Breaking News!!

WoTeH'sin Shih Tzu is thrilled to welcome into the world our newest litter of babies - 3 girls and 1 boy. Proud parents are Violet (WoTeH'sin Booty-N-Charm) and Magic (Intl CH WoTeH'sin Smoke And Mirrors). Here they are at less than 6 hours old having their lunch!

This is a repeat breeding of our little guy Tuxedo, BPISS CH WoTeH'sin S'Dandi's Black Tie-N-Tails, who went Best Puppy at the Metropolitan Atlanta Shih Tzu Fanciers Specialty preceding the Nationals in 2007. Tuxedo is owned by Sally Watkeys of Traverse City, Michigan and since Tuxedo was a singleton puppy, we decided to repeat the litter hoping lightning would strike twice! We've not had a litter since Tuxedo was born and I am so excited I could just burst!

Momma and babies are doing great! The puppies are all striking black & whites with beautiful markings! I hope to have one make it onto the mats in 2010! Daddy Magic needs only a major to finish his AKC title in limited showing, so he better hurry up! I don't want to keep two dogs in coat!

Foundations of a Successful Dog Breeder

These axioms are reflections of the temptations we face on a daily basis as dog breeders. If one were to make a similar list for any human endeavor, I doubt it would differ much from what I have listed. I think this list is one that we should all review from time to time, for it requires maturity and self-confidence to master-something we all should continue to hone throughout our lives. The ultimate payoff is the ability to succeed in and to enjoy our dog breeding careers.

I - ENJOY YOUR DOGS
The primary reason anyone becomes involved with dog breeding and showing is a fundamental love of dogs. We treasure the companionship, the never failing loyalty, the delight they exude. We love to have them on our beds. Their eagerness to face the new day, even when we wake them up at dreadful hours, provides us a wonderment that brings back the exuberance of childhood. They forgive us when we lose our temper, when we are impatient, when we are far less than they are. They bring out the best of ourselves, they nurture the "big" us. Unfortunately, dog breeding and exhibiting can tempt our "little" selves. It can feed a fragile ego until it becomes a raging ego. Often, this need to feel we are better than our fellow man is expressed in our possessions. We need to have the biggest winner, the producer of the most champions, the most champion puppies. We buy, we co-own, we collect.

Soon we have no time for dog pleasures, no time to play or rub a grateful belly, no time to stroke a patient brow. Soon we have no room for more dogs; we stack them and crate them and store them as though they were baubles that have no meaning but to make us feel important. We lose our ability to love. Dog showing and breeding is a great vocation. It is creative and challenging and very rewarding.

But we must never expect our hobby to take the place of a psychologist's work. We must never expect an unhealthy mental state to be cured by self-indulgence. Far too many people take to showing and breeding for the wrong reasons. Their houses go to ruin, their bank accounts evaporate, their credit hits the skids, their spouses and children are left to survive on their own as the breeder pursues their own manifestation of what they perceive to prove their self-worth.

Being a dog breeder is a huge commitment. It means we should assign ourselves the role of lifetime student. It means we will be humbled in countless ways and in countless circumstances. It means our lessons will be of the hard knock variety if we are to truly learn them. It means frustration, long hours, late nights and early mornings. It means never getting to sleep-in again.

It means finding friendships - some of which will last for a lifetime and some of which will flounder, being built on social advantage. It means being quoted and misquoted and having words put in your mouth. It means being given ample opportunity to be as "small" as a human being can be. But, hopefully, it can provide an opportunity to learn to be "big," to be generous, inquisitive, and adventurous. We should never ask ourselves if we are envied or important or successful. Those questions are meaningless. At the end of the day, we should ask ourselves, "Am I proud of the person I've become? What we must always be are dog lovers. We must be their advocates. We must ensure the life of every dog we breed and every dog we own is fulfilled and an illustration of humanity at its best hour.

Our vanity must not be stroked by having our pictures in a magazine or seeing our name on some ranking system. Our self-worth must come from knowing we provide our dogs a life of love, of pleasure, and of happiness.

II - BREED FOR IMPROVEMENT NOT WINNERS
It is easy to become lost in the purpose of breeding quality dogs. For some, the attraction of the bright lights, the glamour and the glitz cause them to stray from the path. Developing a bloodline that is well considered and that is a positive influence for the breed takes considerable discipline. Too often, the seemingly slow and carefully orchestrated effort to improve a breed is crossed up with the immediate desire to breed that one big winner and become famous.

