Shih Tzu Dog Breed Information

Shih Tzu is a small sized dog that is quite loving, caring and is a great companion for its fellow pets as well as for its owners. The dogs of this breed are not fierce in any respect.   They have been originated from Tibet. The Shih Tzu is a loving, affectionate, caring, playful dog that does not love anything other than following its owner or love ones from room to room or wherever they go.

Nowadays, the dogs of this breed are being trained for obedience, and also for the agility competitions because of its active and energetic nature. Now, come and learn something new about these dogs…

Star Rating:

Characteristics	Stars (based on 5)
Adaptability
Trainability
Health
All-round friendliness
Exercise Needs
Apartment friendly
Affection level
Grooming

 Some interesting facts about the Shih Tzu Dog breed:

1. The other name of the Shih Tzu dogs is the Chrysanthemum dogs and the reason behind that is the growth of hair everywhere on its face that is from its nose in all the directions.

2. The Shih Tzu were originated from Tibet, and were bred by Lamas as a tiny replicate of lion and for the purpose of royalty among the individuals of China.

3. The Shih Tzu dogs are considered as a prince among all dog breeds.

4. The price of the Shih Tzu dogs is based on its intelligence, sweetness in its nature, small size as well as coat qualities.

5. The accurate prononunciation of this is the Sheed-Zoo.

6. The average price range to buy a Shih Tzu dog is approximately $400 to the $700. Sometimes it may costs more. Also, this price varies in different parts of the world.

Is the Shih Tzu dog a right choice for you??

Some more important information about the Shih Tzu dogs:

History: The history shows a close and ancestral relationship of the today’s Shih Tzu breed with the Wolves. A branch of the kitchen midden dogs coming out of them gave rise to the long haired Chihuahua as well as the Papillion, whereas another branch of the kitchen midden dog gave rise to the pugs and the Shih Tzu dogs. This dog breed has been originated in Tibet, in china in the 800 B.C by the name of the lion dogs. In the ancient times, they were considered as the royals in China, so they were refused to be sold, priced or traded any way. In the year 1930, the first Shih Tzu dog was imported to the Europe. In the same year they were classified as the “Apsos” by the American Kennel club. This dog breed has got recognition by the AKC as well as the FCI.

Description:

The Shih Tzu is a small sized dog with a short muzzle and dark eyes. They are the smart dogs, who do not shed their fur. They have their dropped ears covered with fur and have a curled and heavily furred tail over its back. These dogs are slightly longer than tall. They require regular brushing because of their fast growing hair. These are a few things that are considered before having the dogs of this breed.

The Shih Tzu was considered as excellent watch dogs, as earlier they were supposed to be used in the palaces for guarding them. They were known to be the lion dogs because of their brave and proud nature.

Personality:

The Shih Tzu dogs are very affectionate, loving, alert, and loyal towards its owner. They are intelligent enough to get trained. It is highly stubborn in nature, so it is a must to start training it from its earlier age, so as to make it prone to learn the obedience. The Shih Tzu is more affectionate with its companions and is often friendly to the strangers. The Shih Tzu is considered as the perfect pet choice, if one requires a dog with minimal exercising needs as well as the dog living in a small apartment easily.

Health: The Shih Tzu is prone to a number of health problems. Some of them are hereditary by nature. Below mentioned are some health issues suffered by the Shih Tzu:

Hypothyroidism: A disease in which the thyroid glands start functioning in an improper way and stop producing the hormone that is required for the proper metabolism.

In vertebral disk disease:   A disorder that is occurred by acute back pain, loss of coordination, loss of ability to feel sensations, and many more. The dog breeds that are small in size have been found suffering from these diseases. Some of them are the Dachshund, Pekingese, Beagle, French bull dog, Weish Corgi, Lhasa apso, etc.

Also, the dogs of this breed are prone to hip dysplasia, eye problems and portosystemic shunt.

Care: The Shih Tzu is a dog that loves to remain at the apartment only. They are supposed to be provided with fellow pets or the toys, so as to remove their boredom. The training of obedience is essential to be given to the dogs of this breed in order to make them disciplined and obedient. They respond to the techniques of the positive reinforcement such as rewards, play or praise, etc. In order to get the best results if the training, it is must to start the training sessions at an early age.

Feeding: Before feeding a pet, it is good to consult a veterinarian in order to feed the pet with a right amount and right quality of food, so as to keep it healthy and fit. A nutritional and healthy diet is supposed to be given to the pets. A Shih Tzu puppy must be fed with a high nutritional food for the first six months four times in a day, whereas it should be reduced to twice in a day with the increase in age. Also, it should be given with ½ or 1 cup of dry food every day.

Grooming: The Shih Tzu dogs have high grooming needs. Because of their long and fine coats and require frequent combing and brushing. Earlier, they were used as guard dogs and were used to do nothing other than combing, as if it was to avoid tangles. Sometimes, this grooming is done using electric clippers or the scissors by the owner himself. Also, to keep the Shih Tzu dogs free from allergies, it is must to provide professional grooming to them along with combing at home once in a day. The tools required for such a grooming are a stainless steel comb and a wire pin brush with coarse and fine teeth.

Moreover, its topknot must be brushed daily. Use of the rubber bands will break the hair. Increase in the age of the Shih Tzu tends to change the quality of its coat, so it becomes easier to care for it at that time.

A Shih Tzu can be given bathe anytime. But an important thing to be considered is to remove the tangles before giving a bath to it. Further, it is the basic and the general care including trimming of its nails once or twice a week, cleaning the corners of its eyes, etc.