Dog Breed Guide

Shih Tzu

Profile

Size

Small

Country of origin

China (Tibet)

Origin

Around the 17th century

Bred for

Companion

Height

27cm (11in) and under

Weight

4.5 - 8kg (10 - 18lb)

Life span

12 - 15 years

A long, flowing coat and a face like a chrysanthemum, with hair growing upward from the top of the nose, are its hallmarks. The familiar topknot, with the hair gathered and tied on top of the head, is another trademark. Every color is accepted, including gold and white and black and white.

Gentle, friendly and affectionate, the Shih Tzu is sociable and gets along with everyone, and it likes to relax beside its family. It is not much of a watchdog. It needs relatively little exercise and suits indoor life.

It sheds little, but the long coat tangles easily, so it needs daily brushing. A short "summer cut" is also popular. Its short nose makes it sensitive to heat, and its large, prominent eyes must be protected from injury.

Good to know

The name means "lion dog" in Chinese. In Buddhism the lion is a sacred animal, and this lion-like little dog was carefully bred at the Chinese imperial court. It is thought to have arisen from dogs sent from Tibet as gifts to the Chinese emperors, which were bred at court with Pekingese and others.

Its greatest admirer was the Empress Dowager Cixi of the late Qing dynasty. She entrusted the breeding to court eunuchs and is said to have favored dogs with a "chrysanthemum face," with hair growing upward from the nose.

After the Chinese revolution of 1949, the dog, a symbol of the imperial court, all but disappeared from China. All the Shih Tzus in the world today are said to descend from just 14 dogs, seven males and seven females, taken out of the country earlier by diplomats and others.