They should be bred with shorter backs and longer legs yes certainly! They have been bred too long in the back now.

To cross two breeds who are prone to this though is asking for trouble. Although if they were from parents who had been bred with a short back the risk would be very slim.

I think if someone was serious about breeding these it would have to be looked in to long and hard to ensure you wouldnt get this problem or a high risk of any fault these two breeds may have.

Personally though, and i know pedigree's were crossbred at some time in history, a crossbreed is still a crosbreed no matter how you combine their names. And until they start to register some of these crosses, they will still be crossbreeds.

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You've not lived until you've lived with a GSP!

Breeding alot of pedigrees the way they are is asking for trouble as well sadly.

I think this person ownes a lovely dog and when a cross-breeder does his/her homework on health testing and ensures the backs of the dogs are ok to breed with then surely there is nothing wrong with that

Alot of dachshunds are bred with a very long back or else they wouldnt be known as sasauge dogs

Lets start referring to them as 'Stumpies' and we may get people breeding short backed sausages.

I am a fan of the kennel club but they need to change the breed standard on these. Its ruining a fantastic popular dog and costing owners lots of money.

I dont really know where im going with this........just ranting really.

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You've not lived until you've lived with a GSP!

Hey there, I actually have a Shih Tzu/ mini Dachshund cross. His name is Patrick, and hes about 4 or 5 years old now.
I don't have any answers to this forum, I just thought that some people might be curious as to what he looks like, and acts like. If anyone is curious you can ask me for pictures. He is really a cute dog, and I'm not being that bias :P Hes long like a dachshund and has very short legs, and a big head with big ears. He used to be sort of blonde, but now hes turning darker brown and almost gray. Hes an awesome dog, but with him being so low to the ground he has a difficulty with getting up steep stairs or onto beds. Hes really friendly, and mostly well mannered. And hes not a dumb dog either.
I just wanted people to know that this kind of dog actually exists.. and he's super awesome

Our Dashie/Shih-tzu is almost 1 year old now.
The breeder clearly stated "mini-daschund" as one half of the mix but there is nothing mini about this dog - already 28lb!
Unsure whether this is an anomaly for the breed, he was one of a litter and definitely the largest pup.
No respiratory problems, upset stomachs, skin disorders (our westie has a lot of skin problems), but I fear the dashie in him may cause some athritis and back issues later on, especially given his bulk. He gets around fine now, but he's only young. This is just one of those risks I guess, a trained eye could probably spot the healthier pups in the litter.
Otherwise, very even temperament (which I'm convinced comes from the shih-tzu), but difficult to train.
Hair length seems to vary greatly from dog to dog, perhaps depending on the dashie in the mix, ours has long, fast growing black/tan hair. Doesnt drop hair but requires frequent clipping.