Impeccable Chihuahuas 352-299-0631 please text or email for a time to speak. Facetime Avail. to see puppies
Attention (want a cookie? :) and BEWARE! MANY Breeders LIE. Even if they seem "nice" and come with pretty websites. There are many, many different scams out there too. Yes. I said it and still stand by it after 34 years of showing and breeding.
If a breeder cannot answer these questions below with PROOF (PAPERWORK copies or OFA links directly) or acts annoyed that you are asking, walk away! AGAIN......ASK FOR PROOF OF ALL STATEMENTS. Do NOT be fooled or be a fool. Did you know most people research their new car more than a puppy? Don't make this mistake.
Yes...we are giving you the "cheat codes" below & answers for finding a reputable breeder (even if it's not us) HINT- A professional or beautiful website is NOT a good indication of a reputable breeder nor are high prices. Ask these questions and ask for the proof. Good breeders have nothing to hide and will appreciate you asking:
Prices on puppies should be asked for LAST. High prices or fabulous websites do not indicate a quality puppy! Most quality breeders keep their puppies between $2500-$5000 (current comparisons- males are on lower end of $). Anything above that or below "may" indicate a problem. Breeders are sales people......treat them as you would a car salesman. Ask for documentation, paperwork and proof before committing.
1. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION!!!!!! Do you health test your puppy parents or adult breeding Chihuahuas through DNA and OFA? RIGHT answer- You are looking for OFA paperwork on the PARENTS (patellas and heart certifications and often times eyes). You can check out a breeder by doing a search here----> OFFA.org. Vet examinations check ups mean NOTHING/NADA more than a quick exam looking for obvious problems. Most genetic issues are only detected with proper testing. Ask to see the OFA patella, heart and/or eyes. Do not take anyone's word. " I know my lines "or "I never have issues" is also not acceptable. You may also ask for DNA testing of specific diseases to see what your new puppy may be a carrier of. NEVER purchase a puppy from two parents who carry the same problematic gene. Doubling up on carrier status is dangerous. Ask for the DNA reports from Embark, Wisdom Panel or other DNA reporting for specific breed related diseases. Follow up question- How do you justify your price of the puppy if the parents are not health tested?
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​2. " Are ALL of your dogs and litters AKC registered and MAY I SEE PROOF?" Are you a Bred by Heart Breeder or Breeder of Merit though AKC? May I call AKC directly? (yes, you can do this) The RIGHT answer whether you WANT AKC papers or not is YES they are. Please ask to see the parents AKC paperwork before purchasing the puppy. Many breeders say they are AKC registered are not. You want your puppy from an AKC BRED WITH HEART breeder and/or AKC Breeder of Merit. Ask for PROOF. I know of several breeders who claim their dogs are AKC and are in fact not. WARNING! CKC and other registering "organizations" are for puppy mills and backyard breeders. If the parents are not AKC, back away slowly and politely. CKC and other registrations are used for puppy mills and backyard, money grubbing breeders. WHY AKC? AKC has a strong reputation in the USA for quality registrations and field reps who visit breeders and expect high quality care, excellent documentation and proper safety and expectations measures place. (AKC visited us in 2023 and we passed with flying colors) I know many breeders who do not register through AKC because they cannot pass inspection. Remember, many breeders are sales reps and their grocery money and living expenses rely on your ignorance. Follow up question- How do you justify your price of the puppy if you do not register through AKC?
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​3. Where do your Chihuahuas live during the day and night? ASK to see their indoor and outdoor facilities in person or FaceTime. Walk away if you are told no. RIGHT answer- All quality breeders keep their dogs inside or in a climate-controlled facility with socialization and human interaction as a family member. Look around on the property and make an educated decision. Remember people will lie. Ask "What's in that shed(s)? "Where are the parents right now? LOOK at their condition. Are they clean? Nails trimmed? Do they seem to love their breeder? Are they in good weight? Is there excessive poop around or unclean bedding?
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4. Do you offer a written health guarantee and contract? RIGHT answer- You are looking for at LEAST A YEAR for genetic/congenital issues AND copies of the parents health documents (DNA reports, OFA reports). Again- do not buy unless the parents are tested OFA, DNA cleared. Vet check ups mean NOTHING moreo than a snapshot of a current physical examination. DNA detects over 276 diseases that could be passed to your puppy unless you ask to see the documents.
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5. May we visit you? RIGHT answer- Most quality breeders breed their puppies from their personal home which means it's not like a store. Your breeder may only want serious buyers in their home but you should be able to FaceTime or Zoom live. Never send money to anyone until you see a puppy live or at least on Zoom/FaceTime. Do not be offended if you cannot visit while the puppies are young (under 8 weeks old). Dog diseases are carried on people and their clothing and until the puppies are vaccinated, breeders are very cautious. We allow people to visit us when the puppies are very young but we stay on our porch or front room and we cannot allow others to handle them until after their first vaccine.
6. What do you feed your adults? Any good quality food or feeding raw is acceptable. What do you feed your puppies? High quality puppy food for the first year is acceptable. We happen to like Royal Canin Chihuahua food and many other high quality food and suggest feeding a raw diet when possible.
