New here : Can you help me decide on a specific breed?

Hello,

My children and I want to add a puppy to our family. I have done a lot of online research and have narrowed our choices to the following: bichon, shih-tzu, malti-poo, or shih-poo. We would like a dog that does not bark much, doesn't shed much, is small (under 20 lbs), and does well with children. My children are 8, 6 & 3. I work outside the home and I am gone for 8 hours a day, but am able to come home a few times during the day. I would like some advice/input on which dog you think would fit our family best. Or is there another breed of dog that would work for us? Thank you!

 

Help with choosing a Breed!

Hi there! We have two Shih Tzu's and I wouldn't have it any other way - "course I'm prejudiced! They are not barkers - they don't shed and are very smart - we have had exceptional results with house breaking as well - They are a very nice breed but I'm sure all that you mentioned are wonderful as well!

 

WELCOME!!!

All the breeds (and mixes) you listed would fit well the criteria you set forth. I've been around all those breeds and mixes, and they're wonderful...however, A LOT depends on the puppy's upbinging and his/her actual mother and father...very important that you research breeders, and that you properly raise the puppy!

If you chose the low shedding factor b/c of allergies in the family, that's not what you want to look at, it's whether the dog has hair or fur that makes the real difference...hair is best! Do keep in mind that ALL dogs shed to one degree or another...numerous breeds are know to shed minimally, all the breeds you listed fit under that category!

I have two shih-poos, which I ADORE (they're the best :wink: ), so, of course, I am going to recommend a shih-poo...but, it all depends on what you want!

Good luck with your decision...keep us posted!!!

 

I agree that a lot of it has to do with your specific dog and how you raise him/her...

I have two female Shih-Poos, they are littermates. I absolutely LOVE this mix along with the fact that we got two.

My girls shed very little and are very friendly. They are so smart and hardly bark at all. They let out one or two barks if someone is coming up the driveway and sometimes when they are playing with each other.. but, that's it!

Good luck with whichever you choose. I believe all will make a great family pet!

 

I just got done doing all the same research you have done and we finally decided on a shih tzu. We're getting her TOMORROW and we are all so excited! For me, it came down to the shih tzu or the shih poo. I ended up choosing the shih tzu because I just really like their smushed faces. I know some people like the shih poo because they don't like the smushed face. I also didn't want to take a chance of the shih poo looking more like a poodle since I am not crazy about long snouts. Almost all the breeders that I found were taking deposits for shih poos that weren't even born yet so there would be no way to know if she would look more "poodle-ish". If you send me your private e-mail I will send you a pic of our little girl. My breeder is in South Dakota and she has shih tzu pups that are about 2 weeks old and there is 1 female and 3 males available. She also has a mom due next week. She has been wonderful to work with and I did a lot of investigating of her (talked to her vet and numerous references).
Good luck in your search!
ntengwall@yahoo.com

 

Nicole, that baby is yours. You paid for her. So go ahead and show her. We could all use another georgous face to oogle after.
My choice is the poodle, no shedding or even stinking for that matter. As with any of the breeds you have mentioned they all need special care, they need to be brushed every day or they will become a tangled mess. Thats the only drawback, but no shedding. I love it. Plus you can give them different looks.

 

Careful, Nicole! Loving those smushed faces can become an obsession..I started with a shih tzu, then moved to a pekingese (that looked more like a Japanese Chin) and then adopted a pekingese. Now, I find I'm VERY attracted to the "Frenchies"~ French Bulldogs ...Those faces grab a hold and don't let go!!!

 

Pekemom--that's so funny you say that!! I was just looking at the Frenchie and thinking that if I wasn't looking for a small dog (around 10 lbs) that I would look at those because I LOVE their looks!

 

So..... question about the "stinking" part of your note, Puttin! My girlfriend has a bulldog who she says STINKS TO THE HIGH HEAVENS and MUST be bathed weekly.. if she isn't bathed she said it's almost unbearable. Now, seeing as we live 400 miles apart and I haven't met Maggie, I figured she may just be overexagerating.

She asked me if Molly and Emma stink like that and I told her no.. in fact, they have NEVER been "stinky" AT ALL! Why is that? Is it breed (or mix) specific? We've given the girls 3 baths in the 5 months we've had them and it's just cause they were dirty, not at all stinky. Are bulldogs prone to be stinky? :roll:

And, I agree.. Nicole, that's YOUR baby and you can certainly post her picture w/o causing any issues.

 

PooGirl- my parents have a shih tzu and a yorkie and they couldn't be more different when it comes to their "smells". The shih tzu NEVER smells bad, but the yorkie stinks about an hour after she is out of the bath. Mostly just a "wet dog smell" which I hate! LOL They are bathed exactly the same and at the same time so it must be genetics or breed differences.

 

Our lab stinks to high heaven, no matter how often we bathe her. Of course, it doesn't help that she rolls in every disgusting thing she can find (which is alot, considering we live in the country). She found a dead deer the other day, and rolled on it...yuK!!! Plus she brought a leg home to adorn our back yard. (Good for Halloween, I guess lol).

Molly doesn't smell at all, which I love, as I have always hated the doggy smell.

 

Poogirl, I really don't know why that is, thank god for it though. Rufus can start getting a smell a week after a bath, his hair looks clean. I guess some dogs just exude more out of their skin. He's part terrier. Maybe its something in the terrier skin. Yorkies are terriers too.

 

All of your choices seem good to me. I have the 3 maltipoos, and love every minute with them.... including baths! Which brings me to the stinky thing.... mine don't get too bad until they have been repeatedly out in the rain and wet ... which, it takes about 2 weeks before they get a little doggy smellish! Anyway, they get a bath every two weeks, groomed every 8 weeks, and lots of brushing and cleaning of eyes(tearing) inbetween. Good luck on your search!

Denise

 

A lot of the time the stinkiness is just individual body chemistry. However, some breeds are known to be smellier than others in general. Bulldogs, because of the folds in their skin, can get smelly if it gets damp in there and bacteria collects. It's also possibly they also just have a particular body odor that's stronger than other breeds tend to be. As a groomer, I get many shih tzus and lhasa apsos and related mixes that are stinky around the face from watery eyes and other eye matter that collects on the surrounding hairs and clumps into a big smelly mess. But their bodies themselves don't seem to be more stinky than others.

In my personal experience, generally poodles don't seem to get too stinky. We have a big mutt who never has any body odor or bad breath. Then we have a rat terrier who smells pretty doggy all the time and his breath isn't so great either. Finally our JRT is also pretty stink-free. Since they all eat the same food and live in the same environment, I chalk up the difference to individual chemistry.

Just a small aside- you wouldn't believe the amount of calls I get to bathe dogs because they're smelly. I get them here and remove their collars to bathe them and voila!- it's the COLLAR that stinks and not the dog!

 

Thats true. I give our collars a scrub every few months.

 

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