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?

The problem with a cross is you could get all of the negative collie traits and none of the positives! If you are thinking collie, I wouldn't choose a cross (I have a collie)

I Know you have experience with collies but I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole for a family dog. I’ve known so many collies over the years and possibly it’s as people say above- they’re working dogs at heart, but I find them very very high maintenance

I wouldn't. The breeder of a cross like that is very unlikely to be a good one, and who knows what the dog would be like. Could be wonderful, could be a complete nightmare. You'd need to be prepared for the energy of a collie combined with stubbornness of a Shih Tzu.

Sorry some more background info which will help address some of the comments -

The dog is a rescue and is 9 months old. We've only been looking at rescues.

We're not set on getting a collie but I'm looking for a high energy breed that might suit our current lifestyle - we live rurally and hiking and/or trail running nearly every day.

We hope to have a family but after several losses (inc surgery for an ectopic pregnancy) we're needing to go down the IVF route which I'm not ready for (and may never be ready for), so I was thinking we should look for a dog that's perhaps OK with children but children might never happen for us.

We have actually met the dog and he's is very sweet and bouncy boy, who appears to have more Collie in him than Shih Tzu, looks wise at least but it seems to be quite an unusual cross (into that weird designer dog territory), so there's not a great deal of information about them.

If you’ve met him and like him than go for him. Usually a rescue can tell you how he takes to training. You can tell how trainable a dog is pretty quickly.

Be prepared to deal with everything from car chasing and herding to wilfulness. I’ve a terrier and had a terrier hound cross. They’re not stubborn as no such thing in dogs but they can be hard to motivate.

What is his conformation like? That will affect his ability to be active. Patella’s etc (easy to see if they skip - he’s be showing major problems at his age IME).

It’s a gamble but IMO less so with a 9 month old than a tiny pup.

If you have patience and time then I'd get the dog if you want to. You seem set.

Yeah that’s why I said might. 😁. There used to be a collie on the farm I lived on as a teen (on a sheep farm) and it was forever herding the holiday cottage residents round the farmyard and nipping them. My boss used to get loads of complaints that the dog had bitten someone. It hadn’t really, but guess it’s a shock of a dog you don’t know sneaks up behind you like a silent assassin and nips you.

A word of warning 9 months Is teenage territory so he might be "naughty" for a good few months.

Apart from that I'd consider it.

If you've met the dog, like him, understand what you're taking on then why not?
It's wise to consider the dog if you're considering a baby but nothing you've seen so far suggests this is a non starter?
Be prepared for naughty and be patient and consistent.

Ach 9 months then they should have a fair idea what he’s like, doesn’t really matter what he is then... I was thinking tiny puppy, that’s a lot more guesswork.

Grew up with collie's, working and pets and have had my own as an adult. In the right hands and if you have time and a bit of experience, imo collies are THE best dogs but I don't think they are suited as family pets, many are very much one man dogs and not particularly child friendly, often will nip/try to herd children when they run around or will be nervous wrecks. I think this is even more likely if you have the dog first then introduce children. Granted they're not all like this and my experience is mainly with ones from working breeding so maybe if you look for one with no working family history they might be a bit more chilled but I think there's a very high chance they will have the above traits.

If you've met him and think he would fit with your family, why not?

You can find all sorts of random mixes in rescue after all.

yes they can be lovely with a lot of training and exercise, two things i have seen sadly lacking from many collie owners

I have a lovely shih tzu, loves cuddles, human food, one 45 minute walk a day, very sniffy, very chilled! We all love him.
That mix sounds nuts and physically how on earth???? Big size difference.

I agree, it’s not a breed, it’s a mating.

If people looked at their own children and how different their personalities are even though they have been “bred” from the same parents () they might understand a bit more that breeding dogs can be pretty random. If you then take into account the hundreds of years of very selective breeding that has gone into specific dog breeds you begin to realise that random matings of different breeds is a very hit and miss affair.

You are mixing a high energy breed with a low energy breed it could go one way or the other

I have a collie x corgi she's not a year yet
Mum is isds registered border collie so 2+ hours of exercise a day and intelligent
Dad is Cardigan corgi with the most amazing pedigree bred for health as well as looks
Up to 1 hours exercise a day smart and stubborn

My pup is physically a corgi and a rather small one at that, with the intelligence of a collie and the will to run all day without the ability to do so due to her body.
Her brothers and sisters all appear bigger than her some more corgi and others far more collie

She has been easy to train though due to the collie and has the best recall of anyone's dog I know but she is very stubborn and will persist in chasing or barking at any bird on my fence

In my experience, collie crosses display the worst of both breeds. Not easy.

I would never have thought that those two dogs would be bred together.

Intact sounds like a wind up.

^^This.
I despair of the mentality of money-grabbing breeders of screwed up dogs that people buy and then later on complain that they can’t cope.
All the colliesI know locally (at least 8) are are neurotic, one man and aloof, the shih tzus tend to be happy, opinionated little dogs imo.

We have a collie x lab mix and he's high energy, my husband is a farmer so he farms with him and goes for walks with me. No issue with nipping or anything around our toddler, 🐶 is very gentle and has no herd instinct and is afraid of nearly all animals 😂 obviously no 2 dogs are the same tho! If you're rural and hiking/walking a lot he sounds like he could be a good fit 😁

Coincidentally I saw a little dog today which I thought was part Shi tzu. I stopped and talked to the owner and it was half shi tzu and half border collie. Was much closer to shi tzu size than border collie but a bit bigger and a bit more stretched out. Had border collie colouring.

Given that you've met him and like him...

Can we see some pictures please?

I'd be wondering why he's in a rescue already. I'd be suspicious that he has neurotic collie nipping tendencies (and if that's the reason then I wouldn't entertain him as a family dog around babies). It's not like he's grown up with the kids there-they're going to be introduced to him as an adult dog. I have a collie, but I wouldn't want this one.