Puppy
Reservation Process
1
Apply
Contact me if you have any questions about how to reserve one of my Shih Tzu puppies for sale. If you would like to own a Shih Tzu puppy from my responsible breeding program please complete my Google application by clicking here. Make sure to text or call me at (480) 645-5553 if you don’t hear back from me within 2 business days of filling out the application. I almost always respond within two business days. This is why following up with me after submitting the document is important.
I only accept GoodDog, cash, and Zelle for final payment methods. This is the safest route for both the puppy buyer and the breeder. GoodDog is a well-known and trusted breeder and buyer platform that has been around for a long time. I sometimes consider other payment forms for the reservation fee. If I don’t have any available Shih Tzu puppies, I’d be happy to hold your application on file for consideration for a future litter.
If you happened to find me and applied through GoodDog, the price for a puppy is a little higher. GoodDog charges me a 6.5 percent fee for using their services. If you found me via website search and applied through my website there is no additional fee. Clients that found my program outside of GoodDog are still eligible to pay through GoodDog but I must give them a referral link so GoodDog can differentiate between the two types of puppy buyers.
2
Getting to Know You
After reviewing each application, I usually schedule a phone call so we can get to know one another better. We’ll talk about lifestyle, expectations, timing, and what you’re hoping for in a puppy so I can determine whether my program is a good fit for your family. All approved applications are dated so that I can maintain a fair order of consideration. Because I have a small breeding program and only a limited number of puppies available each year, approval does not guarantee that a placement opportunity will ultimately become available.
As availability opens, I work through approved applications in order and may invite a limited number of families to participate in my Priority Reservation program. Priority Reservation is intended for families whose opportunity has arrived and who are ready to actively move forward within the next three litters. I intentionally accept only as many Priority Reservation families as I reasonably expect to accommodate.
Families who choose not to participate in Priority Reservation may still remain eligible for general consideration. However, I work through committed Priority Reservation families first. If puppies remain available after those families have had their opportunities, I may then contact other approved applicants in application order.
I reserve the first two puppy-selection positions for my breeding program and may use, release, or reassign either position. I may also temporarily hold back a puppy I am still considering for my program. Puppies being retained or still under consideration for my breeding program are not available for client selection.
Specific puppy selection generally takes place at approximately 8–9 weeks of age, after temperament testing is complete. Priority Reservation families being considered for that litter are given their selection opportunities first. Families are welcome to have preferences regarding sex, color, temperament, appearance, and other characteristics. I do my best to take those preferences into consideration whenever possible, but not every preference can be guaranteed. Any specific guarantees or requirements under Priority Reservation are governed by the signed Priority Reservation Agreement, which families are able to review in advance.
3
More Specific Details
I generally wait until puppies are approximately 4–5 weeks old before confirming which Priority Reservation families I expect to accommodate from a particular litter. The first few weeks of a puppy’s life are a naturally fragile newborn stage, and waiting until puppies are a little older allows me to make placement plans with much more confidence. Once I let a family know they are being included on a particular litter’s list, they can begin planning around that litter and its expected go-home window. At that point, I expect to have a puppy-selection opportunity available to them from that litter, although the exact puppy and exact selection order will not be known until selections begin.
I may let families know how many client placement opportunities I expect from a litter, but I generally do not promise an exact numbered pick. Selection order can move forward if a family ahead passes, I release one of my breeder-reserved positions, or availability otherwise changes. A family will not be moved backward simply because another applicant is added later. Specific puppy selection generally takes place at approximately 8–9 weeks of age after temperament testing is complete.
Temperament testing, my daily observations, and everything I learn about each puppy as they develop give me valuable information about how the puppies differ from one another. Used together, these tools help me identify which puppies appear to have the strongest potential within that particular litter for the traits, lifestyle, and goals a family has discussed with me. This information can also help identify puppies that may not be the best potential match for a particular family at that point in their development. It allows me to share areas where an individual puppy is already excelling, areas that may need additional support, and things a family can continue working on once their puppy goes home.
Temperament testing is a developmental snapshot and placement tool rather than a guarantee of a puppy’s future adult personality. Puppies continue to develop, and traits may be influenced by maturity, training, environment, life experiences, hormones, and other factors. Even so, temperament testing and ongoing observation provide valuable information that helps us make a more informed choice among the puppies within each litter.
Families seeking a puppy for a specific service, working, support, or disability-related need should discuss those needs with me in detail before puppy selection. These placements may require more specific temperament considerations than a typical companion placement. Depending on the intended role and the family’s individual needs, I may also recommend discussing puppy selection and future training with a qualified trainer experienced in that type of work.
