What Is a Shih Tzu and Jack Russell Terrier Mix?

When it comes to mixes, dogs can inherit different personalities, behaviors, and even illnesses. Therefore, if you are looking for a specific crossbreed, you might wonder what a Shih Tzu and Jack Russell Terrier mix is.

What Is a Shih Tzu and Jack Russell Terrier Mix?

The Shih Tzu and Jack Russell Terrier Mix is a crossbreed commonly called Jack Tzu. They are considered to be toy sized, meaning that they are very small and lightweight. They often inherit Shih Tzu’s long hair and Jack Russell Terrier’s colors.

When it comes to their height, Jack Tzus’ average is 10 inches. Also, their healthy weight should always be around 13 and 23 pounds. If the dog is above or below this range, it might be experiencing digestive issues or dietary problems.

The most noticeable characteristic these dogs can inherit is Shih Tzu’s short snout and ‘’smushed’’ face. This could be one of the main concerns about this crossbreed. After all, this short snout can lead to the brachycephalic syndrome. This can affect the dog’s ability to breathe properly.

Jack Tzu Characteristics

When it comes to Jack Tzu characteristics, their energy is the one that stands out the most. This crossbreed inherits Jack Russell’s energy, allowing them to run, play, dig, and do various activities throughout the day. They can also be stubborn when learning new tricks and commands.

They will, however, learn over time as they are averagely intelligent dogs. This is also why they require a great deal of attention and time. This breed of dog requires frequent training, lots of quality time from their owners, and constant playtime.

Also, thanks to their nature, this crossbreed may like hunting little creatures. As all Terriers were designed to be hunting dogs, this crossbreed might enjoy hunting rats, lizards, and other small animals. Therefore, you need to be careful if you have small pets, such as hamsters and birds.

Behavior

Jack Tzus are a crossbreed that suckers for attention, love, and playtimes. This is why they are great with kids. After all, they’re also small and have an endless supply of energy. Of course, while leaving children with a dog, you should always take caution.

This crossbreed is generally easygoing and does not bark excessively when it comes to strangers and other dogs. They may, however, be territorial and get into conflicts they cannot win. These dogs are prone to lose perspective of their size and engage in dangerous battles with other dogs.

Therefore, you need to consider this when introducing your dog to others bigger in size. Lastly, due to their energy, they are prone to be chaotic (dig, run, and break things) if they don’t exercise. This is why you should train them for at least 45 minutes a day if they are healthy, of course.

Grooming

Grooming is an important part of what makes a Shih Tzu and Jack Russell Mix. After all, their hair and nails can become so long that they impair their mobility. As a result, you will need to trim their nails and hair once a month, or whenever you see they are getting too long.

Brachycephalic Syndrome

Now that you know what a Shih Tzu and Jack Russell Mix is, you need to learn what happens if the Jack Tzu inherits a short snout. It will have a high chance of suffering from the brachiocephalic syndrome. This problem makes it very difficult for the dogs to breathe, do normal activities such as running, and live in hot places.

In minor cases, dogs will breathe noisily; in major cases, they may faint, vomit, cough, gag, and lose appetite. Therefore, special care is recommended for dogs with this syndrome.

• They could need surgery. If the dog has a major case of brachycephalic syndrome, it might need surgery to live comfortably
• Although they should not get too agitated, they need light exercise. If not, they can also become obese, leading to other problems
• Their hearts need to be checked often. This is due to the hard time they might have breathing, which puts stress on their hearts

Related Questions

Here are related questions about Shih Tzu and Jack Russells.

Conclusion

Crossbreeds can combine a lot of characteristics of two breeds. In this case, the energy from the Jack Terriers will always stand out. However, the breathing problems from Shih Tzus might be a concern.