The Poo Shi is a low-shedding hybrid breed. They are a mix of a Poodle, often a Miniature Poodle, and the Shiba Inu. This little dog combines the confidence and strong-willed spirit of the Shiba Inu and the intelligence and friendliness of the Poodle. The mixed-breed dog is one of the designer dogs that has increased in popularity due to their excellent personalities and manageable sizes.

Poo Shis can also be called Shibapoos, Shiba-poos, and Shibadoodles.

Breed Overview

These pups are a great choice for those who want a dog with spunk but only a moderate amount of energy. They don’t take much time to exercise and are always ready for a good lap cuddle. They are alert and can be suspicious of strangers, causing them to be quite vocal unless trained and socialized well. If you are looking for a good family dog, this should be at the top of the list.

Poo Shi Puppies

The parents of these little dogs are both quite popular. Although Shibu Inus are popular throughout Asian countries like China, Shanghai, Japan, and Korea, they have yet to make leaps in popularity and numbers in North America. For that reason, their hybrid puppies are a little bit harder to come by. That alone can increase their price exponentially, depending on where you live.

If you decide to adopt from a breeder, it is best to vet them to know that you are supporting a dog-friendly business. Ask your breeder to give you a tour of their facility. They should be willing to show you any part of their facility that they allow their dogs in.

Another request to make before finalizing the adoption is for the health records of the parents. Having these will make you aware of potential problems that you need to keep an eye on while your pup ages.

Temperament & Intelligence of the Poo Shi

The temperament of the Poo Shi is unique. Their feisty characters and spunk are what endear them to their families more than anything. The Poodle’s intelligence can make it easy for them to understand new training commands and requests, but the attitude that can come with both breeds can make them quite stubborn.

Poo Shis tend to be quite loyal and loving toward their families. They are confident but often don’t handle being alone for long periods that well. They will almost always prefer to be around their family. They can also be quite possessive. When you adopt one of these dogs, expect to do habit training to keep them from getting food or toy aggression.

Are These Dogs Good for Families?

The Poo Shi is an excellent dog to have as a family pet. They are small to medium-sized dog that tends to be down-to-earth. This means that they usually behave well around children.

That doesn’t mean that they are perfect, though, and until both your child and the dog understand how to behave appropriately around each other, you should supervise their interactions.

Does This Breed Get Along With Other Pets?

Although the Poo Shi can have negative temperament traits regarding sharing and their distrust of strangers, you can curb many of these bad habits through socialization methods. Start to socialize your dog as young as you can, and they will often become pups that can quickly adapt to being around other kinds of pets, both cats and dogs.

Things to Know When Owning a Poo Shi

Food & Diet Requirements

Since a Poo Shi is only a moderately active medium-sized dog, they don’t need that much food. As long as they get around 2 cups of food each day, they should be satisfied. Adjust the diet accordingly if your dog consistently gets more exercise. Your vet can also help you find the right amount and balance of food to keep them healthy and happy.

Space the meals out to at least two each day, although three or four meals a day are better. Having less food spread out between multiple meals allows their digestive system to keep up with their intake and results in fewer stomach upsets and digestive issues.

Exercise

Try to exercise your dog for at least half an hour each day. Although they don’t need much exercise, they can do longer bouts of activity, like hiking or swimming. You can even jog with them, although be careful to work up to a longer or faster-paced run because their natural endurance is relatively low.

If you prefer to walk with your dog more than any other exercise, try to walk them about 8 miles each week.

Training

With this breed, you will have to be persistent and sometimes out-stubborn them. It is best to be patient and firm but kind because they will not take it well if you start to yell or get frustrated with them.

You will likely need to train them out of some of their more natural tendencies, like barking at unknown sounds and people or food aggression.

Grooming ✂️

Both the Shibu Inu and the Poodle are low-shedding dogs. They are hypoallergenic, and excellent for those who have allergies to dogs. You should keep them groomed to keep their coat and skin healthy. It also serves as a good bonding time.

Poo Shis can inherit various types of fur because the parent dogs have different types of fur. They often have a thick, wavy coat. It is best to use a slicker brush to comb through their coats at least once a week. You should also use a nail clipper to keep their nails trimmed down and comfortable for them when they walk.

Health and Conditions

Both the Poodle and the Shibu Inu can develop quite a few health conditions as they age. Often, their hybridization is genetically stronger and less disposed to those diseases. However, there are still things that you should watch out for, especially if their parents have a disease history.

Male vs. Female

There are no noticeable differences between the males and females of this breed because no breed standard has been developed yet.

3 Little-Known Facts About the Poo Shi

1. The Shiba Inu is a national treasure in Japan.

The Shiba Inu is an ancient breed of dog originating from a long line of dogs that researchers theorize originally came out of China. These dogs appeared to be wolf-like in appearance but are smaller on average than any wolf. They were initially bred by ancient native tribes for hunting. The Shiba Inu is the smallest of the Spitz dog breeds that came out of Japan.

The name of the Shiba Inu translates into “small dog” in Japanese. They could have been named after the red brushwood bushes common in the regions where they originally hunted. Because of the cultural value and history that the Shiba Inu carries with them, the Japanese value these little dogs highly. They have even officially made them a national treasure.

2. After an outbreak of distemper in the 1950s, there were only three surviving bloodlines of Shiba Inus.

Although the Shiba Inu has been a relatively familiar and beloved dog around Japan and some other Asian countries, they haven’t always been successfully bred. World War II was challenging on many different breeds, including the Shiba. Many of these dogs were entirely wiped out during the period of the war.

After the war finished, it didn’t get much better for this breed. In the 1950s, distemper broke out among the dogs in Japan. Almost all their original bloodlines were wiped out. Only three survived the raging disease. These included the Mino Shiba, the Shinshu Shiba, and the San’in Shiba. Breeders combined the three bloodlines to form the version of the breed that we have today.

3. Poodles have gone from a hunting dog to the dog of the royals.

Poodles also have a long and fascinating past. There is debate about how old the Poodle breed is, since there are illustrations that depict a dog similar to them on Roman and Egyptian artifacts. These date back to the 1st century B.C.

Although we do not know if these ancient dogs were closely related to modern-day Poodle breeds, we do know that the modern dogs ended up coming out of Germany. They were initially bred to be waterfowl retrievers. That is why their curly fur is so short and is often partially waterproof.

Even though they come from Germany, they are better known as French dogs. There, they are regarded as the national dog and were companions to royalty in the 1400s.

Final Thoughts

If you want a good dog for your family, the Poo Shi is an excellent breed to consider. They are intelligent and have spunky, unique characters that make them funny and personable to have around.

Although they are smart, training them will probably take quite a bit of persistence initially. Training and early socialization are important for the Poo Shi to be well-integrated into a functional family unit.

We have lots more Poodle Mixes for you to explore!

See also:

• Mastidoodle
• Miniature Aussiedoodle

Featured Image Credit: Pedjoni, Shutterstock