Below are the answers to some of the questions that people frequently ask.
Q) Do you perform any health testing on your dogs?
A) Yes, all of our breeding age dogs are OFA and Embark DNA health tested. All health testing results can be viewed by clicking the links under each dog. Health testing does not guarantee that our puppies won't have any issues - because Chihuahuas are a living/breathing creature - but it does decrease the likelihood that they will run in to issues down the road.
Q) Are your puppies housebroken?
A) While our puppies are newspaper/pee pad trained to OUR home, you will need to re-train your new puppy to
YOUR home. You need to remember, the puppy has never been to your home and he/she does not know you.
If you take your puppy home and give him free range of a large area with only a small square of newspaper
or a pee pad placed somewhere, he/she will more than likely get lost and go potty wherever they are. We
recommend gating off a small area with a large patch of newspaper/pee pads and gradually opening up the
area/reducing the size of the newspaper/pee pad area as the puppy becomes more accustomed to you/your
home. If you plan on housebreaking your puppy to the outdoors, place the newspapers/pee pads in front of
the door that you will want them to use and when you see them headed there, take them outside. Chihuahuas
are very tiny dogs, with very tiny bladders - they can/will have to pee often! Also, most Toy Breed dogs can
be hard to housebreak. While most do eventually become trustworthy, there are a stubborn few that may
never become fully trustworthy. They can be fussy about the weather, different surfaces - or they just may
not feel like it that day! Even if you train your puppy/adult to go potty outside, it is advisable to keep a pee
pad inside as well, especially if you will be gone for long periods of time - or if the weather is bad. I do
occasionally litter train puppies and usually they will take to it quickly(even as adults), but I found it to be
very messy if there are very many puppies. Most puppies will lay in it/play in it and/or try to eat it. It does
however work well with just one or two puppies or with older dogs. I mostly use newspapers because puppies
love nothing more than grabbing the pee pads and running with them and playing with them/shredding them.
Whichever method you choose, you need to understand that it probably won't happen over night and that it
could be a struggle in which you still need to remain calm and loving. Toy Breeds do not do well with harsh
punishments or any type of hitting. While Chihuahuas are smart, adorable and in general pretty easy to live
with, they do come with their downfalls and unfortunately housebreaking can be one of them.
Q) Are your prices negotiable?
A) No, my prices are very fair for the level of quality/commitment that I offer - quite often lower than others that do not
offer the same. I am an AKC Bronze Breeder of Merit, an AKC Bred With H.E.A.R.T. member and a member of the Chihuahua Club Of America. All of my breeding dogs are OFA Health Tested as required by the CCA and most are CHIC - with documentation to prove so and they are also Embark DNA tested/cleared for Breed relevant issues.
Any breeder can tell you that they have tested, but ask to see proof. You can click on the links under any of my
dogs. I am committed to continuing education and improving the Health/Future of my chosen breed. Quality
Chihuahuas are not an in-expensive Breed to breed/raise properly. By the time I pay for routine maintenance, equipment/new equipment, supplies, quality food/treats, supplements/medications, Veterinarian care, gas/mileage,
bringing in new bloodlines, Stud Fees, Health Testing, Certification Fees, Show Entries, Handling Fees, or travel
expenses if I Show the dogs myself, C-Sections and litter health checks/health certificates, I constantly run in the
negative as it is. Then, you also have the many hours(and a lot of heartbreak) that it takes to care for a new litter.
Many litters have very tiny puppies that require round the clock tube feedings, sometimes for several weeks and in
most cases, these puppies will end up fading/dying anyway. The average litter size is only 2-4 puppies. Many litters
result in an emergency C-Section, or at the very least, Veterinarian assistance is needed for a stuck puppy and it is
not uncommon to lose puppies and in some cases, the Dam too. Prices are based on many determining factors,
including, estimated adult size, gender and overall quality. All prices, listed or quoted, are subject to change,
up or down, without notice, if a deposit has not been received. All prices are non-negotiable.
Q) Do you offer your puppies with Full AKC?
A) No. After too many years of dealing with difficult co-ownerships and people doing as they pleased, instead of as
they promised, I decided that in order to stay sane and continue doing what I loved, I needed to become a private
kennel. With the exception of my daughter and people that I personally know, if I do not keep a Show Prospect
puppy for myself, or offer him/her to them, I will place them into a loving Pet home where I will not have to worry
about what is happening to them or their potential offspring. My boys are for my private use only. Occasionally
I do offer pointed adults or finished Champions to established Breeders who actively show and health test their
dogs.
Q) Do I really need to fill out an Application?
A) Yes, an application is required. I do not consider anyone to be serious about a puppy, nor will I consider
selling a puppy to anyone who refuses to fill out an application. I do not maintain applications so if you are
contacted, but for some reason do not respond/buy a puppy, your application will be discarded and you will need
to fill out another application if you are interested in another puppy.
Q) What is SOW, etc.?
A) Below is a list of the most common abbreviations that you will see.
