GENERAL INFORMATION
TEMPERMENT
THE SHIH-TZU IS USUALLY A CALM AND GENTLE DOG. THEY CAN HOWEVER BE PLAYFUL AND FEISTY AT TIMES. THE BREED TYPICALLY MAKES A GOOD CHILDREN S PET. THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS AND YOU CAN FIND THE "GUARD DOG" OR "LAZY LUCY" TYPE IN A LITTER. SHIH-TZUS ARE GENERALLY OUTGOING AND FRIENDLY. THESE DOGS HAVE AN ATTITUDE THAT CRIES TO BE SPOILED SHIH-TZUS ARE INTELLIGENT, AND CAN BE TRAINED FOR OBEDIENCE COMPETITION AND FOR GOOD MANNERS AROUND THE HOME.
THEY CAN BE STUBBORN, SO PERSISTENCE AND CONSISTENCY ARE DEFINITE PLUSES IN YOU TRAINING METHODS. PUNISHMENT MAKES THIS BREED SHUT DOWN,SO TRAINING SHOULD BE LOW KEY AND MOTIVATIONAL.
GENERAL INFORMATION
PHYSICALITY
SHIH-TZU STANDARDS ARE: A SHORT SNOUT, LARGE EYES, SLIGHT UNDER-BITE, AND A TAIL THAT WAVES ABOVE THE TORSO.
* THE IDEAL HEIGHT AT THE WITHERS IS 9 TO 10 1/2 INCHES.
STANDING NO LESS THAN 8 INCHES NOR NO MORE THAN 11 INCHES.
* WEIGHT SHOULD BE BETWEEN 9 AND 16 POUNDS. THEY SHOULD BE SOLID AND COMPACT AND CARRY GOOD WEIGHT AND SUBSTANCE.
* THE COAT IS A FLOWING DOUBLE COAT WITH A VARIETY OF COLORS. THESE DOGS CAN BE KEPT IN A PUPPY CUT, OR ITS NATURAL LONG HAIR. THIS BREEDS HAIR GROWS CONTINUOUSLY, AND ARE CONSIDERED A HIGH MAINTENANCE DOG TO GROOM. BECAUSE SHIH-TZUS HAVE HAIR AND NOT FUR-THEY DO NOT SHED AND ARE ONE OF THE FEW BREEDS CONSIDERED HYPOALLERGENIC.
* THIS BREED IS VERY SENSITIVE TO HIGH TEMPERATURES. THEY ARE BRACHYCEPHALIC (SNUBBED NOSED) TYPE OF BREED. I'VE FOUND THEY ENJOY PLAYING IN THE SNOW FAR MORE THAN HOT SUMMER DAYS.
* EXERCISE IS EASY FOR THE SHIH-TZU. THEY HAVE PLENTY OF STAMINA FOR LONG WALKS, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE QUITE HAPPY TO RUN AROUND THE HOUSE. THEY COULD BE CONSIDERED TRUE COUCH POTATOES IF YOU LET THEM.
Standard Colors /Code
BLACK /007
BLACK & WHITE /019
BLUE /037
BLUE & WHITE /045
BRINDLE /057
BRINDLE & WHITE /059
GOLD /091
GOLD & WHITE /092
LIVER /123
LIVER & WHITE / 125
RED/ 140
RED & WHITE /146
SILVER /176
SILVER & WHITE /182
BLACK GOLD & SILVER /235
BLACK GOLD & WHITE /310
BLACK WHITE & SILVER /033
SILVER GOLD & WHITE /188
WHITE /199
Description
Standard Markings/Code
Standard Markings/CodeBLACK MARKINGS /002
BLACK MASK /004
TAN MARKINGS /012
WHITE MARKINGS /014
Black is an easy color the dog has black fur and nose/foot pads/ mouth and eye rims.The eyes are also dark or black.
Black and white is a spotted dog.Placement and sizeof the spots are varied, this goes for all colors.
Blue is one of the hardest to understand.To simplify it is a dilute color-lacking the black pigment.Often times the hair is some shade of gray or a cream color.The important thing is the pup can not be born black and turn blue.Again blue con not have anything black from birth.this is the color where the nose/ foot pads/ eye rims and mouth are some shade of gray.Often the eyes are blue also.there are many enticing names out there- lavender included- but they are all blue.
