Shih-poo
Friendly, bright, sociable and eager. From United States (Shih Tzu x Poodle).
Designer Crosssmall breedUnited States (Shih Tzu x Poodle)Standards checked
Standards checked: this profile's facts are checked against the breed standards of the AKC, The Kennel Club and the FCI, as described on our methodology page.
Gallery
Real photos from licensed sources only, each credited to its creator.
Photos show different individual dogs from licensed libraries, not one dog growing up. Stage labels are approximate, the way a careful editor would judge them.
About the Shih-poo
The Shih-poo crosses the Shih Tzu with the Poodle, aiming for a family dog with the best of both. Expect a dog somewhere between its two parents in looks and temperament; good breeders will tell you honestly which way their puppies usually lean.
History
No old history stands behind the Shih-poo: it is a recent cross from the United States of the Shih Tzu and the Poodle. A wavy or curly coat that usually sheds lightly, inherited from the Poodle side of the family. With no kennel club standard to breed to, type varies more than in a purebred, and the two parent breeds explain any individual dog best.
Personality
Friendly, bright, sociable and eager is the record's Shih-poo: a cross of the Shih Tzu's affectionate charm with the Poodle's brains, aiming for a small family dog with sparkle in both directions. Expect a dog somewhere between its two parents in looks and temperament, and good breeders will tell you honestly which way their puppies usually lean. Shih-poos shadow their people, join every activity and specialise in looking adorable while doing both. Puppies are soft, waggy charmers; adults stay playful, devoted and people focused, with a comedian's timing inherited from both sides of the family.
Temperament and traits
Energy (3/5)
Trainability (4/5)
Grooming needs (5/5)
Shedding (1/5)
Barking (3/5)
Good with children: Good with children
With other dogs: Good with dogs
With strangers: Friendly with strangers
Apartment life: Well suited
Coat and care
Coat: A wavy or curly coat that usually sheds lightly, inherited from the Poodle side of the family.
Colors: The standard accepts a range of colors and patterns, and individual markings vary a lot.
Measure meals rather than free feeding; this breed does best on a routine of consistent meals, training in short sessions and daily exercise matched to its type. Brush several times a week right down to the skin and clip every six to eight weeks, or this coat mats fast. Coat care depends on which parent the coat takes after; most of these coats mat quickly and need brushing several times a week plus regular clipping.
Exercise and grooming
Exercise
Forty five minutes and up a day surprises people who expected a lap ornament: walks, garden games, indoor play and training sessions all count, and Shih-poos are cheerful, playful little dogs that enjoy being busy with their people. The Poodle brain appreciates jobs in miniature: tricks, puzzles and scent games. Puppies play in bursts and need protection from furniture jumping. Weather rules are small dog rules: coats in winter, shade in summer, and heat respect for any Shih Tzu leaning face. A Shih-poo with its programme paid is a bright, funny companion; one without becomes a small, vocal supervisor of the street.
Grooming
Brush several times a week right down to the skin and clip every six to eight weeks, or this coat mats fast, exactly as the care guidance warns. Which parent the coat takes after decides the texture, silky Shih Tzu or curly Poodle, but the routine is identical: comb through in sections, keep the face trimmed and wiped, and start table manners in puppyhood because grooming is a lifelong subscription. Tear wiping helps on pale faces. Add tiny dog dental vigilance, since both parents have crowded small mouths, plus nail trims and ear checks under heavy hair. Professional grooms are the norm, so budget for them as a fixed cost.
Training and daily life
Training
Shih-poos are quick, eager learners from two trainable breeds, and reward based training in short, cheerful sessions produces polished results fast. The priorities are housetraining with routine, recall, polite greetings without the launch, a settle, alone time built gradually, and cooperative care for the grooming table and toothbrush. Socialise widely so the sociability matures with manners. Harsh corrections are pointless with a dog this people focused; clarity and praise build everything. Many Shih-poos love trick training and mini agility, which employ the Poodle brain and delight the Shih Tzu's inner performer.
Living with a Shih-poo
The Shih-poo suits sociable households that want a friendly, bright little companion with real playfulness and a manageable size. Friendly and eager in the record's words, good with children, good with other dogs and friendly with everyone, it rates well suited to flats in the record with the exercise genuinely delivered. Expect a dog somewhere between its parents, usually landing on cheerful and adorable, with alone time needing early training because both parents bond completely. The standing costs are grooming and teeth. Buyers do best choosing breeders by certificates and parent temperaments, because in a cross, the people behind the puppy are the quality control.
