The questions worth asking are practical ones: what the adult dog weighs when you lift it into the car, whether it pulls on the lead, whether the coat is a job you can hand to a groomer, and how much walking it needs. Those have answers, breed by breed.
Four things that actually decide it
Weight, lead manners, grooming and walking. This page makes no assumptions about what you can or cannot do; it sets out what each breed asks of whoever owns it, using the breed’s own standard where one exists. Standards describe an ideal rather than the dog in front of you, and individual dogs vary, so meet a few in the Lawrenceville showroom before deciding on paper.
Weight you will be lifting
Lifting happens more than people expect: into the car, onto the table at the vet, into a carrier.
| Breed | Adult weight | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Maltese | “Under 7 pounds, with from 4 to 6 pounds preferred” | The breed standard |
| Havanese | 7 to 13 pounds | VCA; the standard gives height only |
| Shih Tzu | 9 to 16 pounds | The breed standard |
| Pekingese | Any weight “within the limit of 14 pounds” | The breed standard |
| Bichon Frise | 10 to 16 pounds | VCA; the standard gives no weight |
| Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | 13 to 18 pounds | The breed standard |
| Cavachon | No published figure; both parents sit near 12 to 18 pounds | Parent standards, not a standard for the cross |
Cavachon is a marketplace name for a Cavalier crossed with a Bichon Frise: no registry recognises it and no standard exists for it, so its row is a bracket taken from the parents. The Coton de Tulear is absent because we will not quote a weight we cannot trace to a standard or a veterinary source. Fuller wording for the others is on our Shih Tzu size chart.
Lead manners
Small does not mean it will not pull. No standard describes lead manners, since they are trained rather than inherited, but weight decides what a pull costs you: six pounds of Maltese and eighteen of Cavalier are different events on the end of a lead. The Shih Tzu standard asks for a dog “outgoing, happy, affectionate, friendly and trusting towards all”, which also means it wants to greet everyone in the waiting room.
Grooming you can hand over
Every breed here is coated and every one needs a groomer on a regular schedule. The Maltese coat is “single, that is, without undercoat” and grows to floor length unless trimmed. The Shih Tzu coat is “dense, long, and flowing”, the Pekingese “long, coarse-textured, straight, stand-off” over a “thick, soft undercoat”, and the Bichon standard expects a coat scissored to the body’s natural outline. The Havanese standard permits a corded coat, more work again; the Cavalier’s is “free from curl” and asks the least. A groomer takes the clipping and most of the bathing; brushing between visits stays with you.
Shih TzuMeet them- MalteseMeet them
Cavalier King Charles SpanielMeet them- Bichon FriseMeet them
- HavaneseMeet them
- Coton De TulearMeet them
- CavachonMeet them
- PekingeseMeet them
How much walking
None of these breeds was written as an athlete, and all still need daily walking. The Cavalier, at 12 to 13 inches and 13 to 18 pounds, is the likeliest to want a real walk rather than a turn around the block. A dog that is not walked becomes a noisier dog indoors. Our toy breeds page covers the smallest.
Georgia heat and short muzzles
VCA names the Shih Tzu and the Pekingese among brachycephalic breeds, where narrowed nostrils and an elongated soft palate can restrict airflow, and says the signs “are often worse in hot or humid weather”. Dogs cool themselves mainly by panting, so a Lawrenceville summer asks more of those two than of the others. Air conditioning, shade, water, and walks at either end of the day.
We will not predict how any individual puppy breathes. A crossbred puppy can take its face from either parent, and only a veterinarian examining the dog can assess its airway. The Pekingese also carries a long back on short legs: VCA notes that breeds built that way show faster disc deterioration, with obesity and repeated jarring adding risk.
An older puppy is worth asking about
An eight-week-old puppy is a project: housetraining, night waking, chewing, and a size you are still predicting. An older puppy or an adult arrives further along, with its adult size and coat visible rather than forecast. Ask what is available at what age; availability is on available puppies by breed.
Have a plan for cover
Logistics, not pessimism. Name someone who could take the dog for a week. Write the routine down in one place: food and feeding times, the groomer, the veterinary practice and its number, where the carrier and lead live.
Common questions
Which breed is best for an older owner?
There is no ranking and we will not invent one. Work down the four practical questions: adult weight, the grooming bill, the walking, and how often the dog will be lifted.
Can I hand all the grooming to a groomer?
A groomer takes the clipping, most of the bathing and the nails. Brushing between visits stays at home, and a shorter pet trim reduces it.
Do Shih Tzu and Pekingese cope with Georgia summers?
VCA names both among brachycephalic breeds and says the signs are often worse in hot or humid weather, so plan for air conditioning and timed walks. Whether a particular dog’s airway is restricted is a question for a veterinarian.
Come and meet them in Lawrenceville
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
