Good points
- Affectionate
- Hardy
- Intelligent
- Loves children and animals
- Suitable for town or country
Take heed
- Best to tie back the topknot with a bow, or your pet could develop eye trouble
The Shih Tzu is a happy and attractive little house-pet which adores human company and hates to be neglected. It is extremely intelligent, arrogant, and looks forward to the long, daily grooming sessions for which time must be allocated if you decide to buy this delightful breed.
Size
Weight 4.5-8.2kg (10.18 lb); ideally 4.5-7.3kg (10-16lb). Height at the withers not more than 26.5cm (10½ in).
Exercise
Short, regular walks, and off-the-lead runs.
Grooming
Daily brushing with a pure bristle brush. Do not neglect this task or combing out tangles will be painful. Keep the topknot from getting into the eyes and take care that the ears are free of matted hair.
Feeding
Half to 1 can (376g, 13.3 oz size) of a branded, meaty product, with biscuit added in equal part by volume; or 1½ cupfuls of a dry, complete food mixed in the proportion of 1 cup of feed to ½ cup of hot or cold water.
Origin and history
The Lhasa Apso was highly prized by the Dalai Lama of Tibet who would habitually give prized speciments to emperors in China. It is likely that the Chinese may have crossed the Apso with the Pekinese to develop the Shih Tzu. As with the Imperial Pekingese, export of the Shih Tzu from China was forbidden, and it was not until the death of Empress Tzu-his in 1908 that the little shaggy dogs were smuggled out to Europe.
