A Shih Tzu also spelt Shittsu) is a toy dog breed, weighing from 4 to 7.25 kilograms (9–18lb) when fully grown. The breed was developed in Tibet.

Description

The Shih Tzu is a sturdy little dog with a short muzzle and large dark brown eyes. They have a soft and long double coat. Although sometimes long, a Shih Tzu will not always have extremely long hair like the Pekingese (but with short legs). Some of them have more short, curly hair. This is purely a choice made by the owners. A Shih Tzu should stand no more than 26.7 cm at the withers and with an ideal weight of 4.5 to 7.3 kg. Floppy ears are covered with long fur, and the heavily furred tail is carried curled over the back. The coat may be of any colour, though white and with blazes of grey are frequently seen. A very noticeable feature is the underbite, which is required in the breed standard.

The traditional long silky coat, which tends to reach the floor, requires daily brushing to avoid tangles. Because of their long coat and fast-growing hair, regular grooming is necessary, which may be expensive and should be taken into account when considering adopting one of this breed. Often, the coat is clipped short to simplify care, but the coat still requires daily brushing. For conformation showing, the coat must be left in its natural state, though trimming for neatness around the feet and anus is allowed. The shorter cut is typically called a “puppy cut” or a “teddy bear cut” when the puppy cut is accompanied by a fuller, rounder face, resembling an acute and cuddly stuffed animal.

Etymology

The name comes from the Chinese language word for “lion” because this kind of dog was bred to resemble “the lion, as depicted in traditional oriental art”. (The Pekingese breed is also called “lion dog” in Chinese.) “Shih Tzu” is the Wade-Giles romanization of the Chinese characters, meaning lion; this romanization scheme was in use when the breed was first introduced in America. In contemporary China, Pinyin is the predominant system of romanization, which renders it as shīzi. The Mandarin Chinese pronunciation is approximately SHIRR-dzə. Though the Wade-Giles system is often regarded as less intuitive, “Shih Tzu” is a useful linguistic example of both of two cases where the Wade-Giles scheme reflects the use of a syllabic fricative after a corresponding consonant cluster (retroflexes and sibilants) in modern Mandarin. This is a unique phonological feature that does not appear in any other known modern language in their standardized form. Indeed, though the exact classification is still debated (and dialectal variants exist), linguists generally agree that these sounds cannot be represented by conventional symbols in the IPA, hence an unorthodox approximation “SHIRR” was used earlier in this paragraph. However, the use of a syllabic fricative is often observed in informal English with the paralinguistic expression “Shh!”, which may serve as a guide to the pronunciation of “Shih”.

In the modern Chinese language, the Shih Tzu is generally known as the “Xi Shi dog”; Xi Shi was regarded as one of the most beautiful women of ancient China. The alternative name was adopted to avoid the confusion that stems from referring to the breed as a lion. Shih Tzu was nicknamed the Chrysanthemum Dog in England in the 1930s. The dog may also be called the Tibetan Lion Dog, but whether the breed should be referred to as “Tibetan” or “Chinese” is a source of both historical and political contention, as the subsequent section notes. A book on the breed states that “dog historians tend to have very strong opinions” on the subject.

History

One theory is that the Shih Tzu descended from a cross between the Pekingese and Lhasa Apso, a Tibetan dog given by the Dalai Lama to Chinese emperors near the end of the 17th century. The dogs were favourites of the Chinese royals and so prized that, for years, the Chinese refused to sell, trade, or give any away. The first dogs of the breed were imported into Europe (England and Norway) in 1930 and were classified by the Kennel Club as “Apsos”. The first European standard for the breed was written in England in 1935 by the Shih Tzu Club, and the dogs have categorised again as Shih Tzu. The breed spread throughout Europe and was brought to the United States after World War II, when returning members of the U.S. military brought back dogs from Europe and Asia, in the mid-1950s. The Shih Tzu was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1969 in the Toy Group.

In 1934, the Shih Tzu Club of England was founded and the breed was officially recognised by the Kennel Club (UK) on 7 May 1940. When it became eligible for Challenge Certificates, none were awarded until 1949. The breed is now recognized by all of the major kennel clubs in the English-speaking world. It is also recognized by the FCI for international competition in Companion and Toy Dog Group, Section 5, Tibetan breeds. In the United States, the Shih Tzu ranked the 15th most popular breed in 2013, falling slightly in popularity since 2012 when it was placed in 11th position.

In popular culture

The Shih Tzu has been prominently featured in various films, including the mockumentary comedy film Best in Show (2000) – with a Shih Tzu named Miss Agnes, the dark comedy crime film Seven Psychopaths (2012) – starring a Shih Tzu named Bonny and in the animated comedy film The Secret Life of Pets 2 starring a Shih Tzu named Daisy.

The Shih Tzu has also been featured in video games. Isabelle, the mascot of the Animal Crossing series first appearing in Animal Crossing: New Leaf (2012), is a Shih Tzu. She is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.