Imperial & Champion
Shih Tzus For Sale in
Indiana

Here is a perfect example of the size difference between an imperial 3-5 lb, tinie 6-9 lb, and a standard 10-18 lb. All three pups are 9 wks old.

 A standard pup verus two imperials pups(all the same age)

  An imperial pup at 8 wks old is about the same height as a can.

 Imperials are the perfect purse dogs and their size makes them great for traveling.

There are three unofficial sizes to the shih tzu- imperials 3-6 lb., tinies 7-9 lb., and standards 10-16 lb. (most common and most accepted in the show ring). We are often asked if the imperials are more sickly than the standards. While they do tend to be more difficult breeders and often have major complications during labor, they do not seem to have any more health problems than any other well bred standard shih tzu. There are a few common things that we see in the imperials more often than the standards. Imperials are like premature human babies and some things just take longer to develope. They almost always have their soft spot longer than the larger pups and this is normal for their tiny size. The soft spots will grow shut but can take up to 6 months or maybe even longer to go away. Their puppy teeth take longer to come down. They often do not hit sexual maturaity until over 1 yr old instead of 6 months for a standard and the testicles may not be down as very young pups.

 The key to finding any healthy shih tzu no matter what the size is to find a reputable breeder. In many cases people will sell a runt as an "imperial" who comes from larger parents but has remained much smaller. In some cases there may be health issues as to why it is so much smaller than it's siblings and should be dealt with caution. Commom health issues for a "runt" to remain small are heart mumurs, liver shunts, & kidney disorders- these should all be tested for before you get your pup with a super chemcast, bun/creatine(6 panel), or bile acid to rule them out. These problems tend to not affect the puppy until they they may be older. Another thing you might see is a breeder starving a puppy or reducing water intake to bring down it's weight before going home. This can lead to major problems with low bloodsugar (hyperglycemia), something all tiny toy pups are prone. The best way to prevent the low bloodsugar is to not buy a puppy below the age of  9 wks or until they are over 2 lb.  In our breeding program we have slowly dropped the size of our shih tzus with out losing the quality and healthiness. It is a careful and slow breeding process. A TRUE imperial can not be obtained in only a few breeding but can be obtained with time and careful selection. Some breeders have been known to inbreed their dogs to get their size down faster. While inbreeding is used by many breeders (even show breeders) it is not a great way to produce healthy, quality pups in the longer run. This is because when you inbreed you may strenghten the good qualities but you also strenghten the poor ones. Inbreeding in dogs is not the same as inbreeding in humans. In dogs it is usually better to "line breed". This means breeding two dogs that share some of the same lines but not all. For instance breeding to cousins, uncles, and aunts are a commom practise for some breeders. What is not good is inbreeding to mothers, fathers, and siblings. A problem common in the imperial shih tzus is poor- thin or curly- coats with very fine bone structure. This is most likely caused by poor breeding selection based on size more than over all quality. Some breeders have been known to mix with a smaller toy breed like a yorkie or toy poodle to bring the size down. Just because a puppy is registered does not always mean it is a full blooded shih tzu. We strive for the complete package in our imperials- we want bones with substance, thick double coats that are straight and soft, even or slightly undershot bites, eyes with little white showing, and a body that slightly longer than the legs with a high tail set over a flat top line.

I am often asked "How do you know if a puppy is an imperial?". At birth we don't. An true imperial is not the "runt" and is almost always the same weight or maybe even larger than their larger counterparts the standards at birth. It takes about 4 to 6 wks after birth for us to see a difference in growth rates. While a larger sized one's growth remains the same an imperial's slow down drastically. An imperial also tends to have a much smaller sized head that can often be a early indication of their later size. While there is no sure way to know if a puppy will remain small or hit a growing spurt, there are ways to help experience breeders determine adult weights. Here is a chart that can help.

At 8 wks of age take the puppies exact weight and multiply by 3

10 wks X 2 and add a pound

12 wks X 2

The older the pup the more accurate we can estimate it's adult weight. Usually whatever height yor puppy is at around 6 months is the height you can expect it to stay, but an imperial can still gain one or two pounds from the age of 6 months old to adult hood at around a year old. The above chart is just a guideline, you must take in to consideration what the parents and grandparents weighed. If a puppy looks to be an imperial but has standard sized parents there is always a chance it may reach near their weight. A true imperial (3-5 lb) should be below 2 lb at 8 wks and still be a healthy active pup. The most important thing to remember is that no one is able to know exactly what a puppy will weigh at adulthood. All any breeder can do is give their best educated guess based on past litter sizes and by knowing the background of sizes in our breeding adults.

We rarely sell our imperials as breeders for many reasons. The main and most important reason is due to their extreme smallness for this breed. A female imperial can not be safely bred to most tinie and any standard without a high risk of complications and c-sections. The only way to safely breed the imperial sizes is to use a TRUE imperial male and a tinie or larger imperial female, who also comes from imperial lines. True imperial lines(imperials for more than three generations back) helps reduce the risk of a imperial female throwing a tinie or standard size pup that she can not deliver naturally.  Another problem with breeding the imperial female is that they usually only come in heat once a year and have only one to two pups each litter. This is why the imperials are so much more rare and expensive. The imperial female will never make her owner the profits the larger sized ones will and tend to have ALOT more complications during labor, so most breeders shy far away from them. Some breeders prefer to get a imperial male and breed him to their larger females. What you must realize is that your little 4 or 5 lb male is not going to reach a larger sized female. This is why almost all imperial males must be artificaled most of the time. Also when you breed an imperial male to a larger female there is always a chance you will not even get an imperial pup in the litter, since the female carriers larger genes and can pass those on to her offspring. If you are a thinking of breeding here are two things to take into consideration- 1.) Be aware that a female can die when pregnant or during labor, so be sure you are willing to take this risk before you make the decision to breed your family pet 2.) A male STUD is not a good house pet because once they have begun producing they will follow their animal instincts and start to spray inside your house to show other males this is their area, they will often do this even if you have no other males in the house. Breeding can be a fun experience, but you should be well informed on what is involved in breeding before making the decision and be sure your pet is of breeding quality.