My little Izzy came from a puppy mill . I didnt realize it until after I purchased her from a family that had about 6 puppys for sale . She had been sold 3 times before I finally got her 14 years ago , the first price from the mill being $50 . , and my price $450 .
I hated the man selling her so much , because he told me she was special and out of my league price wise that I purchased her as soon as he left the room .... paid , grabbed her and hit the road . I have had 14 years of "wonderful " times with her , and she has traveled all over with me . I will never buy from a puppy mill again , its a horrid way to make money , but i am happy i have my Izzy .

After reading all of the posts here I'm glad I know Pippin had a fantastic puppyhood before he came to me. Pip came from a girl about my age, early 20's I'd guess. She had two chi's, boy and girl and let them have one litter. (Sadly there will be no more, Pippin's mum was hit by a car only days ago... She was due to be spayed in a few weeks.) She had both parents completely health checked beforehand, ensured there was an absolute minimum chance of genetic issues or complications in the birth. Pippin and his brothers grew up surrounded by love, well socialised, they got to run and play outside and they were never gunky eared or runny eyed. Pippin may not have pedigree papers, but I wouldn't trade his upbringing for anything!

I met Pippin just a few days after he was born, I'd answered an internet ad that had gone up just days earlier. I was told he wouldn't be ready to go home for at least two months but she welcomed me to go down and visit as often as I could (almost every weekend!) to visit, play with him, get to know him and watch him grow. We'd sit and have a coffee and lunch and play with the pups and chat. She also added me on Facebook to send me pictures and updates. Pippin already knew me when it was time to take him home, I'd visited him so much! He may misbehave a lot, but he's certainly a well socialised little guy already and he copes well with almost every situation he's plunged into. He's never bitten a child and he's getting better with strange dogs too. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started puppy hunting so it seems I really struck it lucky finding such a wonderful person to buy a puppy from.

She also introduced me to the owners of Pippin's Grandfather and Great Grandfather on his Dad's side. (Perth is a small place for a capital city!) We're still in contact and I'll be taking Pippin to the 'Chihuahua Club' walks that happen about every month, so I'm sure I'll meeting the entire extended family soon!

good post but u have one thing wrong , puppies CAN go before 10 weeks its different for every county/state and country see , i live in cornwall in genraly down here its 6 weeks , more mums dog we got at 6 weeks and the same with my chi puppy , they have both been breeding for years and where recommended by vets , i sorry to point this out but im worried that that begin posted that now people wont buy of certain breeders even though they are good breeders

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My Daisy Mae came from a backyard breeder, she had so many dogs outside(including daisy), i did not know either till i went to go get her. She only used her for breeding, she was starving for love and was really scared. Since i got her n spoiled her rotten she isnt skittish at all, she follows me everywher and loves me sooo much just like i love her. But im with u on that i puppy mills suck and shuld all be shut down. The only reason she decided 2 sell her to me was cause she wasnt producing as many pups anymore, she kept her last pup n sold her right after the puppies were old enuff 2 sell.

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I know this is an old thread but it has some good pointers in the original post.

Shanman,

When you 'can' sell a puppy is different to when you 'should' allow it to leave it's mother.
Some breeds need to stay longer, tiny breeds especially, although some will be fine at a youger age may will stress and can die due to the upset of moving home.
6 weeks is far too young for ay breed be it a chi or a neopolitan mastiff!

Any responsible breeder will not let their puppies go until around 9-10 weeks so that they can learn 'doggy language/manners' from their mother and siblings as well as their first vacc's usually. Smaller breeds should be a couple of weeks older depending on size/weight and maturity.

On the other hand I've had a few dogs from what you would call puppy farms or breeders.
Another trick they try is to bring a mother, or supposed mother, along with a litter of pups to a 'house' and pretend that the litter was bred there and the dogs have been family pets. My daughter ad I bought two mastiff pups 13 years ago from just such a setting. They were supposed to be full litter siblings but whe we had them dna tested at 9 years old it was proven they weren't even related! Mine was a full mastiff but my daughters was a AmBull x mastiff. I've since lost my girl but my daughters is still hanging on at 13 years old.
My girl had health issues from a very young age but was the friendliest dog in the world her 'sister' on the other hand has been aggressive all her life, although not now as she's ancient, she had no health issues until the last 2-3 years but that can be put down to being so old....mastiff's rarely get to 13 years old without health problems.
They are just two we've had from this type of environment.

ok , sorry if it sounded like i was having ago! , wat i ment was well my dogs are 100% fine , they where with their brother and sisters (defenitly real ones) , both breeders where recommended by our very good vets and other people , i understand that in some places it isent normal but down here all the people i know and all the vets say 6 weeks and so far we have had no problems , i think it depends possibly on the environment ect. , see some breeders separate puppies completely but the breeder i got tillie from she had them out most of the day with the mother playing and in the garden , so i guess its different with different situations , sorry if it sounded like i was having ago at anyone lol im just using my experiences so i guess it may be different with other people x

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Does anyone know of a reputable chihuahua breeder in the Southern California area? My last Chihuhua I purchased through who I thought was a reputable breeder. However she had dogs in her trailer, house and a garage. Thankfully I saved Hershey. He was not very socialized and he was only 7 weeks old. Thank you for any suggestions.

Puppies should NOT leave at 6 weeks, especially small breeds like chihuahuas. The rules for how early you can sell a puppy are different in different countries, but regardless a puppy should not leave that early.

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