The breeder's pledge must be to harbor and safeguard the breed. No breed is in perfect shape when the breeder happens upon it and none shall be perfect when they leave. But to leave a breed in better shape than it was when you came upon it is the greatest compliment. To improve type, movement, temperament and health must be the bottom line for every committed breeder.

Such accomplishment takes a long-range plan that is carefully thought through. It requires dedication and purpose. All too often, we are sidetracked by our desire to breed to the latest big winner, and then to the next and the next. Before long the pedigree is a long list of "who's who" that have no relationship to each other, other than they found success in the ring. What is key to learn (and to believe) is success in the ring is not an automatic indication of the dog's true quality. We all wish one indicated the other but that is too easy. It would require the removal of human fallacy to be accomplished!

Dogs do not excel for all the same reasons. Consequently, you can't simply breed one big winner to another and produce more big winners. Every feature and their nature of inheritance must be studied and understood before you can "manage" the inheritance variables. Once you gain this skill, you are on the road to producing a great line of winners.

III - TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE
The breeding of fine purebred dogs should be considered the pursuit of perfection - it is not the maintenance of it. All dogs have faults, all dogs are less than ideal in some ways and areas. If not, the "ideal" has not been well enough conceived. It is very easy to fall into the trap of being defensive about one's own dogs. This usually happens because what we assume to be correct is challenged by another as being less so.

This disharmony causes confusion in our mind and ultimately unhappiness. To right ourselves, we often become defensive and try to rid ourselves of that which is causing us the discomfort - namely the opinion that does not complement our own.

We must realize that "truth" is the ultimate standard by which our decisions should be made. In most cases, a roached back is a roached back, whether we choose to recognize it as such or not. Consequently, the best way for us to not be put into a position of being unhappily surprised is to pursue knowledge relentlessly to ensure our opinion is as accurate and close to the "truth" as possible.

This knowledge is gained in many ways, one of which is learning from fellow breeders. We must fight the urge to make up our minds about something and refuse to consider another viewpoint. Indeed, we do not make decisions based on facts when we are first learning, we are depending upon what we perceive to be the expertise of others to provide that for us. If that so-called expertise is, in fact, faulty, our whole knowledge base is called into question. And that causes us great anxiety.

The best place to sit is in the seat of the knowledge seeker. Whenever provided with an opinion that is different than the one you currently hold, always seek to under-stand the viewpoint of the other. Why does the person perceive something differently than you? Understanding another's point of view can be the road to greater knowledge. If you shut that door and do not entertain the prospect of learning something different than what you think is truth you will never actually recognize the truth and you will not succeed in your goal.

Quite honestly, you should be more critical of your dogs than anyone else could possibly be. That is not to say you should attribute faults to your dogs they do not possess, but your evaluation must be as detailed as possible and you must strive to see clearly their true faults and virtues. From this comes the map to success.

IV - DEAL WITH OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DEAL WITH YOU
Sounds a bit like the golden rule that we learn in childhood. Yet it is amazing how many people forget this very important axiom. In dealing with others, regardless of the matter, think always of the other person's position. I have heard repeatedly, people state how they were burned in a co-ownership agreement. All too often the agreement is geared toward benefiting one party (often the seller) over another. Written agreements somehow are tainted as being only needed in a contentious situation. This is the first misconception. Not having a written agreement should be the very rare exception, not the reverse. Too often, should a worthwhile puppy be produced from one of these undefined arrangements, the fight is on for possession. Before contemplating selling a dog on a co-ownership or leasing it or offering stud service for a puppy back, you should think through what exactly you expect and desire from such an arrangement. Too often, these business dealings occur in the spur of the moment during a telephone conversation, and the deal is struck before either party has really had an opportunity to think it through. For some reason, rather than rethinking the situation, we tend to try to follow through on such an ill-conceived arrangement only to end up bitter enemies in the end. If people would stop and think about the likely end result, they would realize the best possible thing to protect the friendship is to have a written understanding.

It is very rare a litter is going to have more than one star if any at all. Consequently, it is important to under-stand who is going to own that super puppy, should it appear. People are too willing to tear apart relationships should one person seem to benefit a bit more than another. This is too sad and is reflective of the self-benefit motivation that all too many find as the driving force for their actions. When pressed, it is far better to give than to receive.

It is far better to let the other seemingly benefit than to destroy a relationship and acquire the reputation of being disreputable and self centered, if for no other reason than it makes you grow as a human being, which is probably a fair trade off in the long run.

