Advise on this mixed breed please..

[Hmmmmminteresting]

We have an online meeting tonight with a breeder who has some 2 week old pups that we are interested in.
Mum is a Shih Tzu x Bichon
Dad is a Shih Tzu x Poodle

They want £2000 per puppy. They look adorable but I am very nervous about the fact that both parents are cross breeds already and not the same cross breed.

Would you buy one of these?

I havent had a dog for 10 years and she was a pedigree Cavalier King Charles. I really want to get this right.

Thanks!

I must have missed where we said we were talking about a toy poodle specifically. I thought we didn’t know the size of poodle...

No he’s a Shichon (Shih Tzu x Bichon Frise) we know both mum and dad - they are a friends family pet. Everything I’ve ever read says his weight should be between 9-15kg
I am having such a hard time visualising this!
It’s messing with my head 😖

My collie is large for a collie, roughly Labrador height and 15kg.
How could a dog twice as small, or more! Possibly weigh the same?!

A staffy comes out roughly 15kg but they are very muscular dogs.
Surely a bichon x Shih tzu shouldn’t weigh the same

Especially when the expected weight for Shih tzu is 4 - 7kg and 3 - 5kg for a bichon....

I’ve never met a staffy that was 15kg.

That is an insane price for a mongrel but agree with others it’s indicative of supply and demand that’s what these things cost

I’ll be honest I have an eight year old and A just turned four-year-old I wouldn’t have trusted a puppy with the little one a friend of mine with kids the same age had to rehome their puppy as he was aggressive to the little one and couldn’t cope with the noise of the household.

we are 3 weeks into having a rescue dog who is 2/3 and he’s doing fantastically in the house and with the kids having previously been a street dog. Maybe that is something to reconsider next year when the demand has fallen and your youngest is a little bit older.

I think you’ve made right decision op

I have a purebred dog of a breed which can have health issues. My dog has zero because I spent a boringly long time finding a breeder, checking the ancestry etc.

But I have seen the number of same breed dogs with health issues absolutely skyrocket this year. And that's because people don't know or care about the health of the pups they're breeding and selling. They aren't dog lovers, they're out to make a quick buck.

It's absolutely heartbreaking.

@MrsJunglelow I’m such a bloody idiot! He is 12.1lb 🤦🏻‍♀️ I’m so embarrassed

OP just an idea but if you give your rough location and an idea of how far you wish to travel perhaps some of us might know of reputable breeders or indeed upcoming litters nearby of different dogs.

I have a few connections from KC and breeders clubs, I'm sure lots of others do as well.

The price of that puppy is making my head hurt.

Thank you very much all, im very grateful for this.
I am based in Staffordshire, close to M42. Happy to travel
Ps. Dog lady is hounding me today (pardon the pun). Im going to wait till I've finished work then send her a message outlining why we don't feel comfortable proceeding. See how well it goes down!

See how well it goes down!

Why not just send her a 'no thank you' text and then block her number?

It matters not what she thinks.

Any 'breeder' chasing you to take a pup is definitely dodgy!

Ok so very far from me. I've message a couple of people via KC and had a Google. Will also let you know if the ph come up with anything.

If I search Stafford area ring craft on Google

A few things come up

First result dog club Staffordshire.

If you click on that it lists training club links which includes agility, gun dog training and ring craft. These people will know of reputable litters and breeders.

Vets are another good shout. Leaving your details with them if they know of anyone locally who is well regarded.

I personally think anyone buying a puppy at this moment in time is only encouraging the silly prices. I don't understand the current craze of getting a puppy because people are WFH. People will eventually be going back to the office and many of those dogs will end up in a rescue.
I adopted a rescue a couple of months ago , my friend got one last month.

The correct name for the breed is Mutt-tsu, and £2000 is outrageous for any mutt.

The hounding alone would put me off.

Anyone breeding multiple litters (as you say this is mums 2nd litter) from a cross breed dog is a puppy farmer in my, probably rather extreme, opinion.

There is absolutely no reason to be doing it other than idiocy or profit. And if they're doing it for profit then they won't be doing it properly as doing it properly costs £££.

Steer well clear.

