While anyone can put on a smiling face and tell you everything you want to hear you want to be certain that you look past the smiling face when you are talking to prospective Chihuahua breeders. You should do a lot of research before you decide to do business with any particular breeder. And any good and reputable breeder will insist that you do your research as well so that everyone is comfortable with the whole transaction. Reputable breeders have nothing to hide.
The first thing you can do to weed out the shady breeders is to check and see what national breeding registry each are listed with. The gold standard is the American Kennel Club but there are other registries so find out which one your breeder is associated with so you can see what kind of breeding standards they use when doing their business. Also check to make sure they are really listed with the registry, do not take their word for it. Remember you are checking someone out so do your own work.
Talk to your vet and ask them about the breeders that you are considering and ask them their opinion and also if they have any Chihuahua breeders they can recommend to you. If you do not have a vet then you will need one when you get the dog so there is no better time to strike up a relationship with a vet than when you are getting your first pet. Your vet is just as interested in the health and well being of your pet as you are so talk with your vet about the different breeders you are considering.
Next you should probably talk to the local law enforcement officials and ask them if they are familiar with any of the breeders you are considering. Needless to say that if the law is familiar with a breeder, but in a bad way, then you probably want to steer very clear of that breeder and move on to someone that is not on a first name basis with the police in your town. This is serious business and doing that business with a criminal is a very bad idea.
After you have gone through asking everyone else what they think of your prospective Chihuahua breeders it is now time to talk to the breeders themselves. See what their attitude is about breeding and gauge whether or not this is someone you want to do business with for many years to come.
Find out what information they offer you when you get a dog from them and also just pay attention to see if this is someone that you would feel comfortable buying your future family member from.
Choosing a good breeder is the most important step to getting a Chihuahua for you and your family. It is up to you to do the research and find out if the breeders you are considering are people you want to do business with or not.
You need to do the right thing and make sure that you are choosing the right breeder for you and your family because in the end that relationship between you and your breeder is what is most important.