Arizona Sunrise Shih Tzus & Poos

Purebred Shih Tzu Puppies

Deanna

Shih Tzu Puppy Progress Report

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Puppy Update

The Shih Tzu puppies are doing amazing! My daughter helped me complete Early Neurological Stimulation exercises with the puppies this evening. ENS exercises are relatively easy to perform. Early Neurological Stimulation consists of 5 exercises that are performed for 3-5 seconds. It is important to only perform ENS on puppies that are relaxed and experiencing no difficulties adjusting to newborn life.

Early Neurological Stimulation Steps:

  1. Tactile Stimulation (Rub a Q tip between toes.)
  2. Hold head erect.
  3. Hold head facing down.
  4. Supine position.
  5. Thermal Stimulation

Peaches, Sky, and Smokey didn’t protest or complain at all during the Early Neurological Stimulation exercises. Blaze protested a little bit. Sunny didn’t like the exercise at all! It’s interesting to see how differently Shih Tzu puppies from the same litter react! Every puppy has a unique personality that will slowly start to emerge over the next several weeks.

We also completed Early Scent Introduction. ESI exercises help puppies develop a keen sense of smell. Early Scent Introduction not only helps with nose awareness but confidence as well. The scent of the day was coconut.

Early Scent Introduction Scores:

•Sky-positive
•Sunny-neutral
•Smokey-neutral
•Blaze-negative
•Peaches-positive

The puppies all continue to gain weight and are thriving. As they mature more, I will continue to work to help them complete their developmental benchmarks. The end game is well-socialized bulletproof Shih Tzu puppies.

Peaches, Sky, and Smokey didn’t protest or complain at all during the exercise. Blaze protested a little bit. Sunny didn’t like the exercise at all! It’s interesting to see how differently they react!

The puppies all continue to gain weight and are thriving. As they mature more, I will continue to work to help them complete their developmental benchmarks. The end game is well-socialized puppies.

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Why Responsible Breeders Weigh Puppies Daily

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Responsible breeders should weigh puppies daily. Puppies are very fragile for the first few weeks of life. As a responsible Shih Tzu breeder, I want to know if a puppy starts losing weight so I can supplement when necessary. Puppies can go downhill very quickly. Daily weight checks help me track growth as well.

As you can see in the gallery below, the puppies don’t love weight checks. They prefer to be very close to their mother during this period of development. Mom isn’t very fond of me moving her puppies around either right now. As a result, I weigh the puppies in the whelping box right next to Mom. I move as quickly as I can. The goal for the first few weeks of life is to allow puppies and Mom to bond with very little human interference. There is plenty of time for socialization during the appropriate developmental period in the future.

I hope you enjoy the photos! Hopefully, as the puppies mature they will be a little less squirmy and I will be able to capture higher quality images. If you have any questions about purchasing a purebred Shih Tzu puppy from my responsible breeding program please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

Shih Tzu Puppy weight check.
Puppy weight time!
Shih Tzu Puppy weight check.
Sunny
Shih Tzu Puppy weight check.
Blaze
Shih Tzu puppy weight check.
Smokey
Shih Tzu puppy weight check.
Sky
Shih Tzu puppy weight check.
Peaches

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Why Breeders Should Microchip Puppies

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I consider myself a responsible Shih Tzu breeder. All Shih Tzu puppies for sale in my breeding program receive a microchip before they’re sent home. I feel I must do my part in making sure the Shih Tzu puppies are set up for success before leaving my breeding program.

Below are some of the reasons why breeders should microchip puppies before they go to their new homes.

  • Collars break but a microchip is a lifelong internal identification tag.
  • If the puppy ends up in a shelter they can contact the owner.
  • The microchip can prove ownership.
  • A thief is likely to remove a collar but a microchip is thief-proof.
  • The chip is relatively inexpensive.
  • Microchips last up to 25 years.
  • 1 out of every 3 dogs has the probability of becoming lost at some point.

*Make sure to do the following for optimal microchip protection.

  • Make sure to register the chip.
  • Make sure to update your contact information if you move.
  • Ask your vet to scan the chip at visits to make sure it is working properly.

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My Breeder Education and Awards

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Breeder education course certificate.
Breeder Education

I truly believe education is key to everything we do in life. This includes being an educated and responsible Shih Tzu breeder! The goal of my education is not only to breed responsibly but also to produce well-rounded Shih Tzu puppies that have all the tools necessary to succeed in their new homes.

I am constantly looking for ways to continue my breeder education. Knowledge truly is power. It is my mission to make sure all of my Shih Tzu puppies for sale have the very best upbringing. I learn new things that I can add to my responsible breeding program when I take a new class or read a new book on breeding.

Furthermore, I am passionate and love what I do. I truly enjoy learning as much as I can about the breeding field. I wouldn’t change my current career path for anything.

