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Anybody have this type? Otherwise known as a Zuchon or Teddy Bear? How big do they get? Are the good with kids? Energetic? Bark alot? Easy to housebreak?
Anybody have this type? Otherwise known as a Zuchon or Teddy Bear? How big do they get? Are the good with kids? Energetic? Bark alot? Easy to housebreak?
more commonly known as a mixed breed and a mutt! come on folks, enough w/ these silly, nonsensical names for mutts! these names don't make them a breed!
best bet is to look up the breed standard for both breeds. since this is a mutt we're talking about here, it won't have its own set standard, so the resulting dog will vary. some dogs as a whole tend to be harder to housebreak, both shih tzus and bichons need a lot of grooming. they can be ok w/ gentle kids and aren't as fragile as some toy dogs like chihuahua and yorkies. my shih tzu only barked when she heard the doorbell or a knock on the door, and some shih tzus are more vocal than this. don't know much about bichon frises.
again, best bet is to look up the breed standards and info on both breeds and just make an educated guess on what a mix of those breeds would be like
This is a mutt. And small dogs, as a rule, are somewhat harder to housetrain than larger ones. Check some of my housetraining posts. Follow the directions TO THE LETTER and, when your dog is about 7 months old (before that they are unable to really control the bladder or bowel) you'll have a trained dog.
Hi all, I am well aware that this is not an actual "breed", I know its a mutt, and that is actually my preferance. But does anyone out there own one who can give any firsthand info?
Hi a3593, From the feed back that you've received so far, it's time you were sent a positive reply. I have a Shih Tzu/Bichon Frise mix & I highly recommend this combination. Ignore those that look down their noses at mixed breeds. We've had many dogs over the years, AKC registered & mixes & there's good & bad traits in all of them. Good grooming is important for any dog & besides, brushing them daily is a good way to bond with them. The best advice I can give you is, do the homework on breeders because a lot of people just do it for the money & that's where the puppy farms come in. Good luck!
I don't think anyone was "looking down" at mixed breeds/mutts per se. Most of the people on here who rescue and foster dogs have "Heinz 57" varieties. I think the comments on the Bichon/Shih-Tzu mix stem from eager money hungry breeders creating more "Designer Dogs"....too many puppy mills arise. Just my opinion. That being said, I have a Shih-Tzu and she is the most wonderful gentle girl who loves adults, kids and other animals. She was also pretty easy to housebreak; we used the crating method. Works great. Good luck!
Hi a3593, From the feed back that you've received so far, it's time you were sent a positive reply. I have a Shih Tzu/Bichon Frise mix & I highly recommend this combination. Ignore those that look down their noses at mixed breeds. We've had many dogs over the years, AKC registered & mixes & there's good & bad traits in all of them. Good grooming is important for any dog & besides, brushing them daily is a good way to bond with them. The best advice I can give you is, do the homework on breeders because a lot of people just do it for the money & that's where the puppy farms come in. Good luck!
nobody is looking down on mixed breeds. people, including me, are just sick of the indiscriminate breeding of mutts and the cutesy names breeders tack onto them in order to make these mutts look more like a legit breed when in fact they aren't.
no mutt, no matter what portmanteau a breeder sticks on it, is going to have set traits; they're going to have a mix and match of various traits from the two+ breeds that are mixed in. no one, including the breeder, can say for a fact how a mutt will turn out, so it's best just to check out the traits of the breeds in the mix and guess
and there's no point in recommending breeders; no decent breeder is purposely breeding mutts. this mix sounds newer than some of the other mixes out there that may actually have a chance of becoming a breed (ie, "labradoodles"). anyone breeding this mix is likely a BYB cashing in on the "hybrid" nonsense
mutt.......... LOVE IT! Especially as the owner of a "mutt". Actually TWO "mutts". One is a Chihuahua (mom was full blood and the dad was Chi and something else). The other is what some are calling the "Designer Breed" - URGH! A "puggle" - Pug + Beagle. I can tell you that when we first saw one we asked what it was as it was the cutest thing. So I looked and looked and looked. THEY ALL LOOK DIFFERENT! No 2 were exactly alike AT ALL! They had a mix of something in them and that was it. The one we ended up getting did not cost a fortune (free) and has been very good but if you looked at him you'd say, hound mix mutt. No one would say this dog is 1/2 Pug nor get it confused w/ ANY part of a Pug. I always laugh when I see these "Designer Breed" dogs going for well over $2K and it says, "papers" or "registered". REGISTERED WITH WHAT?!?!?!?!
Anyway, to the OP. I've had both (2) Shih Tzu and (2) Bichon. Both breeds are great dogs. Somewhat similiar personalities with the Bichons probably the most outgoing. The Bichons also being the most vocal and also most apt to take off and run if given the chance. Chased one down the alley w/ a towel on my head after getting out of the shower - dang dog. Both are lap dogs BIG TIME! The 2 Shih Tzu's had different personalities w/ one being VERY SHY and would hide if ANYONE came to visit and the other a bit more outgoing. The 2 Bichon's were also different but similiar.
Good luck and whatever you do.......... don't spend a fortune on one. There are some GREAT dogs out there that are free or need homes really bad.
Oh, here is another "Designer Breed" I heard about the other day: Standard Poodle and Golden Retriever. WHAT the heck does THAT dog look like?
Breeders sell these as the so called"DE" dog. Little dogs hate to be alone alot. They also do need the teeth cleaned by a vet at least one time a year. They do need you to groom them, and go to the dog groomer. I had a Bichon, she was great,however, hard to housetrain, and grooming was at least 6 weeks. Then the beautifull coat gets mats. Then you need the flea control, and heartworm, with the basic shots! Anyone that does state for big money I have a D dog, run the other way!
They are beautiful, sweet, open, friendly, fun and love both kids and adults. Mine have never bitten or snapped at us, they love to be cuddled but just as much they love to run and play. I've had many different kinds of dogs before, but this is the breed I have come to recommend, especially to those who want small dogs but don't want shedding, yapping or high-strung behaviors. My daughter, holding our first Sichon pup, told me "I keep expecting him to purr." They are that mellow. But when the toys come out, they dance, fetch and run with us as fast and as far as our larger dogs have. They are tiny dogs, but their hearts and souls are enormous. My recommendation: Get one. Better yet, get two, so they have company during the day.
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Especially as the owner of a "mutt". Actually TWO "mutts". One is a Chihuahua (mom was full blood and the dad was Chi and something else). The other is what some are calling the "Designer Breed" - URGH! A "puggle" - Pug + Beagle. I can tell you that when we first saw one we asked what it was as it was the cutest thing. So I looked and looked and looked. THEY ALL LOOK DIFFERENT! No 2 were exactly alike AT ALL! They had a mix of something in them and that was it. The one we ended up getting did not cost a fortune (free) and has been very good but if you looked at him you'd say, hound mix mutt. No one would say this dog is 1/2 Pug nor get it confused w/ ANY part of a Pug. I always laugh when I see these "Designer Breed" dogs going for well over $2K and it says, "papers" or "registered". REGISTERED WITH WHAT?!?!?!?!
I love my Teddy Bears!
