Safe Breeder or Not?

It would be easier to understand with a link to what you mean. What breed are you looking for?

You could post the site here and get some opinions on it... you may get it more ripped apart then you are looking for...

You can ask for references, I did with a breeder once... but I will say this, the people they list as references, they KNOW are going to say good things... they are not going to list people who have had bad experiences or have complained.

Finding a good breeder is difficult... if you post the location you are looking in... some posters may be able to help you find a good one or at least point you in the right direction!

They are looking at Chi's.

There are quite a few people here with Chis. I'm sure you could PM ~Jessie~ the breeder's site and she'll have some ideas.

The fact that they bred 'teacups' is a very very bad thing to steer very very very far away from!

Well there we go, it stats *teacup* I didn't know it would for the link. My bad.

Just very quickly looking over the first couple pages.

1) They use the terms 'teacup', 'tiny', 'micro', 'mini' and 'toy' which is something you want to avoid in any toy breed breeder. Chis and other toys come in one size, teacup is a marketing ploy used to sell sickly, undersized pups. No reputable breeder will sell teacups or anything like that.

2) CKC as in Con KC is not a reputable registry. Also, just because a dog is registered does not mean it is quality. Now CKC as in Can KC is a different story. Just noticed you're in Canada so I'm probably thinking of the wrong CKC.

3) They advertise 'champion lines' as a selling point for their dogs while their own breeding stock is mostly lacking in titles. A few are champed though...

3) They have a lot of available puppies at the same time. While not always a bad sign, I'd be concerned with a breeder that has that many litters at once.

For the price they're asking, you can get a well bred chihuahua from health tested parents. Look for a breeder that shows or does something else with their dogs and who has a guarantee. I'm not sure what health certs you'd be looking for in chis, I'll let the chi people tell you that.

CKC, AKC, or both is a good thinh. However it doesnt garentee quality. Ask what health testing they do. Not just vet visits, I mean hip and elbow scores, or whatever the breed needs. Dont be fooled by seamingly good reasons why they dont do it.

Anything teacup is bad. Merle isnt bad just merle to merle breedings. If they advertise rare colors stear clear.

Merle is actually iffy in chihuahuas like it is in a few other breeds (cockers, poms, etc). It wasn't originally in the breed (dominant and cannot be carried) and was likely introduced by someone sneaking in another breed (probably dachshund). For this reason merle is not allowed in chis in most registries however it has become slightly more accepted in the AKC world. I think there are two AKC merle chihuahua champions now. Merle is a big debate still though and a lot of people are still against it being accepted.

I ment as a general rule in breeds who can be merle.

I would stear away from a iffy merle breed, Not long ago blue and fawn dobermans were a no no. It would depend on everything else.

As for the breeder you posted RUN.

You are only 3hrs from me. PM me and I will send you links of some good breeders in the area.

"Merle is a Pattern, not a color, which dilutes the base color of the dog. It is not recessive in the Chihuahua, so if the dog has the gene, it will BE a Merle. Hidden Merles may be present when the Merling has faded as the dog grows, as with fawn Merles. Breeding a Merle with a Merle can be very dangerous, causing health problems such as blindness & deafness."

:Wee Chi Chihuahua's - Merle Information


I thank you for wanting to help me find a good site in my area, but I really think that I am going to just have to do that work myself, as I am VERY picky. & what someone else might think are adorable looks for a Chi, I may not.

I had someone very kind send me some links, but they assumed that I was just looking for any old dog.

I like them smaller, I like the short coat, Apple head, Short snout, White, Cream, a solid color, I like the ears a certain way, if I have to wait for a litter for the next four years, so be it.

This is the site I've come across for Canadian Chi's CKC registered:

Chihuahua Breeders - Canada's Guide to Dogs - Breed Clubs

These are the site's in Canada I need to do more work on, because I liked the way some of the Chi's looked:

Welcome To My Homepage
Available pups
Exotic Puppies for Sale - Breeder - Texas
Kimza Chihuahuas.Phoenix, Arizona.
Good Info:Merle Chihuahuas
Calgary chi Meetup lady bought pup here: Wee Chi Chihuahua's - Home
merles
VALPAR - PUPPIES - www.123minsida.se/vboxchis
Our chiahuahuas photo gallery : Mini-Chihuahuas


Calgary Canine Agility Club
Competitive Service Dog of Alberta
Chihuahua Relief & Rescue Society
Chi Rescue, The Chi Club of B.C. The Chi Club of Canada
The Canadian Chi Rescue & Transport
Small Breed Rescue (canada)

Merle is not something that just "randomly" crops up, it's a dominant gene and if a dog has it, it will be expressed. I don't know a massive amount about the color history of Chi's though, maybe this was something that used to be culled at birth as "mismarked" or something. ~Jessie~ would be a better person to answer this though.

Chi's are a very small breed to begin with, so by "smaller size" I'm not sure how small you're thinking. Everything else you were describing is pretty easy to come by.

"ConKC" is "Continental Kennel Club" and is a joke of registry. It was created as a way for puppymillers and other bad breeders to be able to register their litters and therefore charge more for "papers".

"CanKC" is the Canadian Kennel Club and is legit. BE VERY SURE to ask which "CKC" a breeder is meaning if they only have the initials listed.

ANY registration is only worth the paper it's produced on...it's like having a car title. The paper will say that the dog/car is supposedly of the breed/brand it's supposed to be, but it says nothing about the actual quality. Even rusted out, broken down cars in the junkyard still have a title. Just the same, even the worst, most sickly dog out there can still be "registered". It's up to the buyer to be aware of what is behind that piece of paper.

6XlegZ, just wanted to pipe in and commend you for being careful on your choice of breeders. In all honesty it's very hard to find good breeders for most breeds nowadays, but even harder for chihuahuas since they've become so popularized... breeders saturate the market with poorly bred examples of the breed.

It will be frustrating at first, but stick with it, and we'll help you out!

Canuck Dogs: Prairies - Alberta Breed Listings

You can allways sort through and see if you like something. for the most part these are good breeders

I personally dont have a problem with merle in chihuahuas. 1500-2000 for a puppy, no thanks. That first breeder is looking for money and its quite obvious. I HATE seeing the word "teacup" and "micromini", as if they have something special.Two thumbs DOWN. As far as size goes, I wouldn't want anything under 3 pounds. There IS such thing as TOO small. ugh.

Foxywench would be a good member to talk to as well.