Shichon puppy

[Ipadannie]

Does anyone own a Shichon? We have been considering a number of small breeds and keep coming back to these. Any experience welcome !

I don’t think there’re a breed? I’m guessing a cross breed between a bichon frise and a Shih tzu?
Cross breeds can be great dogs (I have a cross breed!) but also they are a bit of an unknown, you don’t know which characteristics you’ll get on health issues.

Hello OP, I have a Bichon Frise/Shih Tsu cross, she is a rescue so I haven't known her for her whole life, only since the age of four.

First of all, my biggest fear about purchasing one of these dogs is the fact that they will no doubt be attractive to the very worst kind of breeders, puppy farmers and unscrupulous, inexperienced breeders, with all the abuse and horrendous treatment of the breeding bitches and the puppies, that goes with that territory, because they are so friendly and appealing and the breeder will just see ££££.

They are prone to quite a few health problems, like many small breeds, including, hip dysplacia, luxating patella, cataracts, retinal atrophy, eye infections and bladder infections.

Having said that, I have found her to be charming and a very easy rescue. I have never had a small dog before, am an experienced staffie and lurcher owner, but she has really impressed me. She is very clever, so easy to train & obedient, she is sociable with all dogs, of all sizes, very calm and independent, great recall. I walk her at least twice a day, off lead, in the woods or fields, for 45 - 60 mins each time, with an extra short walk last thing at night. When she is at home she is happy to curl up and sleep or potter around the garden. She is happy to be left alone, never barks, at passing dogs, cats, people, cars but will alert me to people at the door with a few loud barks, before stopping as soon as I open the door.

She is 10 now and she does have a luxating patella but it has never required treatment and it doesn't bother her, she also has cataracts, but she has taken them in her stride.

What’s wrong with a pure bred shih-tzu or Bichon? What does a cross give you that those don’t?

Hi OP. I have a zuchon and he is an absolute dream. He has such a lovely temprement, is fun and affectionate. Was very easy to train and has never had any health problems. He does love being with people though and struggles being left alone even for short periods. I would definitely recommend

‘Zuchon’ lol what dog breeds have you made that name up from for to call your crossbreed?🙄

The thread is about schichons/zuchons ie a shih tzu/bichon cross. That's what they're called. Not something I made up 🙄. Christ the mumsnet snobbery about crossbreeds is absolutely pathetic and so eye rollingly boring.

But why not get one of these two breeds OP, rather than a cross? You would be able to have much better clarity about the quality of breeding and care if you use a breed- registered source etc

Because pedigrees are the root of all evil. Obviously. 😁

Separately, OP - It's not a breed, it's a mongrel.

If you wanna get it, go for it. Just make sure you see the health tests of parents, grandparents and how many litters the mum has had (no more than two - including this litter, which if it's the second should be its last), and any other pets in the family (they should have grandma at least etc). Something tells me though, there won't be any health tests to see. But, maybe I'm wrong.

Thank you all for responses. I live in the arse end of nowhere and wanr to deal with a local puppy breeder and it's one of the very few options I have . I'm just looking for a wee dog to love ❤️

So you're confident they're not a puppy farmer? That all the dogs are cared for and not sold on as soon as they can't breed any more? That the bitches aren't over-worked? That the stud was chosen for the right reason and that the breeder met them in person? That all the dogs are health checked? That they're well socialised and house-training has begun? That the breeder knows what they're doing? That the breeder will provide after-care should anything go wrong with your puppy?

Great. 😊Love to see people who do their research and don't go for the most convenient breeder regardless of how many red flags are flying high.

And make sure you contact the licensing council to see how many breeding animals are licensed for too, so you know what’s behind the scenes as well as what they present to the public. It’s often not pretty.

I appreciate that, but you should be looking for a well bred dog to love to have the best chance of having a healthy dog with a good temperament.

I live in the arse end of nowhere. My dogs' breeder is a two and a half hour drive away.

That would be a hard no from me. There is no way that someone producing these dogs is doing it for anything other than money. So they are a commercial breeder. AKA a puppy farmer.

Actually that is not a breed, the correct term is mongrel but I was being nice by saying cross-breed. The snobby bit is you not accepting the dog you have so using made up names. 😝

Anyone who breeds "shichons" or whatever, is not someone you want to be handing your money over to, no matter how local they are.

Don't make a decision yet. Check they have a licence with your local council. Go and see the breeder and meet their dogs. Make sure their dogs are fit, healthy and well cared for and with good temperaments. They should ask you ownership suitability questions regarding your experience of dog ownership, your home (does it have a secure garden), how much exercise and training are you able to offer your pup etc etc. Are you willing to have a house visit? If they don't this is a red flag.
If they have dogs galore, various bitches in pup or already with pups, walk away. There should be no more than ONE litter of pups on the premises.

Ask the age of the breeding bitch. If she's under 2 (too young) or getting on in years (too old), walk away. Does the bitch look worn out, older than her years and miserable? They're over breeding the poor dog, walk away.

If they're keen to get you to sign up on the spot without establishing what you can offer one of their pups, walk away.
As another pp said, you may have to travel to get a healthy pup from a decent breeder but it will be worth it. Good luck.

If you're just looking for a wee dog to love, why not look at rescues?? There are plenty of well behaved dogs that end up in rescues especially small ones when their owners die. Wouldn't it be lovely to give one of them at home?

Its not snobbery, its the knowledge of how these dogs are bred and also the fact that sticking some stupid label on them seems to make them worth ridiculous amounts of money
Nothing wrong with a crossbreed or mongrel but stop calling them stupid things and paying a fortune for them

Oh my GOD. NOOOOOOOO. He's a Mongrel, A MONGREL? I'm taking him to the rescue centre RIGHT NOW. A Mongrel you say? Oh God, I could just lay down and die right now.

Actually have a little Google. A crossbreed is intentional breeding of 2 pure bred dogs. Which is what a schichon is. I've no idea what on earth you're talking about saying I don't accept what dog I have. I could not give a single shit if anyone calls him a mongrel. Hes the best dog on the planet as far as im concerned. And all names are made up. Even names of pedigree dogs. Someone made them up too 😂

That is lovely, but please think about the dogs being bred to produce your cute puppy. Your puppy will have a great life, the parents won’t.

In case you are also interested in bichon frisse - my parents have one. Lovely temperament. By far the least intelligent dog i‘ve ever met, but that makes him a perfect companion as he needs very little stimulation apart from cuddles and 2 walks per day.
Intelligent dogs need stimulation (i‘m used to working breeds), he quite literally doesn’t have enough brain to be bored. Perfect for companion to be spoiled rotten by an elderly couple.

Mongrel - Wikipedia

Mongrel and crossbreed both the same thing
BUT what matters are healthy dogs born from parents who aren't abused and sadly too many recent crossbreeds (or mongrels) are certainly not that.

Good point.
There are also lots of young dogs in rescues too OP some as young as 5 or 6 months. It's staggering how many people get a pup and then find they can't be arsed to exercise or train it.

As I said Hoppinggreen, I really couldn't give a shit. It's not a huge insult to call my dog a Mongrel, who cares? Pedigree, crossbreed, Mongrel. They're all dogs at the end of the day. And yes, you're right, all that matters is they're happy and healthy and well cared for.

I'm waiting for someone to come on and suggest a greyhound 🤣