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7. How do you socialize your puppies? Using Puppy Culture method is best in our opinion. We also follow the suggestion of "BadAss Breeder" If they do not use Puppy Culture or Badass breeding suggestions, at least find out if they clip toenails regularly, interact with the family, are exposed to different sights and sounds and have ample opportunity for play and use of toys and chewies. Usually, the breeder has enough on his or her plate that a 10-12 week old puppy is not leash trained or potty trained yet. Good breeders will at least start the potty/pad/litter box training and give you good advice going forward.
8. What are your requirements for a home for one of your puppies? You should expect a rigorous questionnaire and phone call from a breeder. YOU should also ask many questions in return. If the breeder is willing to sell to anyone with money....run away.
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9. Do you show or are involved in the breed other than breeding puppies? Do you rescue Chihuahuas? Do you show your Chihuahuas in conformation shows (dog shows) Are you involved in obedience? Are you dogs trained for therapy work or have a CGC (Canine Good Citizen) RIGHT answer is YES for any and or all of these questions. Here at Impeccable Chihuahuas, we try to rescue at least one-2 Chihuahuas at a time to rehabilitate that we get from shelters or from unethical breeders. Occasionally we show in conformation when we have a great contender. We are members of the International Chihuahua Club as well. Many people will say that they don't show because they are home with their dogs instead. Guess what? SO ARE WE. We are home with our dogs too. We hire handlers to show our dogs so we can stay home. People who do not show either cannot because their dogs do not meet the AKC standard, are too big, or not registered. Follow up question- How do you justify your price of a puppy if you are not involved in showing or rescue etc...?
10. How do you select where your puppies go? RIGHT answer- Trustworthy and quality breeders ask MANY questions to find the right homes. Quality breeders don't just sell to anyone and certainly not to puppy shops or pet shops. Expect to pay for quality and support from your breeder. MOST quality breeders will not sell to anyone with full breeding (full AKC rights).
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11. Google Search and use Public records searches to investigate your breeder, partners and spouse/co-breeder completely! Ask for your breeders FULL name and address. Ask for a copy of their driver's license for the individual since people will even lie about their names. ASK FOR OURS. We learned the hard way that People lie :( We are happy to provide you with our information to search us. A professional website is NOT a good indication of quality puppies! I know SEVERAL shady breeders in all breeds with amazing websites. DO NOT BE A FOOL or BE FOOLED because they have cute puppies. If you wait for the right dog, you are not the fool.
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12. Do you work outside of the home? Most quality hobby breeders do. If the individual relies on their puppy sales to live/pay bills, proper decisions for the dogs' health, testing and more may not be taken into consideration since the breeder relies on puppy money to live. If they have a spouse or significant other ask what they do as well. Use your best judgement here. RARELY will you find quality puppies raised with care if the person is a full time breeder. MOST quality puppies will come from someone who has a job outside of raising dogs or has income from other sources. We are educators and our passion is our dogs, not a source of our income. We drive average, older cars, a 2500 sq. foot home on 7 acres and live within our means through our jobs AND NOT the dogs. Look to see how many expensive cars/toys a breeder has and compare it with their jobs vs. puppy sales. YOU are smart :) It will make sense once you understand. Our dog sales go back into vet care, dog shows, testing and general care of our dogs not our home or living expenses like unethical breeders. DO NOT BELIEVE PEOPLE who say they are independently wealthy and do not need to work or their husband supports them. If they have more than a few litters a year and do not health test or show or rescue or protect the breed or belong to clubs - it's income to them.
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13. Who do you have watching your dogs when you work or go away? (see #12) Most quality breeders DO have dog sitters or help when they work outside the home. We have a sitter who comes in for two hours a day to play with and care for our dogs. We are home all weekend and all evenings dedicated to our dogs. We often miss out on family events or fun things to do because of our dedication.
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14. May I see your yearly veterinary invoice and food bills and testing bills? This is a touchy subject but please ask anyway. Ours was $26,000
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15. May I call your veterinarian for a reference? PLEASE CALL THEIR VET AND ASK if they also know if they run DNA tests or send documents into OFA regarding hearts, patella and eyes.
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16. What dog clubs do you belong to? The breeder should be involved in improving the breed beyond breeding. We are members of the International Chihuahua club and other breed clubs.
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17. Do you show? Why or why not? If they say they don't show because they are busy with their dogs, call BS on them. We hire a handler to show our dogs. Are they afraid to compete? why? Dogs not registered with AKC? Are there dos too big or do not meet the AKC standard?
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18. May I see the parents of the dog? May I see their weight on a scale or on medical (official records through a veterinarian)? Dogs should not be any more than 6lbs. Again- people lie and say what they need to in order to sell a dog. Don't shy away from one parent who may be over 6lbs (especially the mother of the litter (dam) as long as the father (sire) is much smaller.
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19. How many litters do you have in a year? The more important questions are above. I know of breeders who breed litters 2x a month and their dogs are health tested, socialized and gorgeous. I know backyard breeders who breed once a year but their dogs are large and untested.
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