Shihpoo Size Full Grown: How Big Do Shihpoos Get? (Toy & Mini)
If you have ever thought about adding a Shih Tzu Poodle mix to your life, you have probably also wondered about the average Shihpoo size. “How big do Shihpoos get?” is an important question to ask before deciding if they are right for your life and your family. And if you have a Shihpoo pup currently, you might like to know the average size of a full grown Shihpoo.
There are generally two Shihpoo sizes: the Toy / Teacup Shihpoo size and the Mini Shihpoo size. If you would like to find out how big each type gets, read on to get the answer to that and other questions, such as, “when do Shihpoos stop growing?”
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Toy Shihpoos, also known as Teacup Shihpoos, are the smaller of the Shihpoo sizes. The Toy Shihpoo size comes from breeding a Toy Poodle with a Shih Tzu.
The Toy Poodle stands around 10 inches in height and is between 6 and 9 pounds in weight. The Shih Tzu is typically close in height, averaging 9-10.5 inches in height and weighs slightly more at 9-16 pounds.
How Big Do Toy Shihpoos Get?
How big do Toy Shihpoos get? On average a Toy Shihpoo size will be around 8-10” and weigh 8-15lbs.
Frisco the Toy Shihpoo is 14 pounds. Photo courtesy of Cassy Chan on Facebook.
Mini Shihpoo Size Full Grown
The Miniature Shihpoo is a bit larger than the Toy Shihpoo. The Mini Shihpoo size comes from breeding a mini poodle to a Shih Tzu. Mini Poodles are around 15 inches high and 12-20 pounds in weight, while the Shih Tzus are about 9-10.5 high and weigh 9-16 pounds
How Big Do Mini Shihpoos Get?
How big do Mini Shihpoos get? An adult Mini Shihpoo size is usually around 10-13” in height and 15-20 pounds.
Princess the Mini Shihpoo is 20 pounds. Photo courtesy of Olivia Mays on Facebook.
What About the Standard Shihpoo Size?
Shih Tzus are very rarely bred to Standard Poodles, if at all. So the Standard Shihpoo does not exist.
What Impacts the Size of a Shihpoo?
There are a lot of elements at play that will determine the adult Shihpoo size. This includes their gender, the size of their parents and which generation your Shihpoo is. It is a puzzle without an exact picture, but put all of these pieces together and you may have a general idea of how large your dog will be.
Gender is one of the first aspects to consider. Many people wonder, “should I choose a male vs. female Shihpoo?” Usually the male Shihpoos will be larger than the female Shihpoo, but only slightly so. Males tend to be about 10% larger, so in smaller breeds like the Shihpoo, it may not be as noticeable. This means the Toy Shihpoo size difference is only a difference of about 1 pound. The Mini Shih poo size difference is about 1-2 pounds.
The size of your puppy’s parents can also help predict how big your Shihpoo puppy will get. Parents will pass down their genetics to their pups. The smaller your pup’s parents the more likely it is that your pup will also be on the smaller side as well. Genetics is not an exact science though, so while it is one aspect we look at, it does not guarantee the size your dog will reach when fully grown.
Which generation your Shihpoo is should also be something you look at while trying to determine their adult size. A “generation” is the theoretical genetic makeup of your dog. You basically want to look at how close your dog is genetically to a Shih Tzu or a Poodle. Generations can be very confusing, so read our article on generations of doodles if you want to learn more about it.
Put simply, the closer your Shihpoo is to the larger breed in their genetic makeup, the more likely they are to be slightly larger. For Teacup Shihpoos, the larger breed is the Shih Tzu, so a dog with more Shih Tzu than Toy Poodle could be slightly larger than. If you have a Miniature Shihpoo, the larger breed is the Mini Poodle. So if there is more Miniature Poodle in your Mini Shihpoo, it could make them slightly larger.
Of course, these breeds do not have a huge size difference, so the difference this makes would be slight especially when considering all other contending criteria that could affect your dog’s size.
When Do Shihpoos Stop Growing?
Puppyhood will seem to fly by! And it won’t be long until that little bitty puppy is adult-sized! Now that we’ve answered “how big do Shihpoos get?” you might be wondering how long it takes them to get to this adult size. So when do Shihpoos stop growing?
Smaller breeds such as Shihpoos tend to grow quicker, reaching their adult size faster than a larger breed would. You can estimate that both a Toy Shihpoo and a Mini Shihpoo will be done growing in 6-9 months though some may grow a bit after that.
To get these answers we looked at the breeds that make up the Shihpoo. Both Toy Poodles and Mini Poodles are generally done growing in around 6 and 8 months of age. Some might continue to grow for up to one year. Shih Tzus take about 10 months to fully grow.
