Arizona Sunrise Shih Tzus & Poos

Purebred Shih Tzu Puppies

Behavior

Bulletproof Puppies

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Creating Resilient Puppies Through Curriculum

Puppies that take part in a developmentally appropriate curriculum are shown in studies to be more intelligent emotionally and intellectually. Puppies raised on a first-class puppy curriculum are also more resilient to stress. Who doesn’t want a bulletproof puppy ready to take on the world?

To create bulletproof puppies a responsible breeder must have a proper educational background to properly socialize the puppies. There are plenty of puppy curriculum programs on the market today. I have taken classes from many reputable programs including Puppy Culture, Empowered Breeder, and AviDog. I currently raise all my puppies using key elements from these three amazing programs.

A first-class puppy curriculum doesn’t consist of just throwing random toys into a small playpen and walking away. Each item that the puppies interact with must be developmentally appropriate and serve a purpose. For example, if I’m working on sound desensitization it’s not enough for me to just play a recording of a police siren daily. The puppies need to hear different sounds in different locations at different times. Hearing a police siren on a recording device is a lot different than hearing a police siren outside. It’s important to recreate real-life situations as often as humanly possible.

I keep all of the Shih Tzu puppies in my responsible breeding program until they’re 10 to 12 weeks old. Puppies go through a critical period of development during the early weeks of life that cannot be replicated. As a responsible Shih Tzu breeder I must make sure that the puppies from my breeding program receive all the tools necessary to be successful in life. At Arizona Sunrise Shih Tzus, I make it my mission to produce bulletproof puppies that are ready to take on the world!

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Do all Shih Tzu puppies make great service dogs?

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A chocolate Shih Tzu puppy with his chin on a giant donut stuffed toy.
A Shih Tzu Puppy working through service dog curriculum exposure items.

Are Shih Tzus Good Service Dogs?

First of all, let’s go over the differences between service, therapy, and emotional support animals. Service dogs perform essential tasks to help individuals with physical or psychiatric disabilities. For example, a service dog may provide key services to someone suffering from epilepsy. Therapy dogs help out by volunteering in places such as schools, hospitals, or assisted living centers. Emotional support animals provide comfort to individuals in need. For instance, if a person is suffering from depression, it may be a good idea to look into getting an ESA certificate from a psychologist.

Now to answer the question, not all of the Shih Tzu puppies in my responsible breeding program are cut out for service, therapy, or ESA work. The Shih Tzu puppies must possess specific temperament traits to make them ideal candidates for the job. For instance, some Shih Tzu puppies may work great with families with young children. Other puppies might possess temperament traits that make them great candidates for a therapy dog position.

This is the precise reason why I temperament test each puppy in my program. Why it is true that all the puppies go through the same first-class puppy curriculum? There is so much more to the puzzle. The puppy must possess certain temperament traits that align with the specific type of work that needs to be done. Furthermore, if a puppy possesses the correct temperament traits, he or she must still go through proper training in preparation for the future job. If you would like to learn more about my responsible Shih Tzu breeding program and the Arizona Sunrise Shih Tzus difference then click here for more information.

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