that I wanted to make sure that I provided the best possible puppy to my puppy parents.

When I am working with my puppies I am continuously thinking of the family that will be getting one of my puppies and I do my best to desensitize them to all sorts of “scary” things. When my puppies leave me they will not startle to a vacuum or to fireworks or a variety of other loud noises. They are also very comfortable being handled and having basic grooming done. They get sanitary cuts, nails trimmed and baths on a regular basis. I run clippers over their bodies so they can feel the vibration and not be scared at their first groom. I handle their paws daily so they won’t mind nail trims and I use a variety of different methods when rinsing them during baths, they are used to being rinsed with cups as well as an overhead spray wand. I begin introducing them to all different textures as soon as they start pulling themselves around so they will be comfortable on any surface. They are put through mini obstacle courses when they are 5+ weeks old to encourage problem solving and to also help with the fear of the unknown. I work with my puppies every day so they are used to being handled and held.

I use my experience with past purchases of poorly bred dogs to ensure that you aren’t getting one. I know the frustration that can bring and my goal is to give my puppies the absolute best start in life. When you get a puppy from us, you are getting a puppy that I personally have poured my heart and soul into. I love each and every puppy that we have and I don’t approve every single application that is submitted.

After choosing one of our puppies and being approved I send regular pictures and videos of your puppy. I will also video chat with you so you can see your puppy as well as my mama dog. I will answer any questions you may have both before and after you get your puppy. I still have contact with puppy owners, who are now friends, of puppies from previous litters. I will always help and support you. If you get a puppy from me then great, but if not then I hope you connect with a breeder that will meet all of your needs and get you the very best puppy for you.

Before You Buy

Buying a puppy can be an exciting time, whether it’s your first puppy or your tenth but one thing that can ruin the whole experience is a bad breeder or better yet, a scammer. Scamming people out of their hard earned money has been a problem within the dog breeding community for a while now. I speak with people on a regular basis who have fallen victim. So I’m going to share some things to look for and some questions to ask before handing over any money.

The first thing is to either see the puppy in person or to see the puppy through a video chat. If seeing in person, don’t get upset if you aren’t allowed at the breeders house. I personally don’t allow anyone on my property to see puppies because it poses a health risk. Parvo is a very real danger and I won’t risk my puppies health and well being. I will however, meet you at our local police department after the puppies have had their first set of shots. If the “breeder” refuses to let you see the puppy at all then you should run because this is definitely a scam. If you are allowed to see the puppy through a video chat, don’t be afraid to ask to see the parent dogs as well as their living arrangements. You don’t want to just avoid scammers but you also don’t want your puppy coming from an irresponsible breeder or worse yet a puppy mill.

Some questions you should be asking to avoid this are what health tests do you do on your breeding dogs, how many dogs do you have, how many litters a year do you have, where are your dogs housed, do you have a vet reference, do you offer a health guarantee, how do you socialize your puppies, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask all of the questions. If a breeder acts bothered by your questions then that isn’t the breeder for you. You want to feel comfortable with the breeder because your relationship shouldn’t end when you get your puppy. I tell my puppy parents that they can call me anytime and ask me anything. I know their puppy better than they do in the beginning because I have spent countless hours a day with them for the first 8-10 weeks of their life. I also know the parents temperament and a lot of times the puppies will take after one or the other, so I can a lot of times help with any behavioral problems that arise in the beginning.

If a breeder is advertising health tested puppies then you should ask to see those results. Some breeders will advertise even though testing was never done or testing was done but the dogs were not clear. Another big thing to check is if a dog that is being used to breed purebred puppies is in fact a purebred dog. I personally have run across this. Just because a dog is AKC registered does not mean it is in fact purebred. You should ask to see DNA results. All of my dogs are tested through Embark for genetic conditions as well as for breed. If one of my dogs has anything “mixed” in, I will tell you up front but my goal is to never have to have that conversation with you because my goal is to not have anything “mixed” in that shouldn’t be there. My shih-tzus will be shih-tzus and my shihpoos will be shihpoos.

One of the best ways to determine if a breeder is to be trusted is to get a vet reference. Speaking to their vet can tell you a lot. You want to know if the parent dogs are up to date on shots and how often they see them. Ask if when the breeder brings the parent dogs in are they in good condition or are they matted and dirty. Also ask if the parent dogs are skittish at all or do they appear well socialized. Obviously some dogs, no matter how well socialized, hate the vet so just know that that may not be the best indicator on how well the dogs are ultimately cared for. You also want to make sure that the puppies are checked by the vet prior to going home. Most vet’s will tell you what you need to know. Just know that the breeder has to give their vet permission to speak to you first.

Buying your puppy from a responsible and caring breeder is the best way to ensure you get the best dog possible. Breeders can’t guarantee that you won’t ever have an issue with the dog you got from them as a puppy, as you have to take some responsibility in that area as well, but we can guarantee that your puppy got the absolute best start in life. Just remember to be patient when searching for your puppy and take the time to build a relationship with your breeder as they will be a huge asset as your puppy grows.