My shih tzu Spike is a little over two years old. He is my second shih tzu to own. My last one had very silky hair and didn't shed at all. But Spike's hair is VERY thick and kind of poofy. Not smooth like my other dog's was. And he does shed. Not much but more than my last dog. The woman I bought him from says he is a purebred Shih Tzu and gave me papers. He is just so different from my last Shih Tzu. Is he really a purebred? Is there a way to test to see if he is? Any advice/input would be much appreciated!
2007-02-16 14:37:46 · 16 answers · asked by mattsbaby125 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Yes if its registered through the AKC you can have the dogs dna tested it costs $35. They can verify bloodlines it the dogs parents or grandparents were done. Go to AKC.org. Also you can locate a shih tzu breeder and bring your dog to them. They can look at your dog and tell if its pedigree or mixed.
2007-02-16 14:45:59 · answer #1 · answered by gary b 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pure bred dogs are worth a lot of money, even if you are getting them off a private owner. It would be really rare to just pickup a purebred without knowing in advance.
I recently purchased a 'purebred' dog, and was also given papers, they were fake. You will want to check with whatever registry she credits on the paper, some of mine were just a shitty photocopy, and the dog had parvovirus. Even the uncopied documents (the originals) were fake, the AKC had never heard of this dogs' bloodline. We couldn't keep the poor thing because the disease is highly contagious. Backyard breeders are something to look out for.
2007-02-16 14:55:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can take your dog to a Vet and by appearance they should be able to tell you if your dog might be mixed with something else. Otherwise, only genetic testing could tell you for sure and that is very expensive. It is possible for people to breed dogs and then another dog gets in the mix because the breeders aren't that responsible but they send the paper work in and register the dogs. Pretty sad. I know it happens though.
There are variations in coats within a breed though, so your dog may well be purebred.
2007-02-16 14:47:16 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did you see the parents when you picked out the puppy? I don't know if you want to go down that route, but you can have DNA testing done, to determine if your pup really came from the papered dogs as advertised.
If he is looks like a Shih tsu, it may very well be that he is from a different bloodline than your previous one but just as pure bred, if you know what I mean.
I would call the owners though and get a feel for how they act when you ask them and go from there.
Good luck!
2007-02-16 14:47:07 · answer #4 · answered by thatswhattheytoldmelastnight 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this probably is not much of an answer...but i am in a similar position...i was given a dog by my brother in law who bought the dog as a 6 month old pup. he paid for a registerable dog and received the papers that would allow him to register her. she is now over 2 yrs old...he never registered her and neither will i because we dont believe she is full blooded. she is supposed to be a german shephard...but she is huge, has a long, straight back, no sloping at the hips, and her ears are floppy. i suppose she could be full blooded, but some kind og throw back or gentically impure...but it is my guess that another dog got her mother and the owner may not have been aware of it.
http://www.dogpage.us/shihtzu.htm#Picture_Galleries
here is a site with a lot of different pics in it. maybe that will help your guestion to be answered.
2007-02-16 15:02:03 · answer #5 · answered by Tammy M 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take the papers to another breeder. A vet can give you names of reputable ones. The reason purebreds are different many times is that they have been breed with their own relatives over the years. This is true in all purebreds. That is one reason they have so many health difficulties. People get greedy and try to make money anyway they can. Taking shortcuts by breeding parents with children is one way. Just love your dog.
2007-02-16 14:47:06 · answer #6 · answered by jan 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If the papers are real then yeah he's purebred, but normally Shih Tzus don't shed. Take him to the vet and they will be able to tell you.
2007-02-16 14:42:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
well all dogs are different whether their a shih zu or a Dalmatian so your dog might be a purebred even if the two dogs are opposites. my pomeranian pup is big for his size but his sister is tiney but i saw their birth i know their the same.
2007-02-16 15:05:36 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes
2007-02-16 14:42:28 · answer #9 · answered by bageno4 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
post a picture and let us see
"purebreed" dosen't mean a whole lot as does "akc registered", a shihtzu can be both of these and still be a horrible representative of the breed. It's very possible that yours is purebreed, but just did not come from the best stock.
2007-02-16 14:41:54 · answer #10 · answered by sherrycranford 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