Brindle is a mixed color. It usually has 2 or 3 colors mixed together creating a solid coat.This is not the same as spots of a specific color,Sometimes when shaved down you can see a marbling effect like in the first picture here. Here you see 3 dogs with the black/silver/cream mix creating whole different looks. Brindle can consist of any color combinations.
Brindle and white dogs have spots of the mixed hair colors.
Gold is a yellow color.Also called cream.Although newborns can have more of a brown look to them,the puppy and adult coat will be lighter yellow. This is what I call creaming out.It is usually about the fourth week you can see the lighter hair color coming in at the roots of the hair.This is a good time to mention- look under the tail. The color under the tail will reveal the coat color of the pup.
RED
GOLD
Liver is actually another dilute color. Again the nose/foot pads/eye rims/mouth will be the same color of the hair. There are 3 colors with in the liver color code= red-cream and chocolate.The eyes can be amber in color, or green.Here you see a red and white and a solid cream/ solid chocolate/and solid red. Don't be fooled by fancy names.Each color can be many shades of that color.
brown hair color on both newborn pups
Red comes in many shades and are called many names to make it seem more exotic like flaming red/orange/mahogany/fire engine.Don't be fool by the name that accompanies higher prices.the pups appear more of a brown color till adult color comes in.Here you see 2 pictures of reds of different shades, and the same pup in 2 pictures as it grew older.Many times they are born with a black mask and will grow out of it as an adult.This also applies for gold color.
Silver is a light gray color.Often times the puppy is born black and the adult hair comes in a lighter gray color.The nose etc. are black.Here you see a solid silver and a silver and white. People can be fooled 2 ways with this color.1st by wanting a black and its really a silver that will lighten with age.Or be told its a Blue with a very dark nose etc. Remember puppy hair color is often very different then the adult color. If you are paying more for a specific color make sure you know what you are getting. And look at the parents coloring too for a guideline.
These are party colors. This means the dog has its base color and 2 different other colors in spots.These are alternative colors. This is not a bridle color.Some breeders use the black/gold/silver for the dobbie marked dogs. this picture is a black gold & silver/235 and a black gold & white/310
Please be careful with whites. make sure they have a black nose etc.and eyes. the ones with a liver nose or blue eyes have genetic problems. if the dog does have a liver nose most times(and this is a good thing) it has cream or "gold" on it around the ears and head.Again those rare whites are sometimes a genetic nightmare.
Black markings are also referred to as tips.this is the black at the base of the ears, tail,or body color- often with red and golds.here is a red with tips,and here is a gold dog with black mask and tips.There is also a red with the mask and tips.
White blazes on the chest,head or belly or white feet are the white markings.
Again some breeders use the tan markings for the dobbie marked dogs.and here are examples of the dobbie marked dogs. and a dobberman pinscher- who the look was named after.
Did you know that these dogs were created after the Lion deity the Tibetan monks believed in.
During the Ming and Manchu Dynasties, the little lion dogs were bred and raised by palace eunuchs and were considered the exclusive property of the royal court. They were rarely seen outside the palaces and anyone caught owning one could be sentenced to death.
Dog historians believe that after Empress Tzu Hsi came to power in the 1860s, the Dalai Lama at the time presented her with a breeding pair of extraordinary Shih Tzus. These magnificent dogs were the foundation of her pure line.
Eventually, the dogs were given as gifts to English and Dutch nobility and by 1938 a standard was set for the breed. In the late 1930s, Shih Tzus finally arrived in America and rose to enormous popularity by the 1960s. Even half a world apart from the palaces of China, Shih Tzus are never far away from their royal bloodlines.
The correct pronunciation of shih-tzu is Sher (as in sherbert) dzz / sherdzz.....it is both a plural and singular word.
not my dog
not my dog
all dogs shown are my dogs unless stated
not my dog
not my dog
not my dogs
Dogs 101-Shih-tzu ...3 minuet long info on history, hair and grooming, temperament, and family living
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all dogs are from my lines except for the ones marked not my dogs
