 Shih
Tzu 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.
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.
Clarification – An improper tail-set
and or carriage will detract from
the desired balance and outline of
the Shih Tzu. The tail should be
held in a gentle curve over the
back. The tail should not flag or
lay flat on the back
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.
 
Topline - Level.
Clarification- The topline should be
level, smooth and hard. Because a
topline can be made to appear level
when standing or stacked on a table
for examination, particular
attention should be paid to the
topline when the dog is moving. The
topline should be level when moving.
Shih
Tzu Did You Know?
* The legend of the Shih Tzu has
come from documents, paintings, and
objets d'art dating from AD 624.
* During the Tang Dynasty, K'iu
T'ai, King of Viqur, gave the
Chinese court a pair of dogs, said
to have come from the Fu Lin
(assumedly, the Byzantine Empire).
Mention of these dogs (Shih Tzus)
was again made in AD 990-994 when
people of the Ho Chou sent dogs as a
tribute.
* Shih Tzu means lion, and in
Buddhist belief, there is an
association between the lion and
their Deity; thus, the dogs were
bred in court.
* The Shih Tzu was the house pet for
most of the Ming Dynasty.
* First classifed as Apsos, but
after a ruling by the Kennel Club
(England), became a separate breed,
culminating with the formation of
the Shih Tzu Kennel Club of England
in 1935 and admittance to the AKC
Stud Book in 1969.
* The Shih Tzu is often called "the
chrysanthemum-faced dog" because of
the haphazard, round-face way their
hair grows in the front.
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