PLEASE READ BEFORE
COMPLETING PUPPY APPLICATION!
So many People want a firm price either before the pups are even born, or right after birth.. I find that impossible to do.. here is why..
I will only give you an estimate of their price until the pup is at least 4 weeks old. but rest assured, that once you have put a deposit on a puppy, the price I have quoted you will NOT change. However, until a deposit is received on a pup, I may change the price depending on the quality, color, size etc., as each of our babies are different.. it depends a lot on their estimated size, as the super tiny Tzu in the 5 lb and under range may stay with me up to 4 months before they hit that 2 lb mark that I require to let them go home.. and that is intensive round the clock care. for usually the first 3 months... so of course that puppy will be priced more.. others may be ready to leave at 10 weeks which is the earliest that i will release a baby to go to their new home.. so that baby will be priced lower as it required less intensive care.. then the middle ones, who required round the clock care for the first 6 weeks of life, then settled down and gets to go home at 12 weeks will be priced accordingly.. so you see, this is why with the Chinese Imperial sized Shihtzu that I will not do set prices until pups are at least 4 weeks old.. also, just a note, I am happy to work with you.. I am willing to take payments as long as you are paid in full before puppy goes home.. and IF i allow a Full AKC breeder, well that would be discussed at that time..
We determine each puppy's price by quality, color, size, and pedigree; therefore the prices vary. We can give you an estimated price range for the puppies at birth, but we will not price our puppies until they are 4 weeks old. It is impossible to know each puppy’s conformation, size, and/or color at birth.
The first thing we look at is the CONFORMATION of each puppy.
We strive to produce beautiful baby doll faces, large round heads, big eyes with no visible eye white, high set noses, and perfect bites (total baby doll face)! We also strive for short legs and cobby bodies, straight backs and legs, nice tail sets, and beautiful thick double coats.
Faults in the breed and things to watch out for:
Serious Faults:
Body- Roached back or curved top line.
Head- Narrow head
Eyes- Close set eyes, walleye or cross eye, lack of roundness
Muzzle- Lack of definite stop, receding chin, long muzzle, curved of down sloping
Bite - Overshot
Legs - Bowed legs, out at the elbows
Tail - Straight tail
Pigmentation - Pink spots and/or lack of pigment on nose, eye rims, and lips
Minor Faults:
Bite- Teeth showing when mouth is close, tongue protrudes from the mouth
Tail - low set, kinked tail, tight curled tail
Feet - Pointing out or in
Coat - Single coat, curly or kinky
Hernias and pinched nostrils are things you should be aware of but understand these are common in this breed. They are not life threatening and both can be fixed at the time of spay / neuter if need be.
There are many COLORS in the Shih-Tzu breed: Black, Gold, White, Red, Chocolate, Liver, Brindle, Blue, silver, etc. As you can see there are an array of colors in solid and parti. Some colors are more rare and some are more desired than others. We feel it is just a personal preference for everyone.
There are many thoughts about SIZE…..
We do our best to estimate the size of each puppy. We look at many factors: the size of the parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents if possible. We look at puppies from previous litters as well as what litter-mates may have produced.
We use a couple different methods to help determine APPROXIMATE ADULT WEIGHT:
Method 1
8 week old puppy: weight X 3 = approximate adult weight
10 week old puppy: weight X 2 + 1 = approximate adult weight
12 week old puppy: weight X 2 = approximate adult weight
Method 2
8 week old GIRL weight x 3.8 and 4.2 = approximate adult weight
8 week old BOY weight x 4.2 and 4.8 = approximate adult weight
We are very upfront and honest about the weight of our puppies. We know some people are looking for a specific weight or size and they deserve to have what they are looking for. If we feel a puppy will be bigger or smaller, we will let you know so you can decide if that is still the puppy for you. At that time, if you decide that puppy is not for you; we will be happy to move your deposit to another puppy.
Shih Tzu under 9 lbs. are considered an Imperial….
We break it down into the following categories:
Standard size Shih-Tzu: 9 - 16 lbs.
Imperial Shih-Tzu: 7 – 9 lbs.
Itty bitty Imperial Shih-Tzu: 3 - 6 lbs.
Our prices are not based on size alone, we will NOT price a puppy higher just based on size. The puppy has to be perfect or near perfect in conformation as well.
All of these factors (Conformation, Color, and Size) are taken into consideration when we price our puppies....Conformation is our priority and is the major determining factor behind our pricing!
We do not have "cheap" Imperial Shih-Tzu puppies but feel our prices are very reasonable for the extremely high quality Shih-Tzu puppies we provide!
Here at Cutie Patootie Shih-Tzu we go above and beyond our puppy parents expectations. Please view our References page to see what our past puppy parents have had to say about us and their Imperial Shih-Tzu puppy.
