Is a Poochon the right dog for you?

If you are thinking about adding a new dog to your family and are looking for a small, intelligent and lively dog with a low-shedding coat, the Poochon might be worthy of consideration. A Poochon is a dog that results from the crossing of a Bichon Frise and a miniature or toy poodle, or second and subsequent generations of the same crossing.

Poochons are one of the various small, often white-coloured dog types that have a very poodle-like coat, which is densely curled and wiry and that doesn’t shed much hair around the house, with shed hair instead becoming tangled up in the rest of the coat. This means that dogs of this type need a reasonable amount of brushing and grooming, but also that they may be a good choice for people who tend to be allergic to dogs that shed a lot of hair.

Two of the Poochon’s core traits are high intelligence and high energy levels, which often surprises people given the dog’s small size – and means that they need an owner with lots of time to dedicate to caring for their dog too.

If you are wondering if a Poochon is the right dog for you, want to know more about them, or are trying to choose between a Poochon and several other similarly sized breeds, this article will provide an introduction to the Poochon’s core traits and temperament. Read on to learn more.

Is the Poochon a pedigree dog breed?

A Poochon is a cross breed or hybrid dog type, which means that they’re not pedigrees and are not eligible for Kennel Club registration. This also means that there is no formal umbrella breed club or organisation for Poochons, and no breed standard either – and they cannot be shown in Kennel Club breed classes.

How much do Poochons cost to buy?

As is the case with any dog type, the purchase cost of individual Poochons can vary considerably from dog to dog, but according toPets4Homes,the average price ofPoochon puppies for saleis around£754. This places the average purchase price of the Poochon within the same range as many pedigree dog breeds, and reflects the popularity of this dog type as a whole.

The Poochon is the UK’s 54th most popular dog type out of a total of 241 different dog breeds and types.

What do Poochons look like?

As is the case with any hybrid dog type, there is no formal breed standard in place to dictate what dogs of this type should look like, and so, to tell prospective owners what to expect. The appearance of two different Poochons might have a range of obvious differences, and some will look rather more like their poodle ancestor, and others more like the Bichon Frise.

One trait that all Poochons will share, however, is their coat type and texture. This is because the poodle and the Bichon Frise have fairly similar coats, which are coarse and wiry and tightly curled. This means that the coat can be clipped, shaped and styles into a number of different patterns, which again, can account for the quite different appearances of different Poochons too.

Poochons can be seen in all of the colour variants of their two parent breeds, such as white, apricot and black.

Poochons all tend to be on the small size due to the size of their two parent breeds, but within the small size spectrum there can be a reasonable level of variance, depending on the size of poodle used in the crossing. As a broad average, Poochons weigh between 2.72kg and just over 8kg, and stand up to around 23-36cm tall at the withers.

What are the Poochon’s core temperament traits?

Two things that most Poochons have in common is that they are really intelligent, and also very lively. This gives them the versatility to be able to learn and execute a lot of different commands, but also means that they need an attentive, switched on owner who can provide enough exercise and entertainment for a dog of this type.

They don’t like to be left alone for very long, and can be very excitable – and prone to barking a lot sometimes too.

As is the case with many small, cute dog breeds, Poochons need to be treated as dogs and not babies – and it is vitally important to socialise, train and manage them properly. Poochons can become dominant and snappy if they aren’t provided with clear rules and boundaries, and taught good manners from the outset.

They are very personable and like company, and are one dog type that is perhaps more likely than most to suffer from separation anxiety. No dog should be left alone for too long at a time, and the Poochon is less tolerant of being left to their own devices than most. However, as long as you get your Poochon used to entertaining themselves and provide toys and things for them to do when you are out, they should be perfectly fine left on their own for a couple of hours at a time without causing problems or becoming destructive.

The Poochon is a good choice of dog for a wide variety of different types of owners from different walks of life – but if you are considering buying a Poochon it is important to get to know their core traits and meet as many Poochons as possible to ensure that you know what you are getting into before you make a final decision.