Yo-Chon is originated from United States but Hovawart is originated from Germany. Yo-Chon may grow 40 cm / 15 inches shorter than Hovawart. Yo-Chon may weigh 47 kg / 103 pounds lesser than Hovawart. Both Yo-Chon and Hovawart has same life span. Both Yo-Chon and Hovawart has almost same litter size. Yo-Chon requires Moderate maintenance. But Hovawart requires Low maintenance
The Yorkie Bichon or Yo-Chon as he is fondly referred to as a designer crossbreed hailing from the United States.
Information isn’t readily available on the origins of this cute little dog, but the dog is believed to be a cross between a Bichon Frise and Yorkshire Terrier.
It is thought that the dog was developed in the United States from about 1998 to 2001. As a hybrid, the Yorkie Bichon isn’t recognized by the American Kennel Club.
The Hovawart, is a German Black Forest breed developed as a guard dog for large estates in the medieval era. They first appeared in history in the early 13th century as heroes who saved the German son of a castle lord, despite being injured themselves. The boy they saved grew up to be a German legend. He wrote the oldest German code of law that remained from medieval times. In it he names the Hovawarts as a dog that if you are responsible for hurting, stealing or killing it, you must pay for it or replace it. No other dog had this protection.
In the late fifteenth century Hovawarts were featured in Heinrich Mynsinger’s “The Five Noble Breeds”. This guard dog breed was esteemed on a level with the hunting dogs – their health a question of life or death for their owner. In the 1500’s the popularity of the breed began to fade. The GSD or German Shepard Dog began to replace the Hovawarts as the preferred guard dog.
By the early 20th century the breed had almost disappeared but were saved by breed enthusiasts in the early 1900’s. Zoologist Kurt Konig was prominent in this effort and went looking in the Black Forest area for dogs working on farms. Using the dogs, he found on these farms, Konig began a breeding program crossing the them with Newfoundland’s, Kuvazoks, Leonbergers, GSD, an African hunting dogs and Bernese Mountain Dogs.
By 1922 the first litter of these pups was entered officially into the German Breeding Registry. In 1937 the Hovawart was recognized by the German Kennel Club. However, many members of the breed died in World War II as they were used widely by the military and not many were left by 1945. Once again breed enthusiasts came to the rescue forming a Coburg Hovawart club. This club still exists and in 1964, for the second time, the breed was recognized by the German Kennel Club. Other countries also began to take notice of this working breed.
The Hovawart has many skills in addition hunting and guarding. The Hovawart does not work for people, he works with them as he is a very independent thinker. He is also good at search and rescue and tracking. An owner of this breed must be stronger, smarter, more alert, intentional and consistent than his Hovawart. These are not dogs for the faint of heart or first-timers.
The Yo-Chon stands between 25 and 30cm and weighs in the region of 2 to 4kg. He can be like a teddy-bear this little dog and the coat can be either silky and straight or wavy. It is medium length and some people have the coat professionally trimmed.
The low shedding coat comes in a variety of colors – cream, grey, tan, white, black or bi-colored.
Your Yorkie Bichon will no doubt have some habits that come from both parent breeds. Your dog is likely to be independent, social, friendly, social and loving, wanting to spend lots of time with you.
They’re small but they make good watchdogs with their high-pitch bark. Your Yo-Chon is an intelligent little dog too and by having him trained and socialized he is well behaved and pleasant to have around. You can tell him to lie down, sit or stay which is useful when you have visitors.
He gets on well with children, but the puppies particularly are tiny and fragile and they can easily get hurt by untrained and undisciplined children.
The Hovawart is a proud and majestic dog and his looks match his character. He looks a bit like the Golden Retriever with a powerful and broad forehead. His skull and muzzle are the same length and his nose is black. His oval eyes are a medium to dark brown and his ears are high set and triangular.
Their chests are strong, broad and deep. The breed has strong legs straight in front with round, strong and compact feet. They are heavy boned with dense, long coats that lie flat and have a slight wave to them. The coat can be black and gold, blond or black.
The Yo-Chon is an independent, happy dog who loves nothing more than to be surrounded by all his favorite human beings.
They are loving, loyal and gentle dogs and are good playmates for children who have been taught how to handle them with care and kindness.
He is smart and has an amicable nature and will take kindly to being trained and socialized.
With the Yo-Chon in your life, you can be sure you’re going to benefit from having a splendid family pet and companion.
They have a great sense of smell and a well-balanced personality.
They are not indoor dogs and should have a yard to run in. They do not tolerate hot weather well. They do great out in the country.
They are intelligent independent thinkers. They lengths well with positive reinforcement.
Both the Yorkie and Bichon Frise are dog breeds that are prone to Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. This is when there is insufficient blood supply to the hind thigh bone, so the dog becomes lame.
Surgical correction is necessary. Like small dogs in general, the Yochon might have dental issues. Slipped kneecaps, hypothyroidism and eye problems might affect the Yochon as well.
Though their isolation protected them from genetic health issues for centuries, once they were being rejuvenated and mixed with other breeds some common issues began to show up. These include:
Everybody is busy and they don’t always have time to exercise their pets. As a human being, your health relies heavily on the exercise you get so you and your dog can exercise together.
These days if you seriously don’t have time and you have money to spare, there are excellent doggy daycare centers where your dog can have fun playtimes with other dogs and people.
Dog exercises will change over time with age but at least try to get used to giving your pet a walk every day as this kind of exercise can extend into old age with both you and your pet.
Swimming, ball games, fetch games and walks or hikes are all great forms of exercise.
Good nutrition ensures your Yorkie Bichon has a good chance to be healthy and energetic. Some of the commercially manufactured dog foods you get are made with bad ingredients and they can make your dog sick.
The good quality ones can be nutritious for your dog and also wonderfully convenient. Always read the packaging labels so you know what your dog’s getting.
Cooked vegetables, boiled chicken and brown rice, nicely chopped up and added to the dry kibble can add variety to your pet’s diet while remaining deliciously nutritious and tasty as well.
Brush your Yo-Chon at least twice a week to keep the hair silky and shiny. Clip your dog’s nails when they get long.
Check inside his ears for signs of redness and the possibility of an infection. Try and look inside his mouth too for bad teeth as this can cause lots of health problems for your pet.
If you don’t have the time to do all these things, there are professional pet groomers who will do all these grooming chores for you.
Feed breed specific high quality dry food for puppies. Feed 1-2 cups in 3-4 meals per day
Again Feed breed specific high quality dry food for adults. Feed 2-3 cups per day in 1-2 meals per day.
Points for Good Health – Stamina
The Hovawart needs plenty of exercise. Remember this is a mountain farm dog used to working all the time. Walk or jog with them daily. They can excel at field trials, obedience, search and rescue, agility, flyball, therapy dog, and service dog.