The Shih Tzu Cross - Why Choose One? by Al Bullington

A Shih Tzu cross is a combination of another breed of dog with a Shih Tzu. This refers to an intentional cross to produce a dog with different characteristics. Many people want a pet that's different and intentional crossbreeding is a way to accomplish that. Most often the cross is with another dog about the same size as the Shih Tzu.

These crosses or hybrids are an attempt to combine the traits of two breeds to get a more desirable pet. But crosses are unpredictable. Sometimes you get the best of two breeds, but you can get the worst of two breeds too. Fortunately some of the crosses have been done often enough that the results are quite predictable.

One advantage of the crosses is to improve health of the dogs. Sometimes health challenges of one dog are reduced by combining with another breed. Sometimes this is done while still maintaining many of the positive breed characteristic of one of the breeds.

There are registries that will keep records of the lineage of these animals to document what they are. A popular recording organization is The American Canine Hybrid Club. The dogs aren't purebred of course, but it's sometimes useful to document exactly what the breeding of the dog is.

Popular crosses with the Shih Tzu include the Bicho Frise, Toy Fox Terrier, Maltese and of course the Poodle. There are many other crosses of course. Some breeders specialize in these crosses.

If you desire a different small dog as a pet, one of the Shih Tzu crosses may be just right for you.
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