TIPS ON PURCHASING YOUR NEW PUPPY

When looking for a Chihuahua puppy you have to consider where to look. The internet is a valuable source of information but it can also be full of con-artists and tricksters, so becoming a responsible and well informed buyer is your best chance of getting a sound healthy puppy. First and foremost I'll come right out and say this, you can't buy a puppy at the pet store and get a good value. Even if by chance the puppy you buy doesn't have any health issues when you bring him/her home, that doesn't mean a few years down the road some life threatening condition won't arise and all is lost, even the thousands you're going to spend to try and save your best friends life. If you are lucky enough to end up with a healthy puppy, the temperaments of pet store Chihuahua pup may be greatly compromised because with this breed a loving, well-adjusted social start is essential. Most pet stores dont want you to know where the puppy came from. (probably from a puppymill.) Good breeders keep their puppies until about 10-12 weeks of age so the puppy will be mature and be socialized enough to have the confidence to do well in a new home. (A lot of pet stores will have chihuahua puppies that are only 8 weeks of age) Without confidence a Chihuahua can become fearful and a fearful Chihuahua can become a fear biter. Do yourself a favor and seek a good breeder and stay out of the pet stores.

All pet store puppies come from commercial breeders or mills because good breeders honor the code of ethics of their breed club which states we may not sell to a broker or a pet store. Good breeders don't trust someone else to sell their puppies. Good breeders carefully screen homes so they'll know who is buying their puppies and so they can match the puppy with the right family. Good breeders keep in contact with the adoptive family. Good breeders don't sell to someone just because the person has the cash (or plastic) to pay for the puppy. With pet stores it's first come first serve regardless of whether or not the puppy and the buyer are good matches for each other....find a good breeder and stay away from supporting the puppymill industry. (The humane society of the United States has a lot of good information on puppymills. check out their sites.)

Now what is a good breeder? A good breeder is:

one who really cares about not only their dogs but the preservation and betterment of the breed as a whole.
one who belongs to a reputable breed club.
one who has a good reputation in their area.
one who has no problem with you asking them for references.
one that carefully screens homes and matches the puppies up with what is thought to be a great match.
one who will ask you a lot of questions and get a feel for you before agreeing to sell you one of their puppies.
one who guarantees their puppies and is responsible for them for life.
one who registers all their puppies with AKC (American Kennel Club).
one who sells all pet quality puppies on a LTD AKC Registration but guarantees health the same as a show quality puppy.
one that will stand by you if something should arise with the puppy that can't be resolved.
one who is very knowledgeable on everything to do with the breed, including training, and can answer all your questions with ease.
one who will help you find a good dog from another breeder if they haven't a suitable one available rather than to see you make the mistake of going to a back yard breeder (one with little or no breeding knowledge and sells out of the newspaper) or a pet store.
one who will take a puppy back if it doesn't work out, no questions asked, because if you don't want the puppy then they don't want you to have it, period!
one who, above all, you feel is completely up front and honest with you, who shows you the parent dogs and gives you free roam of where the dogs are kept so you can see for yourself that the puppy was raised in a clean environment (puppies raised in their own filth are very difficult to train).

Good breeders don't breed for demand, often you need to be approved in advance and be placed on a waiting list until a puppy becomes available.

Now here are some of the tricks and lines bad breeders will use to try and fool and con you because they only care about one thing - getting your non-refundable money and, boy, can they get inventive! First be sure you're dealing with a breeder and not a broker posing as a breeder. Ask them "Are you the litter owner"? If they say no, that they're selling for a friend or their mother, or a sick neighbor with cancer or a friend that's in the hospital, don't fall for it! It may not be true, and the latter reasons are classical excuses to make a symphathy sale. The litter owner is listed on the registration papers and is always the person who owns the mother dog. If the person you're buying from is NOT the litter owner that's listed on the registration papers, no matter what story they feed you, they're a broker, buying puppies from bad breeders at low prices and reselling them to you at a huge profit (just like a pet store)!

