My pup is a coton tzu(shih tzu/coton de tulear mix). I've read coton tzus are great with kids yet shih tzus aren't. How is this possible?
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When it comes to breeds of dogs and selecting the right one for your family there are many factors to consider. Some breeds tend to be more a "one owner" type dog, which is common for many of the smaller breeds. They tend to bond strongly with one person and prefer that one specific persons company. They also can be more territorial with space and more likely to nip. This can be partly due to their nature but more frequently because smaller dogs are generally more tolerated when it comes to poor behavior. Some people think it is cute or funny when a Chihuahua is guarding the couch and growls and snaps when you go to sit down, not so funny when a Rottweiler does it though for example.
I would tend to sort of disagree with the information you found about shih tzus not being good with kids. This of course would depend on the specific dog, how it was raised and socialized, along some other contributing factors but overall they normally make great family dogs.
All dogs were originally purpose bred with some specific task in mind, however the shih tzu and Coton De Telear were both of few breeds that were selected primarily as a companion. Both of these breeds sit sort of middle of the pack for their ease to train, shedding, prey drive etc. Its no surprise they are popular dogs for a wide range of households. Generally, both of them make great family pets and were selectively bred for several traits that make them fairly easy to care for and co-habit with humans of all ages. Training and socialization are of huge importance for ANY breed of dog, and their suitability with being around kids.
One thing to keep in mind with any cross bred dogs is that even though they make look like one breed, they may have the "programming" of the other breed as both physical and mental characteristics from one side or the other will be more dominant. A lot of the time you end up with sort of a happy medium between the two as well.
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