Did you know?
· The Shih Tzu was admitted to registration in the American
Kennel Club Stud Book in March 1969.
· The Shih Tzu is sometimes called the
"chrysanthemum-faced dog" because the hair grows about
the face in all directions.
So you want to own a Shih Tzu?
Families with small children should always supervise the
children when they play with the dog, the Shih Tzu is a sturdy
dog but , his size puts him at a disadvantage.
The coat requires at least a half an hours grooming per day,
which should be a consideration before bringing a Shih Tzu into
your home.
The Shih Tzu is a true companion. His happy, out-going and
affectionate temperament coupled with his friendly and trusting
nature make him a great house pet.
Breed Standard
General Appearance
The Shih Tzu is a sturdy, lively, alert toy dog with long
flowing double coat. Befitting his noble Chinese ancestry as a
highly valued, prized companion and palace pet, the Shih Tzu is
proud of bearing, has a distinctively arrogant carriage with
head well up and tail curved over the back. Although there has
always been considerable size variation, the Shih Tzu must be
compact, solid, carrying good weight and substance.
Even though a toy dog, the Shih Tzu must be subject to the same
requirements of soundness and structure prescribed for all
breeds, and any deviation from the ideal described in the
standard should be penalized to the extent of the deviation.
Structural faults common to all breeds are as undesirable in the
Shih Tzu as in any other breed, regardless of whether or not
such faults are specifically mentioned in the standard.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Size - Ideally, height at withers is 9 to 10½
inches; but, not less than 8 inches nor more than 11 inches.
Ideally, weight of mature dogs, 9 to 16 pounds. Proportion
- Length between withers and root of tail is slightly longer
than height at withers. The Shih Tzu must never be so high
stationed as to appear leggy, nor so low stationed as to appear
dumpy or squatty. Substance - Regardless of
size, the Shih Tzu is always compact, solid and carries good
weight and substance.
Head
Head - Round, broad, wide between eyes, its size
in balance with the overall size of dog being neither too large
nor too small. Fault: Narrow head, close-set
eyes. Expression - Warm, sweet, wide-eyed,
friendly and trusting. An overall well-balanced and pleasant
expression supersedes the importance of individual parts. Care
should be taken to look and examine well beyond the hair to
determine if what is seen is the actual head and expression
rather than an image created by grooming technique. Eyes
- Large, round, not prominent, placed well apart, looking
straight ahead. Very dark. Lighter on liver pigmented
dogs and blue pigmented dogs. Fault: Small,
close-set or light eyes; excessive eye white. Ears
- Large, set slightly below crown of skull; heavily coated. Skull
- Domed. Stop - There is a definite stop.
Muzzle - Square, short, unwrinkled, with good
cushioning, set no lower than bottom eye rim; never downturned.
Ideally, no longer than 1 inch from tip of nose to stop,
although length may vary slightly in relation to overall size of
dog. Front of muzzle should be flat; lower lip and chin not
protruding and definitely never receding. Fault:
Snipiness, lack of definite stop. Nose -
Nostrils are broad, wide, and open. Pigmentation
- Nose, lips, eye rims are black on all colors, except liver on
liver pigmented dogs and blue on blue pigmented dogs. Fault:
Pink on nose, lips, or eye rims. Bite -
Undershot. Jaw is broad and wide. A missing tooth or slightly
misaligned teeth should not be too severely penalized. Teeth and
tongue should not show when mouth is closed. Fault:
Overshot bite.
Neck, Topline, Body
Of utmost importance is an overall well-balanced dog with no
exaggerated features. Neck - Well set-on
flowing smoothly into shoulders; of sufficient length to permit
natural high head carriage and in balance with height and length
of dog. Topline - Level. Body
-Short-coupled and sturdy with no waist or tuck-up. The Shih Tzu
is slightly longer than tall. Fault: Legginess. Chest
-Broad and deep with good spring-of-rib, however, not
barrel-chested. Depth of ribcage should extend to just below
elbow. Distance from elbow to withers is a little greater than
from elbow to ground. Croup - Flat. Tail
- Set on high, heavily plumed, carried in curve well over back.
Too loose, too tight, too flat, or too low set a tail is
undesirable and should be penalized to extent of deviation.
Forequarters
Shoulders - Well-angulated, well laid-back, well
laid-in, fitting smoothly into body. Legs -
Straight, well-boned, muscular, set well-apart and under chest,
with elbows set close to body. Pasterns -
Strong, perpendicular. Dewclaws - May be
removed. Feet - Firm, well-padded, point
straight ahead.
Hindquarters
Angulation of hindquarters should be in balance with
forequarters. Legs - Well-boned, muscular,
and straight when viewed from rear with well-bent stifles, not
close set but in line with forequarters. Hocks -
Well let down, perpendicular. Fault:
Hyperextension of hocks. Dewclaws - May be
removed. Feet - Firm, well-padded, point
straight ahead.
Coat
Coat - Luxurious, double-coated, dense, long,
and flowing. Slight wave permissible. Hair on top of head is
tied up. Fault: Sparse coat, single coat, curly
coat. Trimming - Feet, bottom of coat, and anus
may be done for neatness and to facilitate movement. Fault:
Excessive trimming.
Color and Markings
All are permissible and to be considered equally.
Gait
The Shih Tzu moves straight and must be shown at its own natural
speed, neither raced nor strung-up, to evaluate its
smooth, flowing, effortless movement with good front reach and
equally strong rear drive, level topline, naturally high head
carriage, and tail carried in gentle curve over back.
Temperament
As the sole purpose of the Shih Tzu is that of a companion and
house pet, it is essential that its temperament be outgoing,
happy, affectionate, friendly and trusting towards all.
Approved May 9, 1989
Effective June 29, 1989
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