SOW: Spotted On White
CH: Champion
GCH: Grand Champion
GCHB: Grand Champion Bronze, GCHS: Grand Champion Silver, GCHG: Grand Champion Gold,
GCHP Grand Champion Platinum
BISS: Best In Specialty Show
BIS: Best In Show
MBIS: Multiple Best In Show
MBISS: Multiple Best In Specialty Show
LC: Long Coat
SC: Smooth Coat
CHIC: OFA Certified for Normal Cardiac, Patellas and Eyes.
OFA: Orthopedic Foundation For Animals
Q) Are there any personality differences between Long Coat and Smooth Coat Chihuahuas?
A) While it depends on the individual animal, as a rule we find that Long Coats tend to be more laid back than
Smooth Coats. Smooth Coats tend to have more of a "Terrier type" of personality.
Q) Do you place your retired adults?
A) Yes, if the right home comes along for them, I will place my retired adults into forever pet homes. Price will depend
on their age. Adults are placed into mature homes only - absolutely no children or young/active large breed dogs.
Any adult I place will have to come back to me if he/she can not be kept by the new owner. Adult Chihuahuas will
take longer to adjust to their new home than a puppy would. While they are newspaper trained to my home - they
will have to be treated like a puppy and re-trained to your home. Most will be unsure of you and perhaps even
fearful of their new situation and they will take lots of love and patience to overcome their uncertainty and become
a member of your family. Adults can take weeks - possibly months - to adjust to you/your home. If you are not
willing to give an adult the time/patience needed to adjust to you/your home, PLEASE DO NOT inquire about
adding one to your family.
Q) Do you maintain a waiting list?
A) I no longer maintain a general waiting list. I have found over the years that most people are actually not willing to
wait very long and that they will continue to apply/search for a puppy elsewhere. It can take weeks to go thru the
applications, one at a time - and then have to wait for someone who never answers back, or who has found a puppy
elsewhere. In the meantime, I lose potential good homes that have contacted me for a puppy because I have to go
thru applications first. If you are truly interested in obtaining a puppy from us, I will add serious buyers to a waiting
list with a $200.00 non-refundable deposit(which will be applied towards the price of the puppy when you choose
one).
Q) Do you offer any discounts?
A) I discount for any minor flaws that a puppy may have while in my possession(umbilical hernia, etc.). Discount
will be based on the current cost to repair during spay/neuter surgery at my Veterinarian and has already been
taken into consideration in the quoted/posted price. No further discounts will be taken off from the posted price due
to your Veterinarian being higher priced etc.
Q) How big are your Sires/Dams? Do you have "teacup" puppies available?
A) I get this question, alot. There is no such thing as a "teacup" Chihuahua. The breed standard simply states 6
lbs or under. I do not breed for "tiny" puppies. Most require an extreme amount of extra care, usually for
several weeks. They can be unhealthy and struggle with hypoglycemia for their entire life. My Sires are 4 lbs
to 6 lbs and my Dams are 5 lbs to 7 lbs. I do not keep/breed tiny girls. They normally only have one or two
puppies, usually by c-section and in my opinion, it is just too risky for everyone involved. I have no desire
to produce very tiny or unhealthy puppies - I strive for a range of 4 to 6 lbs. That being said, you can/do get
a range of 3 lbs to 8+ lbs in one litter. It all depends on what genetics kick in, in that particular breeding. The
size of the parents does not guarantee the size of the puppies.
Q) Do you breed merles?
A) Yes, I do. And, I have Champions in the merle coat pattern as well. Coming from Shelties, obviously the merle
coat pattern was very pleasing to me in Chihuahuas too. The merle coat pattern is accepted by the parent club
(Chihuahua Club Of America). The merle coat pattern is no less healthy than any other color Chihuahua if bred
correctly. Just make sure you buy your puppy from a knowledgeable, responsible Breeder.
Q) Do you place your puppies into homes with children or large breed dogs?:
A) No, I will not place puppies into homes with children under 10 and I will not place puppies into homes with
young/active large breed dogs or aggressive cats. I will take older, calm large breed dogs into consideration on a
case to case basis. Chihuahua puppies are usually around 2-3 lbs when they leave here and that is a VERY tiny
puppy that can be easily injured/killed. Young children are not capable of understanding that lugging a puppy with
two hands around their throat can crush the trachea, or that lugging them by one leg is going to injure them - or that
dropping them and/or letting them jump off high surfaces could kill them. Chihuahuas are infamous for jumping out
of arms and I have seen them do it to grown adults that were unaware of this trait. Interestingly, I still get many
applications from people with the above - stating that their children/dogs are "different". While I am happy that they
are, I still will not place my puppies into this type of situation - I just am not willing to take that chance with my
puppies. Larger puppies can make wonderful companions for older(10+), calm, considerate children. Very tiny
puppies are placed into mature homes only, where there are NO children or any other larger animals. Experienced
homes will be given preference for these tiny babies.
Q) Do coat colors change as a puppy ages?
A) Yes, colors quite often change as a puppy ages(with the exception of solid colors, such as black, chocolate or blue). Creams/fawns or cream/fawn spots can darken with age and sables usually lose most/all of their black and end up
either red or fawn.
