New Camping Buddies
Last May, I lost both my dogs, Moose-dog and Bat-dog. Moose-dog to old age (15 yr old shep/poodle/newfie) and Bat-dog to a brain tumor. She was 11yrs. Anyway, it was very lonely so I adopted a ve...
Forum Discussion
DilanYah wrote:
We're in the process of looking for a dog as a family pet (possible rescue). We're looking for a small young one that's good with children. So far we're considering papillons, shih tzu, and affenpinscher. I have no knowledge of the affenpinscher. If anyone owns one, I would appreciate hearing your comments.
Shih tzus and affenpinschers are both short nosed dogs and can have trouble with heat. As RVers, that could be a consideration.
Papillons and affenpinschers are more athletic and willing to be outside exploring.
Shih tzus require the most grooming - regular puppy cuts or daily brushing and keeping hair out of their eyes. Affenpinschers will need their faces trimmed regularly.
Shih tzus are likely to have more issues with potty training.
The French call the affenpinscher "mustached little devils". They can be stubborn and are more terrier like in attitude.
Papillons are pretty easy to train and have an attitude more like a spaniel.
All are small, so not necessarily great with small kids. Affenpinschers will be more feisty in their play. Papillons should be pretty good with kids as long as no pulling on the ears.
If I had to choose for myself, I would say affenpinscher, then papillon, then shih tzu. But that's because I prefer the tougher sturdier terriers to other small dogs. For someone else, I'd probably say papillon, affenpinscher, shih tzu because the papillon will be easier to train but still have an active attitude. Personally, I'm not that fond of shih tzus - known too many yippy ones. And I hate that folks started buying them just so they could mispronounce their breed and think it was funny.
Personally, I really recommend a rescue dog. But, a rescue papillon or affenpinscher is not going to be an easy find. There are likely to be rescue shih tzu mixes all over - backyard breeders have been mixing them with all sorts of breeds to create new "fashion breeds". Please don't buy one of these.
The most common small rescue dog you'll see will be chihuahua mixes.
Hope that helps.