Many clients ask if they can meet the puppies. This is a reasonable request. Clients who are on the litter list are welcome to meet the puppies. All requested visits are done at a safe meet-up place such as my vet clinic. You’re even welcome to go into my vet clinic and inquire about me if you like! Furthermore, puppy visits are contact-free for safety reasons. I am also happy to set up FaceTime visits to see the puppies.
I wish I could invite families to my home, but every time I invite someone into my home, I risk bringing something in that could potentially harm the puppies. All adult dogs and puppies are brought up in my home alongside my family. As a result, it is my job to have a biosafety protocol in place that will protect all the puppies I care for.
A lot of breeders quarantine puppies after visits for several days to be sure they don’t bring any pathogens back into common areas that the puppies share. I don’t feel this is fair to the puppies. If clients are curious about my home environment, I’m more than happy to set up a video conference call where I can give a live tour of the puppies and my entire home inside and out! I’d be happy to provide references as well.
Puppies have very vulnerable immune systems. Puppies receive a series of puppy booster shots for this very reason. Nobody is certain exactly when the antibodies received from their mother decrease enough for vaccination to provide full protection. Because of this, puppies receive a series of vaccinations as they grow. Parvovirus is especially dangerous to young puppies and can survive in the environment for a very long time. I know breeders and families who have lost puppies to Parvovirus, which is why I take these precautions seriously.
I am happy to bring your puppy to your place of residence on go-home day if you live within one hour of my home and my schedule is free. Otherwise, we can meet up at a safe neutral location if you prefer. Check out my Transportation page for more options regarding the puppy pick-up day.
4
Choosing Your Puppy
As a Shih Tzu breeder, I don’t simply assign puppies to families. I work with each family to help them make an informed choice based on the puppies available to them, their preferences, temperament-testing results, my observations, and the individual needs of each puppy. I reserve the right to refuse to place a puppy with a family if I believe the placement would not be in the best interest of the puppy or the family.
Families are welcome to care about sex, color, markings, appearance, temperament, and other characteristics. I do my best to take each family’s preferences into consideration and to help them find a puppy that fits what they are hoping for. However, not every preference can be guaranteed under Priority Reservation. Any specific guarantees and the rules governing an eligible puppy opportunity are defined in the signed Priority Reservation Agreement.
Temperament results are intended to help us identify meaningful differences between puppies and determine which puppies show the strongest potential for a particular family at that stage of development. They are not intended to turn every individual temperament score into a guarantee.
A substantial mismatch with an important temperament need that was discussed with me in advance may be meaningful. Ordinary differences within a normal range, however, do not necessarily mean that a puppy is unsuitable. I consider the puppy as a whole, the family’s needs, my observations, and the temperament-testing information when helping families evaluate their options.
Once it is a family’s turn to select and temperament-testing information has been provided, the family has 24 hours to select an available puppy or pass on that litter so the next family may proceed. I reserve the first and second puppy-selection positions for my breeding program and may choose to use, release, or reassign either position. I may also temporarily hold back a puppy while deciding whether that puppy will remain in my breeding program.
Priority Reservation families being considered for a litter receive their opportunities first. Once those families have had the opportunity to select or pass, any remaining puppies may be offered to regular approved applicants in application order. Applicants sometimes change their minds, move to another litter, pass on a puppy, or have preferences that affect which puppies they are willing to consider. Because of this, a family’s eventual selection position may move forward as the process unfolds.
Puppies generally go home between approximately 10–11 weeks of age. Puppies go home when they are developmentally ready, which may vary slightly from puppy to puppy and from litter to litter. Some puppies may need a little extra time with me. Once I confirm that a family is being included on a particular litter’s list, I can provide the expected 10–11 week go-home window so families traveling for their puppy have time to make plans.
Families are responsible for arranging transportation that works within the provided go-home window, and I strongly recommend making refundable or changeable travel arrangements whenever possible because final individual puppy selection does not occur until approximately 8–9 weeks of age. Travel costs, schedule conflicts, or transportation arrangements that prevent a family from proceeding during the provided go-home period are the responsibility of the puppy family. I will provide available pickup-day and time options as puppy selection and go-home arrangements are finalized.
Remember,
One of the main goals as a responsible Shih Tzu breeder is correct puppy placement. I do everything in my power to ensure both the Shih Tzu puppy and the family are compatible. The puppies don’t have a voice. It is my duty to try and place puppies in homes where they will thrive and live up to their full potential. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook or my blog for puppy updates. I post the most content on Instagram!
