Border Collie x Shih Tzu?

[sloewine]

We're thinking of getting a dog (just me and DP at the moment) and have seen a Border Collie x Shih Tzu pup.... Am I mad? I didn't even know this cross existed.

I know absolutely nothing about Shih Tzus.

Plenty of experience with Collies though, DP grew up with a Collie X and my mum has a gorgeous but slightly mad Sprollie.

We are planning to try for a baby in a few years time but not ready atm. Are Shih Tzus generally OK as family dogs?

It is a breeding that is appearing in agility also like the collie papillon cross.

Personally it is not a breed I would touch and would worry about the breeders that are happy to encourage such crosses.

Who knows what type of dog you would get. You will be entering totally unknown territory as this will be the first breeding and there will be no generations to look at info on.

Collie mixes can be nervy ime so you really don't know so it would be your luck really. I really want to see what that cross looks like though!

Avoid Collie at all costs unless you are a sheep farmer

It could come out any way,crosses don’t give you an exact in between, so you can get very like one breed or anywhere on the spectrum in between.

shih tzus are obviously less energetic, less intelligent, less biddable, tend to be a bit barky - no real high drive in anything so fairly easy to live with compared to a collie.

If it’s in a rescue it’s a bit of a gamble because if you want a collie and end up with a mostly shih tzu you might be a bit disappointed, and if you’re expecting more shih tzu and end up with mostly collie that could go badly. But rescue puppies are always a little bit of a gamble.

If it’s for sale, then I wouldn’t - mostly because why take that gamble if you’re buying?

I would say this too. I grew up with a border collie x who was the loveliest, most gentle dog. She still needed to be walked for 2+ hours per day though, and required constant attention and stimulation. They’re smart dogs and need to be kept busy.

I wouldn’t have an unknown collie cross around a small child, no way.

It wouldn’t be a cross I’d consider and I’d be concerned about any freezer tho thought it was a sensible mating.

Collies can be great dogs but can be neurotic nightmares.

Breeder, not freezer 🤣

Fgs this cross is even a thing?! I despair at the state of dog breeding at the moment, it seems that breeders will churn out any cross bred mongrel in the hope of being "different". Mongrels can't be registered so no papers hence no way of tracing parents' health tests/COI stats etc.
No wonder so many dogs are in rescues for behavioural issues eg resource guarding, biting and anxiety related issues.

we Always had shi-tzus growing up. Mainly they were nice calm dogs, one was a neurotic nightmare but that may have been due to living with my mother. All of them developed heart issues in middle aged and had to go on medication and died from heart failure at around 10yo.

But the grooming requirements were extensive. Loads of brushing, I assume you can clip them short.

Came on to say much the same thing.
I saw a patterdale x cockerpoo litter for sale recently… just… why?

I would also love to know what this mix would look like?! Although like others I'd be a bit wary of this kind of cross breed.

Having had experience of both, collies are loving, loyal, intelligent and very energetic. Lovely gentle temperament and great with kids. However they can be nervous.

Shihtzus are also loveable, not so smart and very stubborn! Obviously being a much smaller breed they don't need as much exercise as a collie. Lovely temperaments and great with kids. And did I say stubborn?!!

No way. It might need hours and hours of exercise and mental simulation a day if it turns out more collie and that would be hard when you have babies and young children.

No. You could end up with an active brain in a brachycephalic body. Or the other way around.

Not sure why anyone would mix these two breeds (other than for agility to make the collie smaller) but not a responsible mix IMO. Collie pap I can understand. Collie terrier too.

We have a shih tzu. He’s not barky. He doesn’t chew things - he never really did even as a pup. He’s a bit stupid - which is good because he isn’t demanding during the day when I work. He walks for miles, or is happy with a couple of thirty minute walks a day. He’s groomed professionally every 7/8 weeks and we keep on top of it - but it’s not onerous at all. He isn’t food driven at all - unless it’s really delicious. So recall training was high value treats. He loves chasing squirrels and cats and puts on a surprising turn of speed. He loves other dogs and is a big dog in a small dogs body. He is every member of this family’s favourite family member. We really love him.

As our first family dog he has been absolutely perfect.

Me and my friend have got mixed breeds of the same two dogs and they are not the same at all.

And while a shi-tzu might be a good family dog the collie herding instinct might mean that the dog is constantly trying to herd and nip a toddler! 🤷‍♀️. Collies need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation, will you have a couple of hours a day for this when you have dc?

@AppleTurnover1000Degrees well of course they aren't because you can never tell whether the parents of the bitch/sire are themselves cross breeds or even if there is interbreeding going on.
We need to start changing "cross breeds" to "mongrels", maybe that would deter both buyers and breeders! Pretty hard to have a "designer mongrel".

You could get a neurotic, high energy, extremely stubborn dog that's more inclined to train you than the reverse.

I love my dog but he's been hard work.

I call mine an expensive mongrel. My DH bought it for me. He's adorable though, very cute. Very healthy and we have no regrets.

We haven't bred him and we haven't bred our pure bred dog either. They weren't to make money out of.

She doesn't have to avoid. my brother has one and they're lovely!

My brothers collie never nipped at any of my nieces/nephews or my son. She loved to heard my mams hens but never hurt any of them.

Who knows!
My last dog was a collie cross and a sweet gentle girl. Very anxious due to neglect from her first owner.
Border collies are a mixed bag. I have grown to love the breed and used to have a friend's one come and stay for holidays. Lovely lovely dog. But they're not really for novice owners and are quite high needs in terms of stimulation and a reasonable amount of exercise. They can also be very neurotic if not in capable hands - they like to work and be busy and that urge can go into unhelpful places if their environment doesn't deliver what they need.
All the shihTzu's I have met have been smashing little dogs, lots of personality but like their people.
A cross though is hard to imagine!

She may be lovely, but in my experience it's rare if a collie is happy in a regular home.

OP, I would keep looking, and definitely consider older dogs as well as puppies.