The Shih Tzu has a written breed standard: 9 to 16 pounds, 9 to 10½ inches, a long double coat and a square, short muzzle. The Shih Poo has none. Its adult size is a bracket between the Shih Tzu’s weight clause and a Poodle standard that gives no weight at all.
A standard and a bracket, side by side
This is the cleanest illustration on the site of the difference between a specification and a range. It is a point about what you can know in advance, not an argument against the cross.
| Shih Tzu | Shih Poo | |
|---|---|---|
| Written standard | Yes, the official breed standard for the Shih Tzu | None, and no registry recognises the cross |
| Weight | 9 to 16 lb, from the standard | A bracket only: 9 to 16 lb on one side, no weight clause at all on the Poodle side |
| Height | 9 to 10½ in ideal, never under 8 nor over 11 | Depends which Poodle: Toy is 10 in or under, Miniature over 10 in and 15 in or under |
| Coat, as written | “Luxurious, double-coated, dense, long, and flowing” | Between that and a Poodle coat “curly: of naturally harsh texture, dense throughout” |
| Muzzle | “Square, short” | Not specified anywhere |
Why one has a standard and the other cannot
A breed standard is the written description a breed’s own club maintains, and it is what breeders measure against. The Shih Tzu has one. So does the Poodle. The Shih Poo does not: no purebred registry accepts mixed breeds, so there is no official standard for it and no club writing one. Shih Poo is a marketplace name.
Size: one range is specified, one is inferred
The Shih Tzu standard sets weight at 9 to 16 pounds, with height 9 to 10½ inches ideal, never under 8 inches nor over 11. For a small breed, that is a tight description.
The Shih Poo inherits half of that. The other half comes from a Poodle standard written in inches, with no pound figure for any variety. Toy Poodles are 10 inches or under; Miniatures are over 10 inches and 15 inches or under. Those are different dogs, so a listing that does not say which variety stood on the Poodle side has left out the part that matters most. Ask, every time. Our Poodle size chart sets out each clause.
A bracket built from parents is not a promise. A puppy can finish outside it, and nobody can predict an individual puppy’s adult weight from a photograph.
Coat and grooming
The Shih Tzu coat is described as luxurious, double-coated, dense, long and flowing. That is a daily-brushing coat, and a double coat, which matters in summer: the undercoat is part of how the dog regulates temperature, so it should not be shaved down.
The Poodle coat is written as curly, of naturally harsh texture, dense throughout. Cross the two and you get neither description reliably. Texture in a first-generation litter is a range, not a formula, and it often changes as a puppy matures. Either way a Shih Poo is a coated dog with a recurring grooming cost. See Maltipoo vs. Shih Poo for the same question against a different second parent.
Temperament, as the standards phrase it
The Shih Tzu standard calls the breed outgoing, happy, affectionate, friendly and trusting towards all. The Poodle standard describes a dog carrying himself proudly, very active, intelligent. Those are the written words, and individual dogs vary from them. The Shih Poo has no clause of its own, so anyone describing the cross’s temperament is describing dogs they have met, not a document.
The muzzle question, and a Georgia summer
The Shih Tzu standard describes the muzzle as square and short. VCA names the Shih Tzu among the brachycephalic, or short-muzzled, breeds, and notes that signs are often worse in hot or humid weather. A Poodle parent may lengthen the muzzle, or it may not. No one can tell from a photograph what a particular puppy’s airway is like; only a veterinarian examining that dog can assess it.
Dogs cool themselves mainly by panting, and a Lawrenceville July stays hot and humid for weeks. Air conditioning, shade, water, walks at either end of the day. Use a harness rather than a neck collar, since tracheal collapse is associated with toy breeds. And judge condition by feel over the ribs, because a coat hides it.
Which one suits you
- Do you need the adult dog described in writing, or is a bracket enough?
- Have you asked which Poodle variety stood behind the litter, and did you get a straight answer?
- Can you keep a standing grooming appointment for the life of the dog?
- Have you raised the short muzzle with a veterinarian rather than assuming a cross settles it?
Those are yours to answer. The Shih Tzu size chart holds the purebred figures, and available puppies by breed shows what is in the Lawrenceville showroom.
Common questions
Is a Shih Poo smaller than a Shih Tzu?
Not necessarily. The Shih Tzu standard says 9 to 16 pounds; the Poodle standard gives no weight, so there is no second figure to average against. A Shih Poo can land under, inside or above that range.
Is the Shih Poo a recognised breed?
No. It is a cross and a marketplace name. No registry recognises it and there is no written standard for it, which is why published Shih Poo figures disagree.
Does a Poodle parent fix the short muzzle?
It may lengthen the muzzle and it may not. A cross does not reliably change head shape, and no one can read an individual puppy’s breathing from a photograph. Take that question to a veterinarian who can examine the dog.
Can I shave a Shih Tzu for summer?
It is a double coat, and the undercoat is part of how the dog handles temperature, so shaving it down is not the answer. Ask your groomer about a shorter trim, and your veterinarian about keeping a small dog cool.
Come and meet them both
Every puppy here is health-checked by our on-staff veterinarian, raised in our family home nursery, and waiting to say hello.
1848 Old Norcross Rd, Lawrenceville, GA 30044
Mon–Sat 12:00–7:00 PM • Sun 2:00–6:00 PM
