I have a Prapso

by Terri Cummings
(Auburn, Alabama USA)


When I first saw her at the breeder I didn't think she was a Shih Tzu. I had never seen a Prapso before.

But we fell in love with her and brought her home. After her second heat we bred her to our black and white standard male and got beautiful puppies!!

Two of them had umbilical hernias but unfortunately at age 6 weeks none of them look like a Prapso.

Still all in all they are healthy and happy puppies and that is all that matters. I love my babies.
Terri Cummings Auburn, Alabama

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Hi Janice Here from Miracle Shih Tzu
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Thank you for sharing your Prapso puppy's picture and story with us. What you describe about breeding Prapso puppies is so common in Shih Tzu breeders. You just never know when one is going to pop up. To date, I haven't found anything that discusses the mode of genetic transmission for this. I'm sure if someone does figure it out, they could conceivably develop an entirely new breed.

As far as umbilical hernias are concerned, they are also difficult to "breed out" of a group of dogs.

According to the Dog Channel Website, an umbilical hernia is inherited and likely a
"threshold” trait.

"This means that there is no simple inheritance of dominant or recessive, but the expression of the defect and the degree of the defect may depend on multiple genes, not a simple one-gene dominant/recessive relationship."

As breeders we wish genetics could be simple with each trait such as eye color being either dominant or recessive. If this overly simplistic desire were true, we could predict what each litter would be like. Unfortunately, the reality is that genetics is far from being this simple. I guess that is what makes breeding dogs so interesting.

And, as you mentioned, Terri, all that really matters is the puppies turn out to be happy and healthy.

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Janice Jones is a Shih Tzu specialist and former breeder with a background in veterinary care, grooming, training, and canine behavior. She has spent nearly 50 years working with the breed and ran a home-based breeding program for 15 years, raising well-socialized puppies. Early in her career, she worked as a veterinary assistant supporting surgery, x-rays, and lab work. She shares practical guidance at miracleshihtzu.com and across social platforms. Today, she enjoys the quiet companionship of her aging dogs, understanding them as they understand her.

Janice is walking a few of her Shih Tzu dogsYou guessed it, I'm not a trained dog walker.