Shih-Poo

The Shih-Poo is a relatively new hybrid on the scene and the history books are not out on him yet, though the two breeds that make the hybrid have well documented, interesting histories. Believed to have originated in Tibet, the Shih-Tzu is one of the oldest existing breeds, having been developed by Tibetan lamas. Dogs of the breed were companions and watchdogs to the monks in the lamaseries. There are a myriad of myths around the Shih-Tzu, to include their being incarnations of household gods. The breed was named by the Chinese imperial court after having been given to Chinese rulers by the lamas. The breed almost went extinct once imperial rule in China came to an end. Fortunately, some of the dogs had been given to individuals outside of China. The modern breed of Shih-Tzu comes from 14 dogs that had been brought to England. The Poodle is a popular breed that is one of the oldest breeds in existence. Thought to have originated in Germany, the Poodle we know today evolved in France as a combination of dogs like the Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Hungarian and French water dogs and the North African Barbet. It is also thought that the Poodle is a descendent of Asian herding dogs or that the breed has ancestors from the Asian steppes who came with the Moors in the 8^th century, arriving in Portugal after conquering the North African Berbers. The Poodle was used for duck hunting and at one point gypsies trained dogs of the breed as circus dogs. The smaller versions of the Poodle were created by breeding small Poodles with one another. The first Poodle was registered by the American Kennel Club in 1888.