Breeding is a VERY expensive hobby and has yet to even pay for itself! All of the money from our puppies goes back into our moms, dads, and their puppies. Please keep in mind the following things we pay for you to have a top QUALITY pet! We consider our puppies an investment for a long-time companion of at least 15 years and we stand behind our puppies 100% with our 2 year health guarantee to ensure the health and quality we are breeding.
You will never find our puppies on sale or discounted prices. We price our puppies at around 4 weeks old, but you will find our prices on available puppies may increase as they get older. This is because they are turning out a lot nicer and maybe staying smaller than what we expected....this happens a lot! Our puppies’ prices typically start at $1800 pet price for boys, and $2100 pet price for girls, with some exceptions where a puppy may be priced higher or lower. Buyer is responsible for paying sales tax to their jurisdiction.
That is one of the reasons we do not price our puppies at birth - it is IMPOSSIBLE to know anything about a puppy when they are first born - the older they get the more we can tell - typically at 10 - 12 weeks old we will know MUCH more about each individual puppy.
The time invested in our moms, dads, and puppies is unimaginable. We spend many sleepless nights and days caring for our puppies....it is literally a 24 - 7 job. But a job that I must say - I ABSOLUTELY LOVE!!! Most of my family and friends call me the "crazy dog lady"! I am thinking.... yes, I am crazy about my dogs!! AND I LOVE IT! I love everything about breeding: moms and their pregnant bellies, whelping puppies waiting for the next puppy to arrive - Will it be a girl or a boy? What color will he/she be? How big is he? And seeing moms face and the love she has for her puppies, it is a joy! I handle every puppy several times throughout the day from the time they are born. It seems other things don't get done because I would rather be "playing with puppies"! Seeing their eyes peep open for the first time, wobbling around and learning how to walk...and then watch out, now they are running! The first time they eat real puppy kibble and get their faces and paws all dirty - oh what a site to see. Our puppies do bring a lot of work and joy to our lives! Below is a list of a few things we have invested in our breeding program and to ensure you receive the best Imperial Shih-Tzu puppy that you will love, spoil, and adore....and will not be able to stop talking about!
- Initial price of a puppy of breeding quality ranges around $3000.00-$4500.00
- Health testing is done to determine if our moms and dads are even worthy of being bred. Testing gets expensive, but is well worth the price of increasing the chances for the puppies to live a longer healthy active life. We provide a 2 year health guarantee on each one of our puppies. It is very important that we breed healthy dogs to get healthy puppies. We have had several puppies we got for our breeding program spayed and neutered because they were not the quality we were looking for.
- We extensively research pedigrees for each one of our moms and dads. This is a must to make sure each of our puppies are healthy, have a sweet and loving temperament, and conformation quality.
- If needed we have an ultrasound done on each one of our moms to confirm the pregnancy at 30 days.
- If needed we have x-rays done at around day 55 to determine the size and how many puppies we are expecting - this is important and can help determine if we may run into problems.
- We purchase reusable puppy and whelping pads through Ebay. I do at least one load of dog laundry per day when we have puppies because I change their bedding out at least 3 times per day.
- We purchase our puppy blankets from a designer who makes them especially for us. - I use the plush baby blankets and my moms and puppies love them. Every puppy goes home with a blanket that mom and the puppies have been using so they have the scent of their mom and siblings for comfort.
- New toys for our dogs and their puppies....they love their toys!
- We purchase our whelping x-pens through Amazon.com.
- We have all of our whelping supplies to whelp each litter: scissors, clamps, alcohol, emergency items for moms and puppies, hand towels to clean puppies, scale to weigh puppies, etc. Larger equipment including Incubator, Scales, Oxygen Concentrator, etc are an added but necessary expense to ensure we have all help needed for our babies to survive!
- Vet expenses include: health checks, ultrasounds, x-rays, C-sections, fecal exams, dew claw removal, health testing, dental exams and cleanings, as well as any emergency as it comes....we have had quite a few very unexpected vet visits - I am thankful to have wonderful vets who are always there if I need them, and the list goes on.....
- Vaccinations and preventative worming medicine
- We take all of our dogs to get groomed regularly.
- We use a very high quality dog food
- Registration of moms, dads, and their puppies.
- Advertisement for our puppies
- Research, study materials, collage courses on new Vet and breeding methods and teaching aides
- And the list goes on.......
Your Cutie Patootie Shih-Tzu puppy comes with:
- Lifetime of Support –
- We are here to answer all of your questions, FOREVER!!!
- As I always say,
- If I don’t know it, I will LEARN IT!!
- Health Certificate - A Complete Health Check and certificate from one of our vets just before your puppy comes home. This is to ensure your puppy is healthy. Our vets routinely check each puppy’s heart, eyes, hips, and genitals.
So this is why we consider our puppies PRICELESS!
