Discover Six Interesting Things About the Shih Poo
The Shih Poo is one of those designer crossbreeds that can seem random at first until you realize just how well the two parent breeds of these dogs balance each other out in their offspring. The playful and willful Shih Tzu combined with the dignified and easily trainable toy Poodle to produce a near-ideal family companion. To find more about this interesting cross, here are our 6 fascinating facts about the Shih Poo.
6 things to keep in mind before getting a Shih Poo
First and foremost, we must emphasize that this is a designer breed and not a purebred dog. This means a few things:
- Shih Poos are not recognized by the vast majority of kennel clubs. While this doesn’t prohibit them from entering dog shows and competitions, it usually results in different pet insurance quotes – sometimes higher, sometimes lower, based on the insurance.
- Most crossbreeds also aren’t as expensive as most purebreds or pedigree dogs. That will depend on the breeder but is true on average.
- Designer crossbreeds can also have many varying characteristics because there isn’t a unifying breed standard for breeders to follow.
- The health of some crossbreeds is better than that of many purebred dogs because they avoid the pitfall of inbreeding and lack of genetic diversity. At the same time, however, a designer crossbreed can be especially poorly bred and extra sickly due to the more lax breeding regulations.
All this boils down to – designer crossbreeds are awesome but you should be careful who you’re getting your dog from to make sure it’s healthy. So, let’s get into a bit more specifics regarding the Shih Poo in particular:
1. The Shih Poo’s lovable and gentle nature makes it a great companion dog
Like both its parents, the Shih Poo has a very lovable and lap dog personality. While playful and energetic for its size, the Shih Poo will always look to snuggle in your lap once playtime is over. These dogs love to be petted, pampered, and to be the center of attention. If you’re looking for a pet that loves to be taken care of, the Shih Poo is a great choice.
2. These dogs are highly intelligent and trainable
The Shih Poo is much more than a lovable goof, of course. The Shih Tzus themselves are quite intelligent but the toy Poodle is even more than that – it’s trainable and obedient.
The Poodle, for all its reputation as an aristocratic pet, is a gun dog after all, not dissimilar from Labrador Retrievers, Pointers, Setters, and other such breeds. This means that even the toy version of the breed is very communicative and cooperative, and loves to learn and perform new tasks and commands.
This temperament balances itself very nicely with the individualistic rebel that is the Shih Tzu and forms a smart, playful, mischievous, and yet people-pleasing, trainable, and obedient Shih Poo.
Of course, your part in this whole balancing out is performing adequate obedience training early in the dog’s life. Without that part, your Shih Poo will grow to be just as willful and headstrong as a Shih Tzu. Fortunately, the Poodle in your Shih Poo makes obedience training very easy and smooth.
3. As a small/toy breed, the Shih Poo is mostly an indoor pet
Shih Poos are as small as their name suggests. They will usually be somewhere between 8 and 18 inches tall at the shoulder (20 to 46 cm) and will weigh somewhere between 8 and 18 pounds (3.6 to 8 kg). This puts them firmly on the border between a toy breed and a small breed.
While this makes Shih Poos incredibly cute, it also means a few key things for you:
- The Shih Poo is quite fragile and easy to hurt on accident if you don’t watch your feet when walking around or if you’re a little rough when playing with it. This is why supervision is needed if you have very small children with your Shih Poo – not for the kids’ safety but for the dog’s.
- This small size also means that Shih Poos are not an outdoor breed and can’t be left to live outside. They also don’t need a yard or that much outdoor walk time – a couple of quick walks a day are enough for these dogs. The rest of their playtime they’ll happily get indoors.
- Shih Poos also get exhausted quite easily. They are plenty energetic and playful for their size but their batteries tend to run out pretty quickly. So, be careful not to overexercise your pet. When you want to go out on longer hikes or treks with your Shih Poo, you should also always have a pet carrier with you.
4. The Shih Poo’s hair can vary a bit but is generally low-shedding and near-hypoallergenic
Shih Tzus and Poodles have very different coat types. The Shih Tzu has a double-layered coat with a thick and short undercoat to keep it safe from temperature changes and a long and straight upper layer that’s instantly recognizable for its beauty.
Poodles, on the other hand, have a curly single-layer coat as they lack undercoats. This makes them more susceptible to weather changes but it also means that they shed much less than other dogs. That, combined with their low dander issues, means that Poodles are as close to being hypoallergenic as a dog can be.
What does this mean for your Shih Poo?
Well, it means that they can either have the Shih Tzu’s straight double-coat and shed a fair bit or they can have the Poodle’s curly single-coat and barely shed at all. They can also have the Shih Tzu’s straight top layer but still lack an undercoat. Fortunately, it’s usually easy to recognize which type of coat a dog’s going to have by its 8-week which is when dogs are usually adopted or purchased.
All in all, thanks to their small size too, Shih Poos are fairly good for people who have mild dog allergies and/or who don’t want lots of dog hair at home. They’ll still need grooming, of course – daily brushing and a monthly bath are needed to keep their coats and skin free of mats and in a great condition
As for their colors – they can be any combination of black, white, brindle, and brown.
5. Shih Poos can live for a long time if you look out for the few potential health issues they might have
These dogs seem to have a very impressive lifespan of up to 13 to 17 years on average. Naturally, if you get a healthy dog and care for it well, it should even surpass the 17-year mark with relative ease.
This doesn’t mean that Shih Poos are safe from health problems, however. Here are a few of the main issues you’ll need to keep an eye for:
- Dental problems – people tend to ignore the dental hygiene of small dogs and not give them many chew toys. In fact, even with chew toys present, you should still brush your dog’s teeth about twice a week.
- Shih Tzus are a Brachycephalic (short-faced) breed and so a Shih Poo can also have that issue if it hasn’t inherited the Poodle’s longer snout. This Brachycephalic Syndrome means a risk of breathing difficulties as well as low adaptability to high temperatures.
Other health risks include:
6. Their overly social nature means they need near-constant human presence around them
One of the best qualities of the Shih Poo is that they aren’t loving and gentle just with those closest to them. Instead, Shih Poos are – or, at least can be – incredibly social and friendly animals. With good socialization early in their lives, Shih Poos can easily learn to get along with kids, guests, strangers, other dogs, and other non-canine pets.
This highly social nature has its drawback, however – separation anxiety. It’s an issue common to a lot of family pet breeds. Simply put, it means that these dogs don’t tolerate being left home alone for too long. That’s why they are recommended either for large families with kids or for seniors who spend most of their time at home. If you’re not in either of these categories, you may struggle keeping your dog from spiraling into anxiety and depression every time you leave it alone when you go out for work.
The gist of it all is that Shih Poos are one of the ideal companions for both seniors and families with kids who tend to spend a lot of time at home. These dogs are a social, interactive, loving, and mostly indoorsy breed.
However, they don’t like being left home alone so they don’t do well in households where they’d be expected to spend a lot of time home alone. If you have to work away from home or want a pet to go out with all the time, the Shih Poo would be a bad fit.