@Sitdowncupoftea

I personally think anyone buying a puppy at this moment in time is only encouraging the silly prices. I don't understand the current craze of getting a puppy because people are WFH. People will eventually be going back to the office and many of those dogs will end up in a rescue. I adopted a rescue a couple of months ago , my friend got one last month.

But they aren’t. Many workplaces have made permanent adjustments on the back of this, realising people are just as productive when working from home.

Dogs live for between 10-13 years, on average. No one can absolutely guarantee life won’t change in that time. But what a good, responsible owner can guarantee is that they will adapt their own life around their dog. If we were called back to the office tomorrow we wouldn’t abandon a dog, we’d arrange a dog walker or daycare, most people would.

People have been saying since March rescues will ‘soon’ be overflowing, well, they aren’t. It’s almost impossible to adopt from a U.K. shelter.

@rainbowducks I disagree many shelters are over run to the point they can't accept anymore dogs. It is not impossible to adopt from a UK shelter. Shelters have a strict criteria as they think of the dogs well being. Breeders on the other hand think just about money. As for WFH it wont last after spring for many businesses not productive. I know many companies who are opening offices back up in March.

People have been claiming on here for months now that ‘lockdown puppies’ will come into shelters, and they haven’t.

It might not be impossible to adopt a dog from a U.K. shelter, but if you work, have children, other pets - it’s very difficult. There are numerous threads recounting people’s difficulties with this.

I know if at least three people who will now permanently be working from home (office space has reduced) so no, not everyone will be going back to the office.

Furlough / wfh still happening , i think its just a matter of time until the rescues start seeing lockdown pups.
At the practice i work in, a few days ago i saw images of a very young pup - a breed of the moment type -needing a home .
We have been inundated with pups for vaccines since lockdown , much more than the normal rate we see .
Sadly we have seen quite a lot of not particularly good specimens and we are now seeing older pups which have clearly missed out on socialisation.
Why someone would spend 1000's on a pup is beyond me , especially a crossbreed , which not so many years ago would have been givenaway free or a few pounds .
People are greedy and unscrupulous, they take a leap of faith hoping their poor pregnant bitch gets away without a caesarean and reap the rewards selling potential liabilities to impatient people who have to have a puppy NOW , regardless of cost / background .

Really glad to see that you are rethinking. I understand the desire for a puppy, but I totally agree with other PP's that it would be best to wait.

We waited until our youngest child was 4, and even that was a bit young. Please don't be bounced into paying a ridiculous amount of ££ for a mongrel from a back-yard breeder - because that is what these people really are..

Do your research, and get on a waiting list for a dog from an accredited breeder, (with a proper track record). We bought our girl 9 years ago. She cost £1K, and is from a Crufts standard litter. We were interviewed by the breeder, who checks out your home and garden on Google. They rarely breed from their dogs.
Both the parents were fully tested, and we had to sign a contract stating that we would seek permission to breed from her if we wanted to and give the details of the prospective stud,(stops inbreeding). The breeder will also take her back at any time. She came with a full puppy pack/injections/insurance/health-check/toys/grooming kit. She is a fabulous family dog.

You will (hopefully) be living with the animal you choose for over a decade. Don't rush it!

Try a proper breeder of pedigrees, after you've picked a breed that ticks all your boxes. Some breeders may have 6 month to 1 year old pups that they have 'run on' and have decided they aren't suitable for showing/surplus to requirements. Also try the breed rescues. I met a lady recently who got a lovely 10 month old Cairn puppy after contacting Cairn Terrier rescue.

I would not part with that amount of money for a dog unless the parents had been extensively health tested and even then it's an obscene amount of money.

If you look at rarer breeds, you will likely find that the prices are roughly what they were pre Covid 19.

If you go with very popular breeds, high in demand, you do risk getting a dog who is purely bred for profit with little interest in the welfare of the puppy from the breeder.

Red flag right here:

"...she said that I could pay a deposit which is refundable and then once I visit (hopefully start of dec) I have to then decide one way or the other and after this the deposit will not be refundable."

Any reputable breeder doesn't chase you for a deposit. You should be visiting at least twice to get to meet the dogs, spend time chatting and asking questions. Let them quiz you etc.

No one should be pressurised into buying a puppy when going for the first viewing.