OKAY FIRST I WANT TO SAY FOR THOSE WHO SAY THAT IMPERIALS DO NOT EXIST- GET REAL. GET
YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE SAND. SAYING THEY DO NOT EXIST DOESN'T MAKE IT SO.
And to those who are claiming that only "unethical breeders" sell IMPERIAL pups I wish
to recommend a little history reading...
THE BOOK OF THE SHIH TZU. by Rev. D. Alan Easton and Joan McDonald Brearley... published
around 1978 in USA... one of the first books published on the shih tzu in the States. read page 141.
A lot of us breeder have these tiny little gems and will continue to have them. Many
of us have healthy gorgeous little miniatures of the standards. They are a treasure.
Shih tzu standard size is 9-16 lbs. 10 inches at the shoulder.
You can go to the
AKC website to get all of the information. Sometimes you
get a puppy who just doesn't seem to be getting as big as the rest.
They are not the runt. They are a "Small" and/or "Imperial". They
are NOT SICKLY and do NOT have more health issues than the other dogs. Our imperials are quite healthy - no seizures
and my eldest so far is 9 years old with no health problems at all - except she is so spoiled she stinks! They are an exact miniature replica of the standard. Most breeders of Shih Tzu
recognize that there are three sizes, even though the smaller sizes can not be
shown by AKC standards, they can still be registered. Just because it doesn't fit
standard doesn't mean they are not pure-bred.
Standard - 9-16 lbs.
Smalls 6-9 lbs.
Imperials - anything under 6 lbs.
We often have Imperials and Smalls are almost the norm for us any more.
PLEASE NOTE!
We do not sell Imperials to families with
children under 10 years of age. When you see one
you will understand. They are so very,
very, very tiny.
Purchasing an Imperial is quite a commitment as well. They sometimes
need extra care as in extra meals and attention to low-blood sugars until they
grow up. They often will play so hard with the other pups and forget to eat - then bottom out...unless
fed a proper diet, so they have to be monitored. JUST UNTIL THEY GET A LITTLE OLDER. :)
They may need to have their injections delayed until they are more mature and "sometimes" the injections can cause them to be ill and have reactions.
An Imperial is quite an experience - our Isabeau does not know that
she is 4 1/2 lbs. She thinks she is as big as a Great Dane.
She rushes right out to greet big dogs and defends my husband as
if she were a German Shephard. Imperials have great heart and most
that I have seen are extremely intelligent.
I have often had people ask me why these little guys cost so very much. I had a son that was preemie and took a lot of
care. He cost more also. Most breeders will keep the smalls
and Imperials longer to make sure that they are weaning from mommy
properly. They may take extra meals per day. Also, you may have
to delay their shots until they have mature a little more. All of this
takes time and time is money in most
businesses as well as the breeding world.
I have customers who call and ask for an Imperial but they want a specific color and with certain patterns. Imperials are fairly
hard to come by. They don't happen with every litter. If you are really
determined to have an Imperial you may have to wait on that specific color and certain pattern, sometimes years.
Imperial females are NEVER bred. They are just too small. It
has been our experience, that you do not see an entire litter
of Imperials. (That is why you don't breed Imperial females, you can
not guarantee that all of the puppies will be tiny.) Usually there will be one -maybe two- imperials in a litter of a female or male who
"throws" imperials. Sometimes none.
Smalls happen more often and are usually pretty hardy.
SHIH
TZU PUPS ARE 2 OUNCES TO 8.5 OUNCES AT BIRTH yes I said 8.5 OUNCES - THAT IS HALF
A POUND OF DOG!!!!! SO YOU SEE WHY WE DO NOT BREED THE 3-4 LB MOMMA'S OKAY
PEOPLE ... AND YOU CAN NOT TELL HOW BIG THE PUPS WILL BE WHEN THEY ARE BORN..
MOST ARE ALL THE SAME SIZE AT BIRTH AND THE IMPERIALS STOP GROWING OR SLOW WAY DOWN AT 5-6 WEEKS OF
AGE.. :) THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS I AM NEVER IN A HURRY TO SELL MY PUPS..
HAHAHAHAHA
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