Breeds 101: Getting to know the Shih Tzu
As part of our “Breeds 101” series of dog breed introductions, today we look at the Shih Tzu.
As part of our “Breeds 101” series of dog breed introductions here at Dog O’Day, today we look at the Shih Tzu.
A member of the Toy Group at dog shows, they’re currently ranked No. 20 in popularity (see the most recent American Kennel Club popularity rankings from 2018 here), the breed was recognized by the AKC in 1969.
Shih Tzu stand around nine to 10..5 inches at the withers (shoulders), and they weigh around nine to 16 pounds.
They are an extremely long-lived breed, with an average lifespan ranging from 10 to 18 years, which is around 64 to 114 in dog years.
According to the AKC Breed Standard, the ideal Shih Tzu is “a sturdy, lively, alert toy dog with long flowing double coat.” They also must be “compact, solid, carrying good weight and substance.”
Their silky outer coat is often done up in a mini ponytail over the eyes to keep the dog’s hair out of his or her face. The coat’s coloring can be anything from black and white to gold, with a wide range between. While it needs frequent brushing and trimming, it doesn’t shed very often, which might make it a good choice if someone in the house is allergic to dog fur.
They are generally friendly and loyal, and make fairly good watchdogs, though they were bred to solely be companion dogs.
When I (Wesley) was little our next door neighbors, a friendly retired couple, had a pair of Shih Tzu named Taz and Ty, and they NEVER SHUT UP. Over time their incessant barking became part of the background noise of baseball and basketball games in the backyard, since our house was where most of the neighborhood kids gravitated towards once school let out.
According to Victor Joris’s 1994 book The Complete Shih Tzu (see our review), the royal houses of China and Tibet exchanged dogs for around a thousand years, which is how the Lhasa Apso came to be.
The nineteenth century was an especially good time for the royal dogs of China – collectively known as “Lion Dogs” – as the Empress T’zu Hsi took a particular pride in raising excellent Shih Tzu, Pekingese and Pugs.
[When is a Boxer not actually a boxer, of either the canine or athletic types? It’s a fascinating story of Chinese tradition at a Pacific Northwest college.]
After the Boxer Rebellion and the death of the Empress in 1908, high-quality dogs of these breeds began to spread around the world, coming together in the first specialty shows by the 1930s. (During her reign the occasional pet-quality dog was smuggled out of the palace or given as a gift, but only the males to ensure the bloodline was kept pure.)
Like a lot of the other smash-faced breeds, Shih Tzu have a variety of potential health problems to look out for, including thyroid issues, eye problems, breathing problems and ear infections.
Next. The most popular dog names of 2019. dark
A Shih Tzu is one of the main canines in the 2000 Christopher Guest film Best in Show (which inspired the real-life National Dog Show), and the characters of Daisy (TIffany Haddish) in the 2019 movie Secret Life of Pets 2 and the personal assistant Isabelle from the Nintendo Animal Crossing series of video games are also part of the breed.