V - BY GIVING YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE
Another pitfall breeders often experience is the inability to celebrate others' successes. While certainly we feel the route we are taking is the best way to approach that utopian plateau of breed perfection, there are actually many routes to that same goal. It takes nothing at all away from our own accomplishments to recognize the accomplished efforts of other breeders.

This inability and unwillingness to appreciate other's efforts usually comes from having made a decision not to breed to certain bloodlines or deal with certain persons. When such a kennel then produces a success, it is difficult for us to acknowledge such an achievement for we tend to find that inconsistent with our opinion of that particular person or family of dogs. It takes quite an honest and secure person to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of others.

While it is probably good advice to hold our criticisms closer to our chest, recognizing another's achievement only brings good things. By being someone who can see the virtues in breeding lines other than your own, you gain a reputation of fair-ness and objectivity that is a very rare pearl in dogdom. You may find, over time, your point of view and your philosophies are taken with much greater weight when others do not perceive them to have originated in a mind consumed with self-aggrandizement. Thus, by doing so you lose nothing and yet you gain so very much.

VI - MAKE USE OF OTHERS' ACHIEVEMENTS
One of the worst situations a breeder can find her/himself in is to partition themselves off from another kennel or bloodline. It is highly unlikely that all improvements toward the perfection of a breed are going to come from one single kennel or bloodline. Like flowers in the field, they will spring up in various places. The clever breeder is the one who knows how to pick from all the field those who will make the ultimate, sublime bouquet. And to do this, you must be able to use the strengths of other kennels and bloodlines. Breeders will tend to have certain biases; andquite honestly, there are certain strengths and weaknesses in most bloodlines. While you may feel you have achieved the highest ground in certain areas, there will doubtless be other areas in which your dogs and bloodlines are less strong than others. Not to recognize this fact is to ensure you will plateau quite early in your breeding career. And by that I mean you will stabilize and go no further. You must always keep a watchful eye for that very special bloom that will enhance your bouquet.

It is this sophisticated combining of families without losing the good points of your own bloodline that strengthen a kennel and move it forward in breed importance. It takes careful consideration, orchestration and pruning to come to fruition.

- Author unknown

4

That's how many puppies Violet has in that little belly of hers! They all look to be fairly uniform in size - we're hoping for a smooth delivery sometime later next week!

Fingers crossed!

Puppies - puppies!

We definitely have some puppies on the way! Violet is as big as a house and she still has about 10 days to go! She's so big she mostly lays on her back to sleep at night.

Today I can just about feel some slight movement in there. It so exciting! This is the first litter here in about two years - and it's a repeat of the singleton litter that was BPISS CH WoTeH'sin S'Dandi's Black Tie-N-Tails, aka "Tuxedo".

Dang, I can't wait to see these puppies! Please let there be a beautiful little girl in there for me!

Reeves update

Well, Reeves is doing great these days! I've tinkered with his pain meds and increased the dosage a smidge and he's doing great! He's eating everything he's served daily and he's alert as he lies in his bed for a good portion of the time I'm home. He even found his way into the group food dish the other night about an hour after I had spoon fed him his dinner (and he ate it all up)! Just amazing. When I get him up on the table to feed him, he perks right up and can smell the wonderful smells of what he's about to dine on - usually warm chicken meat mixed with wetted down food, some cheese (so I can get his pill down) and a smidge of peanut butter for desert!

So every day is a gift - and I'm blessed that my little guy is hangin' in there.

Getting Old Sucks

Sixteen years ago a decided I wanted to get a playmate for my dog Gizmo. Gizmo was about 1-1/2 and she was a Shih Tzu-Lhasa Apso mix. Today she would be called some kind of designer name, probably a Shih Apso or Lhazu or something trendy. I just called her a mutt. But Gizmo was such a great little dog and she was very active and I decided, much to my then fiance's dismay, that Gizmo needed a playmate. I was travelling a lot and Michael was working and going to school, and Gizmo spent many of her days alone baby gated in the kitchen. It seemed to me unfair when a little buddy could make her days a bit brighter.

