FAQ
Q. Where are you located?
A. We are located in Troy, Virginia 15 minutes from Charlottesville, 45 minutes from Richmond, two hours from Williamsburg and 3 hours from VA beach.
Q. What type of Shih-Tzu do you breed?
A. At TiaMaria Shih-Tzu’s we breed for the AKC and ASTC standard. All of our puppies will be between 8 and 16 lbs, we do not breed into the “tea cup Imperial” myth.
Also, we expect to produce show quality puppies along with companion babies
Q. What other breeds do you breed?
A. We only breed shih-tzu’s, although my daughter is breeding Siamese cats with exquisite pedigrees.
Q. What registry's are your dogs registered with?
A. all dogs listed on my web page are registered with American Kennel Club (AKC)
Q. Will a male dog spray after he is neutered?
A. No, there is no reason to worry about this. The odds of your neutered male spraying are about the same as a female spraying (very unlikely!), therefore, don't let it affect your decision on gender! Just be sure to get him neutered at the appropriate age, preferably before six months old.
Q. What is the price range of your puppies?
A. As a pet our dogs run from $750.00 and up. This depends on confirmation, colors and pedigree of the dog. We do offer a discount on two or more puppies. We also offer a discount to repeat buyers.
Q. Do you sell puppies for less without 'papers'?
A. No. A reputable breeder should always give the registration slip for every puppy they sell. and our contract states on limited registration once you get your puppy neutered/spayed by six months you will receive papers. It does not cost very much to register a litter of puppies, and if a breeder is selling dogs without papers, it usually means that they don't have papers (or breeding rights) on the parents, and therefore shouldn't be breeding the dogs in the first place.
Q.Do you ever sell adult dogs?
A. We will occasionally have retired adults available.
Q. What is a 'Retired Adult'?
A. A 'Retired Adult' is an adult dog that was part of our breeding program and has now been spayed or neutered, and 'retired' from our breeding program. It isn't possible for us to keep every one of our retired breeders, and they deserve to go to a pet home where they can get more individual attention and enjoy being spoiled, just like one of our puppies.
Q. Why do purebred puppies cost so much?
A. There are many factors that affect the price of purebred dogs. Responsible breeders put a LOT of money into their breeding program. This is usually not a profitable venture. A responsible breeder will spend from $1500-$3000+ on the breeding dogs that they purchase in order to get a dog from a reputable line with registration papers and breeding rights. Expensive premium food, supplements, and vet bills for an entire kennel adds up very quickly. There are also advertising costs, kennel registration and inspection fees, and individual puppy, dog, and litter registration costs. Our adult are routinely taken to the vet for screening to make sure they have no health issues. Breeders also face unexpected vet bills such as cesarean sections, etc.
Q. Do you sell dogs for breeding/open registration
A. We do give breeding rights to some, based on your intentions, and we must get to know you first It is also a good idea to have a mentor before deciding to breed shih-tzus, we do not give breeding rights just for “fun”. You must be established, and must be breeding for the right reasons. Quality not quantity. References must be available.
Q. Do you offer stud service?
A. No. For the health of all of our dogs and puppies we keep a closed kennel, which means we do not offer stud service to anyone.
Q. Do you guarantee your dogs ?
A. Yes. Our dogs have a health guarantee in writing against hereditary defects for one year. We require you to have them neutered or spayed or the health guarantee is void.
Q. How old are your puppies when you sell them?
A. We allow our puppies to go home at 10-12 weeks of age, depending upon each puppy and their new enviorment. Puppies are easier to house train when they are ten weeks old
Q. Has my puppy been wormed?
A. Yes. We worm all of our puppies 3-4 times before they go home as well as Mom on current worm medicine
Q. Do you sell with a contract?
A. Yes. Our puppies are sold with a contract.We require that your Shih-Tzu lives in your home and only goes out side to potty. Neutering or spaying is REQUIRED
Q. Do you accept personal checks?
A. We accept personal checks for deposits that are sent at least two weeks before the puppy is ready to leave home. For any balance due after that point I require CASH, NO EXCEPTIONS
Q. Do you accept deposits for puppies?
A. Yes, we will accept a deposit/holding fee to hold puppies. 300.00 dollars is requested, and a personal check is acceptable. We will not accept deposits unless we believe that we will have a puppy for you within a short period of time. We will hold a puppy for 24 hours without a deposit. Deposits are non-refundable. If you put a deposit on a litter and we don’t have what you requested, we can put the deposit toward the next litter.
Q. What brand of food do you feed your dogs?
A.PURINA ONE and PURINA PRO PLAN TOY Breed and EVO
Did you know .............
Puppies should be contained until they are 100% housebroken. I feel it is easier to housebreak a puppy at ten weeks old.
If you spay/neuter a puppy before they are six months and before a heat cycle in a female you improve your puppies chance of not getting breast cancer over 175%
Some puppies will have pinched nostrils (due to their short muzzles) until their permanent teeth come in
approximately ten months old and pinched nostril may come and go.
99.9% shihtzus will outgrow it. (unless life threatening)