Below is a full list of my breeder education:

  • Good Dog Excellent Health Testing Award, Responsible Breeder Award.
  • Good Dog/AviDog Courses: Your Litter A to Z, Savvy Socialization, Breeding Foundations, Pre-Breeding, Litter Management, Pregnancy & Whelping.
  • American Kennel Club Certificates for completing the Whelping & Medical Intervention and Nutritional Influences on Reproduction Exams.
  • Midwoofery Courses: Breeder Basics: Litter Care, Managing Puppy Parasites, Canine Color Genetics, Canine Fertility and Timing.
  • Puppy Culture: The Powerful First 12 Weeks That Can Shape Your Puppy’s Future.
  • From Newborn to New Home: Madcap University
  • Puppy Evaluator Course and Badge: BAB/Empowered Breeder Program.
  • BAB/Empowered Breeder Courses: Choosing Breeding Pairs, Choosing Breeding Stock for your Program, Curriculum Planning-Raising Puppies According to Their Developmental Periods, Bottle and Tube Feeding, Placing Service, Therapy, Facility, and ESA Dogs, How to Imprint a Litter to the Diabetic Scent, Newborn CPR.
  • AKC Canine College Courses: ABC’s of Dog Breeding-Canine Genetics, Genetic Defects and Health, Breeding Systems, Kennel Blindness, Pedigree, Dog breeding-Selection.
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Why I Genetically Test All My Adult Breeding Prospects

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A purebred chocolate Shih Tzu puppy with his tongue out wearing a baby blue hoodie.
Shih Tzu Puppy From my Responsible Breeding Program

The Importance of Genetic Testing

All of my Shih Tzu puppies for sale come from parents who have gone through genetic testing to rule out health conditions they may carry in their lines. I take pride in my responsible breeding program. As a result, I am very careful when choosing which dogs I choose to include in my program.

I look at everything including temperament, confirmation, and health testing results. It is my goal to positively contribute to the breed and produce healthy, even-tempered Shih Tzus that will provide their new families with many years of unconditional love. 

Genetic testing is imperative to know what breed-specific health conditions my Shih Tzus carry in their lines. For instance, if I have two breeding dogs that are both carriers for a thyroid condition which is common in Shih Tzus, I wouldn’t want to use them as a mating pair. When a breeder pairs two carrier dogs they have the possibility of creating offspring with the actual disease.

Ideally, I breed clear dogs. Or, I breed a clear dog to a carrier which would only produce clear or carrier puppies. This is perfectly fine since the offspring will only be carriers and not be at risk of inheriting the actual disease.

The only exemptions I will make are if the disorder is benign and will cause no harm to the offspring or if the disease is not breed-specific and hasn’t been shown in research to be a problem in the breed. Responsibly pairing dogs for mating allows me to create healthy offspring instead of producing at-risk puppies.

Genetic testing also allows me to get an inside look at the different unique traits that my breeding adults carry. I use Embark genetic testing. When I DNA test my breeding adults, I receive a wealth of information including coat color and pattern genotypes, body size, muzzle length, etc. I also found out with certainty that my breeding adults are purebred Shih Tzus which is important! To learn more about the Embark genetic test that I use with my breeding adults check out the link: https://embarkvet.com/.

Each puppy in my responsible breeding program is sent home with a two-year congenital/genetic health guarantee as well. I am very confident in doing so because I have done the health testing suggested by the Shih Tzu National Breed Club. I go to sleep every night knowing that I did my very best to create healthy, purebred Shih Tzu puppies that will go on to hopefully live a long and healthy life. 

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Decoding Common Dog Behaviors

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A gold female Shih Tzu puppy wearing a colorful dress with fruit on it and a giant yellow bow.
A Cute Shih Tzu Puppy all dressed up!

Common Dog Behaviors

Have you ever wondered what some of the behaviors dogs exhibit mean? Have you ever observed a dog shaking it off? For example, your dog runs around the yard and then comes inside and shakes it off before taking a nap. Dogs often shake it off after expending a high amount of energy. Dogs may shake it off after a bath as well. This shake may simply be your dog’s way of drying off. Or your dog may be super relieved to be set free and may shake to release some of the pent-up stress. 

Another phenomenon that dogs often commonly display is kicking their feet back. One reason that dogs kick their feet back is to communicate with other dogs. Dogs have sweat glands on the bottom of their feet which release pheromones that help them communicate with other canines. I’m sure we’ve all seen a dog mark their territory by kicking their feet back. In other words, the dog is saying “This is mine!” Many dogs also display this behavior after a potty break to mark their spot. 

Panting is another dog behavior that you’ll see frequently in your dog. Dogs cannot cool down by sweating like we do. Instead, they pant to regulate their body temperature. Panting can also be a sign that your dog is too hot. You must offer plenty of water and shade to avoid heat stroke. This is especially important if you live in a hot, dry climate like we have here in Arizona. Dogs can also pant if they are stressed or in pain so make sure to be in tune with your dog’s needs. 

On another not-so-pleasant note, let’s talk about butt scooting. Small breed dogs often scoot on their bums from time to time. This is often because of anal glands that need to be expressed. Your groomer will probably express them for you if your dog is groomed frequently. You can also ask your vet to express them if needed.

If it becomes a chronic issue try adding pumpkin powder or some other dog-friendly fiber to your dog’s diet. I list my favorite pumpkin powder supplement and all my other favorites under my Amazon list on my website at the bottom of the recommendations page. Butt scooting may also be a sign of parasites or worms so talk to your veterinarian if it becomes a chronic issue.

Howling is another behavior that dogs display on occasion. Dogs can howl for a variety of reasons. They may howl when they’re excited, anxious, trying to tell you something, in pain, or lonely. They also may howl when they hear certain high-pitched sounds like a squeaky toy. Overall, howling is our dog’s Innate way of communicating with the outside world. So next time your dog howls, take a moment to understand what they are trying to tell you.

I find it fascinating how much we can learn about our dogs just by observing their daily behaviors. They may not be able to communicate through words, but we can give them a voice if we take the time to pay attention to their nonverbal cues.

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