I had gotten Gizmo as a referral from a veterinarian I had met that knew of someone that owned Gizmo who thought she was just a bit too active. So I guess in hindsight, that was a good way to find a dog. The vet knew her history and knew the people that bred her and knew they just wanted her to go to a home that would love her and be able to take care of her. Michael and I fit the bill on that one. But when it came to Reeves, being the normal pet buyer, I went to what I would now term a backyard breeder. I remember it was a sunny day in May when I pulled into this lady's front yard. There she was under a big shade tree with a puppy pen just brimming with black and white little puppies. They were all so tiny, except for one big ol' goofy looking dog that had a zest for life it seemed. The lady and I talked about prices and I asked about the big goofy looking dog. She said that he was the last one from his litter - the pick of the litter she said. He was five months old but she hadn't been able to find a home for him yet. In retrospect, that pick of the litter line was garbage. This poor little guy was still there because he was the homeliest Shih Tzu I had ever seen during the course of what little research I had done. But he was just the happiest little guy and was bouncing around like crazy. I picked him up and asked his price and the lady hemmed and hawed and said, well he was the pick of his litter, but because he's so much older than the rest of the puppies (which were all between 4 and 8 weeks old), she would let him go for $100. I paid the lady and left with Reeves and never looked back.

Gizmo and Reeves were like peanut butter and jelly. They hit it off immediately! They played and played until finally they would collapse together and pass out from sheer exhaustion! The loved one another and formed a very special bond. It was because of them that I decided to get further involved in dogs.

Eventually Michael left the picture and I was on my own again, but I had custody of the kids. Michael never did like Reeves, and I'm sure that my bringing Reeves home when Michael and I were in the middle of a power struggle over finances, well , that didn't sit well with Michael. But I'll tell you what, I don't regret for a minute that I brought home this little dog that warm, sunny, Spring day in May. I remember the ride home - Reeves was terrified. But once he got to the house and met his sister Gizmo, all was right with the world.

Now, 16 years later, Gizmo is gone. She has been for about seven years now. I miss her and so does Reeves. Loosing your first one is always hard. But I had Reeves to hold on to. And then there was the rest of the crew here too. As I got involved with showing, my family grew. But now, Reeves is nearing his time. It's so hard to watch him deteriorate in front of my eyes. I cry everyday after I feed him and love on him. He's in extreme pain daily now due to his bad hips and awful topline. His structure was awful from the day he was born because his breeder wasn't breeding for structure. And now he is paying the price. His poor little hips hurt him terribly. Even with heavy pain medication, he cries when he moves lately. His walk is slow. He has lost his hearing and his eyesight, but he maneuvers through the house pretty well. He still finds the doggie door on some days. And the days he doesn't I don't really care. I am his servant, and I gladly serve him. He gets special meals spoon fed twice daily. We have our ritual of feeding, drinking, medication, eye drops and vitamins. He loves his yogurt and his peanut butter. The other dogs stand around begging and whining. And Reeves is up on the table in his little bed getting spoon fed his last meals. I can't even pick him up anymore as he cries out in pain. I have to lift him up by the sides of his little bed and put him on the table to feed and love him. Although they are painful days for both of us, I am grateful for these remaining days as they are gifts from God. But Gizmo is waiting at the bridge with Crystal right there beside her, both of my girls waiting for their little goofy buddy to dance again with them, joyfully playing without pain.

I love you baby boy. With all my heart. You will let me know when it is time. Until then I give you everything I can to make your days easier. I wish I could make you young again and hold you in my arms when I tell you I love you. I pray your final moments are peaceful and I hope you know how much I love you.

Shown above is my little sweet pea Reeves, resting in his little bed which is right next to my chair in the dog room.

They have a website - they MUST be ethical!

I found this posted on a "breeder's" website recently:

10 Rules of Ethical Breeding

1) The only reason to be breeding purebred dogs is to preserve the best qualities of the breed. Breeding to supply any market is not a justification.
2) You need to do all of your breeding with the best interests of the breed in mind. Never your pocket book.
3) For this you need to be a serious student of the breed and devote years of your life to it. No "in one day, out the other".
4) As a beginner you need to engross yourself in the breed as much as possible and ideally find a suitable mentor.
5) In order to be a serious breeder, you must show and compete.
6) You need to keep track of all puppies you produce, whether pet or show, to know how your breeding program is working.
7) All pet dogs need to go on a spay/neuter contract.
8) All show puppies need to go on a contract that will not allow breeding unless the dog lives up to the quality intended and passes all health checks and certification necessary for that breed. If a prospective breeder does not want to do this, then I am sorry but they will have to mess with someone else's dogs not mine!!
Co-ownerships allow you a certain amount of control in this regard because they require your signature in order that puppies be registered. The latest news from the AKC is that there is a pending change to the rules that will not allow registration unless all papers are properly signed. If you have a difference with your co-owner it will need to be settled in court before the AKC will register litters or puppies. This is new and still pending, but a step in the right direction.
9) Every breeder owes to the breed and to themselves to be involved with rescue.
10) Every breeder should be prepared to take any dog back for whatever reason. If they do not have the space, then they need to be prepared to make other arrangements. But take back they must!


