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 !

Stupidity is paying £1000 for a mongrel and calling it something else while also having no idea what you have actually bought.
I don't necessarily mean you @XiCi but you see it on here and loads of other places. Normally mongrels changed hand for free or a few £ which of course I don't agree with but its only since people decided to call them all sorts of daft things that the price went up

Do you not know about the appalling dog trade for these cross breeds? Dogs are imported in terrible conditions and then there’s the puppy farms. Poor dogs, it makes my blood boil.

My last terrier was a Border/Jack Russell accidental cross (bitch came unexpectedly into season while her owners were looking after a Border dog). I paid a reasonable price for her and she was a wonderful (if somewhat grumpy) dog for her 14 year life span.

We experimented with calling her a Brussel, but she was really the mongreliest mongrel there ever was, despite being a first cross. Looked like a mop head, behaved like Victor Meldrew. Great dog.

Yes but not every cross dog comes from a puppy farm. There are also irresponsible breeders selling pedigree dogs. There's a puppy farm about 40 miles from me that sells both cross breeds and pedigree dogs. I don't understand how these puppy farms are allowed to operate tbh

FYI I have a cavachon - cavalier / bichon cross. Both breeds are companion dogs, so that is all he wants in life - to be in the same room as you.
He is 12 now, but no health issues at all. I got him from a local breeder, met the Mum. The breeder had a house full of dog photos.

There are disreputable breeders and decent ones.
Hope you find a good one.

If this sort of sneering is what gives you pleasure in life, I pity you.

It's something else, isn't it. They must be a deeply unhappy person

The sneering is rude. However it does come from a place of concern for the welfare of animals.

Nah. That isn't it.

Sneering at someone, saying hope your happy with your mongrel does not come from a place of animal welfare concern. Come on now.

Yes but many do. Generally those breeding pedigrees do it for the love of the breed.

If you are considering a puppy, do your homework and visit some breeders. Make sure you see the mother and choose home bred puppies. When the puppies are born, see them with their mother. It’s very easy to see if the puppies came from that adult dog. Those puppies imported or from a puppy farms won’t have their mother with them.

If you are considering a puppy, do your homework and visit some breeders. Make sure you see the mother and choose home bred puppies. When the puppies are born, see them with their mother. It’s very easy to see if the puppies came from that adult dog. Those puppies imported or from a puppy farms won’t have their mother with them

Do you know what, this was all that needed to be said to the OP and it applies to all dogs not just crossbreeds. Instead we get hoots of derision over a dogs name, sneering about them being Mongrels, accusations of using puppy farms, accusations of being idiots and paying thousands of pounds for a mutt. All totally unnecessary. Probably a lot of people have been put off giving their experiences of having a schichon which is a real shame as its the information the OP asked for!

A lab red setter cross would do just fine,
By mongrel, most people mean Dog of Unknown parentage.

I grew up with @Hellohah I grew up with a dog of that cross. (Unwanted litter left at RSPCA.) He was such a wonderful dog. Have you got a pic?

I have so many pictures 😂

The sad thing is that it is very much NOT easy for the occasional/first time puppy buyer to see past the facade that puppy farms put up. This is a devious industry, and all sorts of tactics will be used to fool buyers, including having a 'mother dog' with the puppies (she may indeed be a recent mother, for those who know what to look for - just not necessarily to all the pups they use her to sell), using standard houses to sell puppy-farmed litters, and much more.

Yes, this applies to all pedigree breeds as well as to crosses - and I would add that you need to see evidence of recognised health testing (not a 'vet check'). The fact remains though that it is far easier to check welfare and provenance of a well-bred pedigree from a breeder with a reputation to uphold than for a random cross breed, and that a far bigger ratio of cross-bred puppies will be farmed. Not foolproof, but better odds.

Sadly, most people don't seem to care about this as long as they get a cute puppy and don't have to drive too far to get it - no care for the conditions the breeding stock live in as long as they're useful, after which they'll be disposed of in way or another. As long as they don't get huge vet bills or a health-impaired/dying puppy, they're happy enough.

@Hellohah oh that face. That tugs at my heart strings.
@WinWhenTheyreSinging completely agree. There are puppy farmers in all breeds and cross breeds. But it’s far easier to check number of litters etc with a pedigree. KC reg is no guarantee of anything but at least you can look up the breeding history. I would always say start with the breed club.

A cross breed is a dog made up of 2 or more known breeds. A mixed breed (previously known as mongrel) is when the dog is made up of unknown breeds.

My dog is poodle/GR/lab. They're known as double doodles, but I'd never refer to her as that as nobody would have a clue what this meant, so wouldn't be helpful at all! I just state her breeds, then say so basically she's a mutt. I actually said this to a man who pulled over his horse and cart (😂) to ask the other day. He sounded quite disappointed and said "oh, i thought it was one of those really cool breeds" and off he trotted 🤷‍♀️😂

I met someone else recently who asked what my dog was, so as usual I reeled off her breeds. The lady looked at me with a confused expression and said "ohhhhh right, mine's a shihpoo" 😂

Labradoodles and cockapoos are well known enough that their blended names are fine imo.

A man commented to me yesterday that my dog has a very poodle like face. I replied saying that would be because she’s a poodle. He looked shocked and said he thought she was a cockapoo and that her coat is very like a cockapoo’s. 😂

If you - as a responsible owner/ breeder who will of course be doing all the right and expensive pre pregnancy health checks for both parents, optimal feeding with good quality food, inoculations, puppy health checks, de worming, defleaing etc for the bitch and the litter - are going to be out of pocket when you breed from your bitch then what do you imagine are the welfare shortcuts that are being ignored or deliberately not done by the irresponsible breeders who do breed to make a profit, often a huge profit.

And don’t say it is not your responsibility, every person who knowingly breeds a “cute” little dog to fit into the current demand pattern is, unwittingly or not, adding to the incentive for the back street breeders and importers to monetise dogs with an eye to saving every penny in welfare costs to maximise their profits. All responsible dog owners need to accept their part, however small, in the way dog breeding has become such a shabby and cruel business. Dogs live perfectly happy lives without having a litter, and for very small dogs a large litter can be a huge health risk, both for the bitch and the puppies.

I was reminded of this thread yesterday. My shopping was delivered and the guy was making a big fuss of my dog as I unpacked. Said oh he's so gorgeous what type of dog is he? So I explained that he was a shih tzu bichon frise cross. He looked at me a bit blankly then said suddenly went, "Oh, you mean a zuchon?" 🤣 made me think of this thread and have a bit of a laugh

@viques People who buy puppies from unethical breeders, would buy with or without me - because their desire to have a cute pet trumps their moral compass.

It’s not my responsibility to police these idiots, although I do my best to advise the idiots buying from farmers people to think carefully before buying dogs that are more likely to be bred by puppy farmers. There’s nothing more I can do, is there?

I understand that in the eyes of many, dog breeders - even ethical ones - are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. But the fact is, I am not part of the problem - I am incredibly selective about who I sell to, when I breed and which dog I use as a stud etc.

Ultimately, there will always be people who want ‘dogs’ because they’re trendy…but blaming those that do it right, is a cop out.

This

Well if it lessons the chance of it being brachycephalic as shih tzu's are, it's surely better than a pure bred one.

Exactly. I would have thought that was fairly obvious!