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First things first: Shih Tzus are not dogs! They are little people in fur coats. If you
have never had a Shih Tzu as a companion, you may laugh at that statement; but
those of us that have, understand.

The Shih Tzu as we know it today was developed in China during the 17th century by
the royal family. It is believed that they crossed several Chinese breeds such as
the Pekingese, Lhasa Apso, Pug and perhaps some western imports. The emperors
and empresses of China bred and kept the Shih Tzus as pets. Only the royal family
was allowed to own a Shih Tzu. These little dogs had the run of the palace and were
pampered beyond belief; so, if they act like royalty today, that is why.

The standard size for the Shih Tzu breed is nine to sixteen pounds. In the last few
years smaller sizes have become more popular than the standards. I feel that those
that want the smaller dogs are missing out on one of the most wonderful qualities
that the Shih Tzu possesses. Shih Tzus love to be cuddled, especially the males.
When you are cuddling a Shih Tzu of the standard size, they feel like a human baby.
We woman know what a wonderful feeling that, that is. There is definitely
something primordial about that feeling. The tiny ones just don't feel the same.
Tiny dogs certainly have their place and advantages, but I like my Shih Tzus
between nine and sixteen pounds. That said, occasionally I do have the smaller
ones for sale. You will encounter certain terminology associated with the size of
Shih Tzus. Standards are those between nine and sixteen pounds. Tinies are those
between six and nine pounds. Imperials are those between three and six pounds.
Breeders of the so called Imperials will often keep their puppies until they are five
or six months old to insure that they stay small before they put them up for sale.
Beware of buying one that is not that old. I have had puppies that appeared to be
heading for four or five pounds at eight weeks that turn out to be ten pounds at six
months. I routinely see puppies of Imperial size priced at $3,000 to $5,000; so,
beware.

The Shih Tzu is not a delicate dog. They should feel like a brick when you pick them
up, surprisingly heavy! They should not have the lightweight body of a Yorkshire
Terrier or a Poodle. You will sometimes see the term cobby body. If you look up the
definition of that term, it means brick-like. The legs should be short, the body a bit
elongated, the face flat, the forehead high and the eyes wide set with no white
showing.

The coat is a wonderful feature of the Shih Tzu. If you have ever watched the
national dog shows you have seen the long flowing coats that touch the floor.
These are extremely rare. All Shih Tzus have longer coats, but few have coats like
the show dogs. I take the coat seriously into consideration when I pick my dogs for
breeding; however, most people that buy puppies keep their coats cut short. I
personally like to keep my dogs' coats long. If you want to keep a long coat, keep
the comb on the coffee table and brush your dog for a few minutes every evening
while they are sitting on your lap. If you do that you will find that it is not a chore but
a loving gesture that your dog will look forward to. Shih Tzus have two coats: a
longer permanent outer coat and a shorter softer undercoat that they will shed in
warmer weather. You will often read that they do not shed. That is because you will
not find their hair on your furniture. That undercoat does shed in warm weather,
but must be combed out. If you don't comb it out, it will mat. If you get behind and
the coat gets matted, you do not have to have it all cut off. There is what is known
as a mat cutting comb that has blades on the back side of the tines that will cut
through the mats. You, also, can cut through the mats with scissors. Cut the mats
in a direction that is parallel to the hair, then comb them out. I do use a comb and
not a brush on my dogs. If you purchase a puppy that has what is known as black
ticking on the hair, or black tips; once you cut the hair the ticking is gone and will
never come back.

There are mean Shih Tzus, but I have never raised one. My puppies are raised in
my living room and are picked up, cuddled and kissed from day one. This really
makes a difference in their eventual personality. Most Shih Tzus live only to give
and get love.

Shih Tzus come in all colors. The most common is what is called a parti. Partis are
the ones that are both a solid color and white. For a more in depth discussion of
Shih Tzu colors, please see my Colors Page. Despite the commonality of the partis,
the solids are genetically dominant. Preference of color and pattern varies from
year to year. Livers, blues and whites are very rare. Because they are rare, the
breeder must pay a much higher price for their dogs; of course, that cost will be
passed on to you.

Shih Tzus are very smart. I am constantly amazed at how many words they
understand. Yes, they do understand words! No matter what anyone says! Being
smart, however, does not translate into easy housebreaking. Please only use
positive reinforcement when training your Shih Tzu. If you scold or punish them,
they will retreat into a shell that they may never come out of. If you give them an
order, they will look at you as if "Who in the ---- do you think you are. I give the
orders around here." Shih Tzus were not bred to be house broken. In China they
had eunuchs that followed them around and cleaned up after them. Please take my
advice on housebreaking. First of all, when my puppies are four weeks old, I put
them in a wading pool in my living room. That wading pool has a bed in it, and the
rest is covered with newspaper or puppy pads. They will not urinate or defecate on
their bed; therefore, they go on the pad or paper. By six weeks, I decrease the area
that is covered by paper or pads. You would be amazed by the fact that even
though there is area that is not covered, they will only go on the pad or paper.
When they are taken out of the pool, or as usually happens, they figure out how to
get out; they will run clear across the room to go on the pad. I use the washable
pads. I have found that the disposable ones are quickly shredded by the puppies.
After burning up a $300 vacuum trying to clean up all that cotton, I went to the
washable ones. The washable ones cost about $20 but last for over 350 washes.
They definitely pay for themselves. When you take your puppy home he/she will be
well on their way to being pad trained. If you want to train them to go outside, read
carefully and remember what I say. You must go outside with them! Do not think
that they will go on their own and return to be let in. Go outside with them, and wait
until they do what you want. I still have to do this with my adults. Learn to enjoy this
time with them. If you shortcut it, you will have accidents. When they do what you
want; pick them up; kiss them; tell them they are wonderful and use a consistent
word for what they just did, i.e. pee pee. Eventually when you go out with them, and
say go pee pee; they will be faster at it. You may someday be able to just let them
out on their own, but don't plan on it.

If you are planning on crate training your Shih Tzu, please buy a big enough crate
that they can have a bed in the back and room enough for paper or pad and water
and food in the front. I cannot tell you how many calls or emails that I have gotten
from new puppy parents who bought the size crate that the Vet told them to get and
haven't slept since they brought their puppy home.

I am sure that I have missed some important information. Please feel free to email
or call me with questions, even if you did not buy your puppy from me. I will answer
your questions. If I do not know the answer, I will research it and get back to you.

God Bless,

Ruthie

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