What makes us special? What are you getting for the price you are paying when you purchase a puppy from HonorRae Shih Tzu? This page is going to answer those questions for you!
We complete all of the necessary OFA testing, and we also do Embark DNA testing on each one of our dogs as well. Giving you peace of mind that we are making sure we are breeding healthy dogs, and passing on healthy genetics to our puppies!
All of our dogs are raised in our home, and are part of our family! The puppies get daily interaction, playtime, socialization, and desensitization to things in everyday life that could be “scary” to them in order to set them up for success.
Our puppies receive consistent and loving socialization from day one. Daily appropriate handling, daily constant care, daily playtime when they reach that age, practice with early grooming like baths, nail cutting, ear cleaning practice, brushing, electric clipper sounds and feelings, face trimmings, etc. Our puppies spend time with adults and children, around our big dog, and other small adult dogs, and they are raised in our home around the daily business of life, sounds in the kitchen, cleaning sounds and smells and sights. Our puppies also go on car rides periodically to help them get used to being in carriers in a moving vehicle. We truly do our best to prepare them for many life situations while also keeping them safe.
We offer our puppies an incredible puppy curriculum where they can learn and grow and become confident in a safe, fun, and loving environment! We have all kinds of different toys to explore, textured floor pieces to get used to, different climbing apparatuses, a very low hanging swing they can explore and gain courage and strength on, toys that move and make noises, and more. We also have a TV Set up in their puppy growing space where they are exposed to thunderstorm noises, fireworks noises, door bell sounds, Etc! Each day we have a different scheduled curriculum for our growing pups to work on. We specialize in helping our pups be as prepared and confident as possible in their new homes, and for their entire lives.
Our puppies all begin litter training onto a potty tray like the one in this picture, usually around 3-4 weeks old!! We usually add grass pellets on top of the potty pad, but still under the grate, to associate the smell of grass to where they are supposed to go.
Dogs have a natural instinct of wanting to keep their “den area” clean. We use this instinct to our advantage to help them learn there is a proper place to use the bathroom from a very young age!
This helps tremendously with the transition to using the potty outside, OR continue to use an indoor potty system at home! We prefer not to use just potty pads so that hopefully a pup will not think area rugs are a great place to potty in the future.
We introduce our puppies to crates for short periods as well so they can begin to learn that this is supposed to be a safe place for them, not a place they should detest or fear. Crate training takes a lot of consistency and patience, but it is a very good skill to teach your pup. We do our best to give them a good head start in this area!
Our puppies receive Early Neurological Stimulation and Early Scent Introduction starting from 3 days old and continuing until day 16. ENS & ESI are proven to enhance and accelerate a puppy’s neurological development during this timeframe! It fosters improved stress intolerance, higher disease resistance, improved scent identification, and stronger cardiovascular performance.
We will be posting a video on our youtube channel about ENS & ESI later this year if you want to see these things in action!
I love to update you on your puppy! I will frequently post pictures and videos and sometimes even lives on our different social media platforms, but I will also send picture and video updates to you personally at least once per week, although it usually ends up being more! I can also set up Facetime dates for you to visit your growing puppy once per week if you would like! We want you to feel connected and excited about your puppy, and we are excited for you too!
We like to stay active on several social media platforms to keep our families and potential families updated and involved in our puppies, our process, and our overall program. We are so passionate about raising puppies well, and we love to share what we do here with all of you!
You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! They are all linked at the bottom of this webpage.
We offer lifetime breeder support here at HonorRae Shih Tzu because we care deeply about these puppies we are helping bring into this world, and we will care about them, and you, their new families, for their entire lives. We want your experience, and their experience to be as wonderful as possible, and we will be here to help or to answer any questions you may have for the remainder of the puppy’s life. We love hearing from you and receiving updates on your puppy as well!
If for any reason you are unable to keep a puppy from us, we will always take back one of our dogs. We ask in our contract that you always reach out to us first should that scenario ever arise!
All of our puppies go home microchipped and registered to myself and to you. This helps protect our puppies if one were to ever go missing! We will provide you with this information when you pick up your puppy.
Our puppies go home with a special puppy go home bag. These will include their medical records and other information inside a folder, a bag of food to get them started, or to slowly transition them to something else, a selection of toys, treats, and other fun items that will be helpful for bringing home your new baby!
Each one of our puppies will go home with up to date medical records, and a complete puppy wellness check from our veterinarian.
Our puppies are on a regular deworming schedule, and will be up to date on any vaccinations they need according to their age. We will let you know what else they should receive after they go home with you.