So if a person posts this on their website, does that make them ethical? Even when they themselves don't abide by over half of the items listed? Even when they don't show? Even when they purposefully breed substandard Tzu that don't meet the weight standard as outlined in the breed standard set forth by the AKC parent club? Even when they've only been experts for less than a couple of years? Even when they tout all of the AKC champions in the pedigrees of their "kids" but have NEVER set foot in a show ring, let alone titled a dog they themselves bred? Even when they don't rescue? Even when they will sell dogs for breeding purposes if the price is right without some type of ongoing relationship - i.e. having the dog complete a title? Even when they charge more money for "rare" colors when our breed standard says all colors are permissible meaning there are no RARE colors?

And when it comes to puppy prices, why are some more expensive than others? The price for a puppy should be the same no matter the color or sex.

WAKE UP FOLKS AND SMELL THE JAVA! Just because someone links to something or prints something on their website that eludes to ethics, it doesn't mean that they walk the walk!

ALL puppies are cute! Don't let your desire to find a cute puppy let you fall for the lies that are out there. A website does not make a person ethical. Count how many girls they have that are of breeding age - brood bitches - suppliers of their cash crop. Doesn't matter if they own or co-own them. More importantly - count how many puppies they have listed. Track this info for some time and you'll know EXACTLY what you are dealing with. Add up the money. Why does anyone that doesn't show their dogs need five litters of puppies on the ground at any one time? WHY? Well, let's see - let's say that totals 10 to 15 puppies at $1000 each and then you'll have an idea why. Especially when the don't have real jobs or their commissioned sales job has hit the skids lately.

Ethical breeders breed to improve the dogs that they have with every litter. They breed to improve on faults, to maintain good health, to maintain good temperament. Ethical breeders study pedigrees and can tell you why they bred their girl to the chosen sire. Usually they've gone to great lengths to find the right stud dog. They may have him in their house but if so, that dog's pedigree took some time to develop in order for him to remain in that house to be used on any of the girls that are there. He's not there because of his size or his color. Ethical breeders don't care what color is selling and they don't advertise mochas, chocolates, lattes and all those made up colors that make you pay more money. AKC says that Shih Tzu come in Gold/White, Gold, Black, Black/White, Silver, Silver/White, Brindle, Brindle/White, Red, Red/White, Blue, Blue/White, Liver and Liver/White. Some of these colors may have a black mask. That's IT! Don't fall for what the posers are trying to shove down your throat to make them sound like they have a quality dog.

Ethical breeders would rather pass on breeding a litter than overwhelming their household with puppies. An ethical breeder knows their limitations and they know what they need to do in order to give each puppy born the best possible care in their house. Ethical breeders will breed with intent, with purpose to improve the dogs, not the balance in their checkbooks.

As a puppy buyer, ask the right questions. If you don't get the right answers - MOVE ON.

You don't want a show dog right? So it doesn't matter, right? WRONG! Even the best pedigrees put together may result in not one single puppy finishing a title. But I guarantee you that out of every litter that an ethical breeder breeds, they will hold back a puppy for themselves to watch grow up before they make a final decision on the show worthiness of that puppy. Sometimes they will watch more than one.

Puppy buyers need to understand that THEY TOO DESERVE a well bred animal for their hard earned money.

Good breeders don't advertise their puppies on a website with cute little themes for each litter or catchy names or with the poor puppy next to a soda can to show off their size. Good breeders aren't going to advertise puppy galleries or notate a puppy with "puppy A", "puppy B", etc. Good breeders make you wait for the next litter because they don't breed to fulfill a market, they breed for themselves. Good, ethical breeders don't have puppies just waiting for you. Ask a breeder when their last litter was and how many litters they've bred in the past year, in the past two years, in the past five years. Then ask how many champions they've bred and/or finished. Out of their last litter, how many were shown, how many finished? Ask who their mentor is and check them out too. If you have half a brain, you'll know when things don't add up.

Most importantly, plan ahead and find a breeder that cares. Don't wake up one day bound and determined to bring home a puppy by the end of the week. Take your time. Look at what is out there and use your head. You will be grateful you did.