Once you're sure you're dealing with a breeder not a broker there are ways to identify a less than honest/reputable breeder:

claims the puppy is vet checked and has shots but has no vet records to prove it. (No vet records could mean the breeder is not providing adequate vet care, is trying to cut corners to save money.)
uses the terms teacup, pocket, ultra tiny to impress a higher price for the smallest puppy. (Beware of breeders who "specialise" in the tiny ones. Tiny ones are the runts of the litter and often have serious health problems. Tiny ones do appear in a good breeder's litters, but they don't purposely breed for them, they breed to match the Chihuahua standard.)
brings puppies and adults up from the basement or from out in the kennel but won't let you in to see where the dogs are kept, using the excuse you may infect the puppies. *Funny one*, if you were going to infect the puppies with a virus they'd be infected just as easily when the breeder puts them back upstairs where you've been (only breeders that don't keep their dogs protected by being up to date on shots worry about such things. Yes, we need to be careful of strangers handling young unprotected puppies, however letting someone see where the puppies are raised isn't touching them or harmful to them. You may be asked to step into a disinfectant solution before entering the kennel area but that's just being extra careful which is smart.)
they tell you they'll meet you somewhere to show you the puppy or deliver it to you to save you the long drive (they may lie and double how long it really takes you to drive just to discourage you, may tell you they're busy the days you're free because they just don't want you at the house because they're hiding something. You say you want to see the parents, they'll bring them too...but are they the real parent dogs? Doubt it ! ....
they only take cash.
they always have puppies or dogs for sale.
their only phone number is a cell phone (that way when the puppies are sold and they've robbed so many people that it's catching up to them, they just change cell phone companies and get a new number.
they won't guarantee the puppy more than a couple of days, claiming their lines don't have all the health issues other Chihuahuas carry. (Why not guarantee the puppy, if they're so sure of themselves what would it hurt to give you a written guarantee?)
they ask you nothing about the home you'll be providing for one of their puppies and spend more time trying to sell themselves to you than asking you questions. (If they really were so great they wouldn't have to shove it down your throat would they now ?)
they have no written sales contract, and are reluctant or don't want to give you a formal receipt. (Wonder why they don't want a paper trail?)
they claim the reason why they don't do something you ask them about (such as register the puppies or guarantee genetically as it should be) is because they only breed for pets. (Ummmm, the translation of only breeding for pets really means they're breeding as cheaply as they can, trying to produce a puppy that somewhat looks like a Chihuahua at 8 weeks old, just long enough to fool you out of your money before it grows to 15 pounds and looks like a mix breed. Sadly some really bad breeders will sell mix breed puppies and tell you the puppies are purebred but they just don't have papers, that if you want the papers they can get them but it will cost you hundreds of dollars more. This scheme relies on you opting for the no papers option because of the huge increase in the price of the puppy. If you opt for the papers and push the subject they will try harder to get you to save your money with excuses like "it's just a pet, not a show dog, you don't need the papers, save your money", because there are no papers - they were counting you wouldn't call them on it.
And lastly there are some smart con-artists in the dog world that can talk a great lie and seem so honest they'll make you believe it, so be sure to get it in writing.

A good breeder welcomes a careful buyer - a bad breeder will move along until the ignorant buyer is found rather then attempt to fool a person whom they recognise has done their puppy shopping homework. I say take the attitude that it's you're money, you're puppy, you're in charge. Make spending your money be a reflection of what kind of breeding you support and let your decision show that you care about the circumstances your next family member will be coming from.

Don't just get a Chihuahua, get a great Chihuahua, one that you can look into its eyes and say, "I chose you because you look just like your Daddy, acted just like your Mommy and were so much prettier than your sister. I love how I can see hints of your family in your looks and postures, I know you came from greatness because everyday you prove it over and over again with your antics, loyalty and love!"