FAQ
Questions I Get Asked
Straight answers to the things people write in about most, written out in full. If yours is not here, ask me.
Do you take a deposit?
No. When you have found your puppy and you are ready, you pay and your puppy comes home. If you need a few days to arrange travel, just let us know and we will work it out together.
Is there an application to fill in?
No. There is a short contact form with a few optional questions about your home, which helps us suggest the puppy that would suit you best. It is the start of a conversation. How buying works.
How does buying a puppy from you work?
You write to us, we talk about your home and which puppy would suit you, and when you are ready your puppy comes home, collected in person or brought to you. Four simple steps, and our puppies go home from eight weeks old.
How big do your Shih Tzus get?
about 8lb as adults. That is at the small end of the breed and under the 9 to 16lb show standard, but it is not teacup or imperial, which mean 6lb and under. Sizes explained.
Are they teacup or imperial?
Not quite. Those words usually mean a dog under about 6lb. Ours are small, healthy about 8lb Shih Tzus, which is a lovely size to live with, and we would rather describe them accurately than borrow a label. The sizes explained.
What colours do you have?
Gold and white parti and brown and white parti at the moment. We have had other colours in earlier litters, so if you have your heart set on something else, ask and we will let you know what is coming.
Do you breed Shih Poos or other crosses?
No, we keep purebred Shih Tzus only. It is the breed we love and the only one we raise.
When can a puppy leave?
From eight weeks old, once they are weaned, settled and ready. All the puppies on the site at the moment are eight weeks or older and ready to go home.
Do you ship puppies?
Never as cargo. We meet you in Arizona at a public place we agree on, or your puppy comes to you by ground transport to your door or with a flight nanny in the cabin. You can also fly into Phoenix and take your puppy home yourself. All four have happened. Each option in detail, with the photographs.
Can I visit the puppies?
We run a closed kennel. Until a puppy has finished its vaccinations its immune system is still developing, and visitors can carry in germs on their shoes and clothes without ever knowing it. So we do not have visitors at the house, and we meet families at a public place we agree on together, for pickups and for meeting the puppies. We are always happy to send more photos and updates of the puppy you are interested in. More on how it works.
What does a puppy cost?
$700 for a boy and $750 for a girl, whatever the colour. That includes the vet check, vaccinations and worming for its age, health documents, toys and our one-year health guarantee. What is included, and what to budget for the first year.
Do you offer a health guarantee?
Yes. Every puppy comes with our one-year health guarantee against life-threatening genetic and hereditary conditions, in writing. It runs from the day your puppy comes home, and asks only that your own vet sees the puppy within the first three days. The full terms.
What vaccinations do the puppies have?
The core puppy vaccinations, each given at the age that is right for it: the first DHPP dose (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and parvovirus) before the puppy leaves us, worming from two weeks old on schedule, and a check by our vet before going home. The boosters and the rabies vaccine fall due after eight weeks, and the record that goes home shows exactly when. The full schedule.
Are the puppies potty trained?
They have made a real start. Our puppies begin potty training with us before they leave, in the same living area they grow up in, so they know the basics of the pad and the routine by the time they go home. You simply carry it on in your house, and the first weeks are far easier for it.
What comes with the puppy?
Health documents, our one-year health guarantee, food, a blanket from the litter, toys, treats, pee pads, a collar and lead, and a puppy care guide. In full.
Are Shih Tzus hypoallergenic?
No dog is. Shih Tzus shed very little, which helps some people with allergies and does nothing for others. If allergies are the reason you are looking at the breed, spend time with an adult Shih Tzu before you commit to a puppy.
Are they good with children?
Yes, they are wonderful family dogs, gentle and affectionate with children. Because an 8lb puppy is small, we suggest supervision with very young children and we will happily talk through what works best for your family.
How much grooming do they need?
A fair amount, and it is worth knowing before you fall in love. A few minutes of brushing a day and a groom every six to eight weeks keeps the coat beautiful, and most owners come to enjoy it as time together. We will show you how to start when you collect your puppy.
The puppies · How buying works · Sizes explained · Delivery · What a puppy costs