Teddy Bear Puppies for Sale in Iowa

Our Teddy Bear Puppies can be hand-delivered right to your door In Iowa.

Home / Locations / Iowa / Teddy Bears

Teddy Bear Puppies for Sale in Iowa

If you have been looking at Teddy Bear puppies for sale in Iowa, our puppies come from The Puppy Lodge, a family run program based on a five acre farm in Fresno, Ohio. Teddy Bears are a Shih Tzu and Bichon Frise cross, usually 8 to 15 pounds full grown, with a plush wavy coat and the calm, people focused personality both parent breeds are known for.

Iowa sits about 10 to 14 hours west of our farm depending on whether you are near Davenport or out toward Sioux City. That is a comfortable one day drive for our transport vans, so most Iowa families have their puppy delivered to the front door rather than making the trip themselves.

Available Teddy Bear Puppies
Fluffy Teddy Bear puppy for sale in Iowa

Available Teddy Bear Puppies for Iowa Families

Everything listed below is available right now and can be reserved online. Each puppy is vet checked by Danville Veterinary Clinic, microchipped, current on vaccinations and dewormings, and goes home at eight weeks or older with a written three year health guarantee that covers genetic and congenital conditions.

We do not keep a waitlist, so puppies go first come, first served and a puppy you are watching today can be reserved by another family the same afternoon. A $200 deposit holds your pick, financing is available through Credova, and we deliver to every part of Iowa. If you want to see a puppy move around before you decide, we can set up a FaceTime call.

Hand-delivered Teddy Bear puppy in Iowa

Teddy Bear Puppy Delivery to Iowa

Once your puppy is reserved, we set up a call to work out how it gets home. There are three ways to do it.

Home delivery is what most Iowa families pick. A professional pet transport service drives the puppy door to door in a climate controlled van, with an individual carrier, a veterinary checkup before leaving, and updates along the way. Iowa falls in our national tier, currently $450 flat. Vans head out on Tuesday mornings and the run west through Indiana and Illinois means most families in the state have their puppy within a couple of days of scheduling.

Flight nanny service gets the puppy there faster, usually the same day. A trained handler carries the puppy in the cabin, never in cargo, in an airline approved soft carrier under the seat, and hands the puppy to you at baggage claim. Des Moines International, The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, and Sioux Gateway in Sioux City all work well for this. The puppy needs to be at least eight weeks old, under 20 pounds with the carrier, and have a health certificate, which we arrange. Teddy Bears sit well under that weight limit, so the carrier requirement is rarely an issue with this breed. Cost is quoted per flight and runs higher than ground.

Farm pickup is open by appointment if you want to make the drive. Coming from Iowa that is a long day each way, so it makes more sense as part of a trip you were already taking east. Families who do come out get to meet the puppy's mother, walk through the kennel, and go over the health records in person.

For most of Iowa we suggest ground delivery. It costs less than a nanny flight, it does not involve an airport run, and the drive time is short enough that the puppy is not on the road for days. If your schedule is tight or you are close to Des Moines or Cedar Rapids, the flight nanny is worth asking about. Teddy Bears have a slightly shorter muzzle from the Shih Tzu side, so summer heat matters more for them than for most breeds. Our vans are climate controlled the whole way, and in July and August we plan pickup times so the handoff is not happening in the middle of a hot afternoon.

Want to learn more about adoption in other nearby states? We also deliver Teddy Bear puppies to Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

About Our Teddy Bear Program and Why Iowa Families Choose Us

The Puppy Lodge is a family operation. The Nisley family has raised dogs for more than 13 years, and today our litters come from a closed network of local kennels near the farm that work only with our dogs and follow our health testing, genetic testing, and breeding standards. We own the parent dogs, and each one is genetically tested and picked for temperament, health, pedigree, and color genetics before any pairing happens. Our vet from Danville Veterinary Clinic comes to the kennels weekly to check the adults and the new litters.

Every Teddy Bear puppy goes through the ENS protocol from day 3 through day 16, gets handled daily by the kids in the family, and starts potty and crate training before go home day. That early work matters with this breed in particular. Teddy Bears bond hard and can develop separation anxiety if alone time is never practiced, and starting them young gives you a head start on it. Each puppy leaves with a blanket carrying its mother's scent, which helps on a long trip to Iowa. If you want to read more about what to expect, we put together a full guide to Teddy Bear puppies before you bring one home.

The Puppy Lodge, Teddy Bear breeder serving Iowa
See Our Available Teddy Bear Puppies

We are a good distance from Iowa, so it is worth saying why families there work with us anyway. Teddy Bears are a cross, which means both breeds behind the puppy need testing rather than one. We test both sides, screen structure in the pairings, and back it with a three year guarantee. You can see the health records, talk to us on the phone, and video call the puppy before you commit.

Read Our Reviews!

See Our Reviews

Teddy Bear FAQs Of Iowa Families

Q: How much does a Teddy Bear puppy cost, and what does delivery to Iowa add?

A: Teddy Bear puppies start at $1,995 and the price moves with color, coat type, and gender. Ground delivery to Iowa is a flat $450 for anywhere in the state. Flight nanny service is quoted per flight and costs more than ground. A $200 deposit holds the puppy, and financing through Credova can be applied for online.

Q: Do Teddy Bears handle Iowa winters?

A: They do fine, but they are an indoor dog first. At 9 to 12 inches tall with a coat that is plush rather than dense like a northern breed, they lose heat fast and should not be outside for long in January. Short potty trips and indoor play cover their 20 to 30 minutes of daily exercise through winter. Wipe their paws after walks, since road salt irritates the feet and they will lick it off.

Q: Is a Teddy Bear a good fit for an apartment in Des Moines or Iowa City?

A: Yes, this is one of the better small breeds for apartment living. They are quiet compared to most small dogs, they will bark at the door but do not carry on, and their exercise needs are low enough that a short walk and some indoor play is plenty. Their size also keeps them under most weight limits in rental buildings.

Q: How often will my Teddy Bear need grooming?

A: Plan on a professional groom every six to eight weeks plus brushing several times a week at home. The coat keeps growing and traps loose hair instead of dropping it, so it mats without upkeep, usually first at the ears, chest, and behind the legs. If you live outside the Des Moines or Cedar Rapids area, line up a groomer before your puppy comes home, since smaller town shops book out further ahead.

Q: How much does the coat help if we have allergies at home?

A: Less than people hope, but not nothing. Hair is not the actual trigger, dander and saliva protein are, and every breed produces both. What this coat does is keep shed hair in place rather than releasing it, and since dander travels on hair, less of it circulates. Mild reactions are often manageable that way. Severe ones usually are not, and we would rather you knew that before the deposit than after. It varies between individual dogs too, so ask us for a FaceTime call and a conversation about the specific puppy first.

Q: Are Teddy Bears good with kids and other pets?

A: They are one of the steadiest breeds we raise for family homes. They are solid and compact rather than fragile, which helps in a house with young children, and they have almost no prey drive, so they settle in with other dogs and cats without much drama. Both parent breeds were developed purely as companions, which is why the temperament stays so consistent.

Q: What health issues should I ask about?

A: Teddy Bears can carry the small breed risks that come with both parents, including patellar luxation, dental crowding, allergies, and eye conditions such as cataracts and dry eye. None of these are unique to this cross, and most show up across small breeds generally. We genetically test and health screen every parent dog to lower the odds, our vet examines each litter multiple times, and the three year guarantee covers genetic and congenital conditions. Give us a call at 330-790-5007 and we will walk you through what testing was done on a specific puppy's parents.