What a Shih-poo costs
Food cost
About $12 per month for a typical 13 lb adult eating roughly 1.1 cups a day of a standard quality food ($1.60 per lb). Full breakdown in our food expense calculator.
Activity and exercise
Plan 45 to 90 minutes a day of walks, play and training. Under exercised dogs of most breeds invent their own projects, and they rarely pick good ones.
Insurance cost
Typical US range $29 to $55 per month for accident and illness cover. Estimate only, based on market ranges for this breed's risk profile; see the insurance estimator and the insurance guide.
On the monthly figures above, a typical adult year runs to about $143 for food and $348 to $660 for insurance, before routine vet care, grooming and gear. Year one costs more: vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, a crate, bedding and training all land at once.
Growth: puppy to senior
How weight typically builds with age for a small breed, and when full size arrives.
| Stage | Age | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | 8 weeks | about 1 to 3 lb |
| Puppy | 4 months | about 3 to 7 lb |
| Young | 6 months | about 5 to 10 lb |
| Young | 9 months | about 6 to 14 lb |
| Adult | 12 months | about 7 to 17 lb |
| Adult | Full grown | 8.0 to 18 lb (standard range) |
| Senior | From about 10 years | Healthy weight stays in the adult range; watch for slow gain or loss |
Growth pattern follows the size class growth curves published by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, applied to the adult weight range in the breed standard. Individual puppies vary; steady growth matters more than hitting any single number, and your vet's growth checks come first.
Life stages
Puppies need gentle socialisation, grooming habituation from the first brush outs, housetraining routine and early alone time practice. Adolescents are playful and occasionally dramatic, and games plus structure carry the household through. Adults enjoy a long companion prime: keep the coat combed through, teeth brushed, eyes checked and weight watched. Twelve to fifteen years puts senior status around ten: twice yearly checks with dental and eye priority, joint friendly play and warm beds. Old Shih-poos stay sweet, bright and people focused to the end.
Health
A cross can inherit health conditions from either parent breed, so the right question is what both parents were tested for: hips, eyes and the DNA panels of both breeds as a minimum. A crossbreeder who cannot show certificates is one to walk away from.
Conditions to know about
- Conditions inherited from either parent: The cross's governing rule: a Shih-poo can inherit from the Shih Tzu or the Poodle, so what both parents were tested for is the question. A breeder who cannot show certificates is one to walk away from.
- Eye conditions: Both parent breeds carry significant eye risks, the Shih Tzu for corneal problems in prominent eyes and the Poodle for inherited retinal disease, so eye examinations and DNA results for both parents are core questions.
- Patellar luxation: The shared small breed joint risk on both sides of this cross. Patella results for both parents, and a vet check for any skipping gait.
- Dental disease: Two small, crowded mouths in the ancestry means the dental bill arrives in full. Daily tooth brushing from puppyhood is the cheapest health habit a Shih-poo owner can build.
This is a designer cross, not a kennel club breed, so there is no official standard. Figures follow the parent breeds and reputable breeder consensus. Health notes summarize the conditions breed clubs and veterinary bodies most often flag for this breed. They are general information for choosing and caring, not a diagnosis or a substitute for your vet.
Gear for Shih-poo owners
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Shih-poo questions
How long do Shih-poos live?
A typical lifespan is 12 to 15 years. Weight control, dental care and screening for the breed's known conditions give a dog the best chance of reaching the top of that range.
How much does it cost to keep a Shih-poo?
Food for a typical adult runs about $12 a month at a standard quality tier, and accident and illness insurance usually falls between $29 and $55 a month in the US. Try the full cost calculator for a complete year one and yearly picture.
Are Shih-poos good with children?
Good with children. As with every breed, supervise dogs and children together and teach children to respect the dog's space.
How much exercise does a Shih-poo need?
Plan on 45 to 90 minutes a day, split between walks, play and training games. Puppies and seniors need gentler, shorter sessions.
How big will a Shih-poo get?
Eight to eighteen pounds on this page, between its two small parents and set largely by the Poodle parent's size. Expect a dog somewhere between the parents, as the overview says, and treat exact promises with suspicion.
Do Shih-poos shed?
Usually very lightly: both parents are low shedding, so the cross typically is too. The coat still grows and needs combing to the skin and clips every six to eight weeks, because low shedding coats mat rather than drop hair.
Are Shih-poos good first dogs?
They can be excellent first dogs: friendly, bright and sociable. The homework is the breeder, chosen by parent health certificates, and the grooming budget, which is a fixed cost for the dog's whole life.
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