About The Shih Tzu
Shih Tzu Breed Standard
Toy Group
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
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.
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
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.
Approved May 9, 1989
Effective June 29, 1989
Many thanks to the AKC
K&S Kennels
Kevin & Sharon Neff
55 SE 15th Ave
Trenton Missouri, 64683
(660)339-7579
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