Why the breed exists
The Shih Tzu was a palace dog. Its ancestors came from Tibet to the Chinese imperial court, where they were kept, bred and given as gifts rather than sold, and the job — being a companion indoors, at close quarters, to people who valued the company — is the whole of it. The long double coat, the upward-growing hair on the muzzle, the carried tail and the rolling walk all belong to that history. The modern breed in the West descends from a very small number of dogs taken out in the early twentieth century, which is an honest thing to say about its founding population rather than a secret.
The Shih Tzu has a shortened muzzle and this site writes that straight. Heat is a genuine risk and this is not a dog to exercise hard on a warm day. Teeth crowd in a small jaw and need real dental care. Prominent eyes are vulnerable to injury and need watching. None of that makes the breed a mistake; it makes the breeder's choices matter more. The ones worth finding are selecting toward open nostrils and a functional muzzle rather than away from them, test to the American Shih Tzu Club's published recommendations, publish what they find, and are frank about the trade-offs before you ever see a puppy.
The official written standard belongs to the breed's parent club.Read the official Shih Tzu standard →
Choosing a Shih Tzu on purpose
Every breed has its own list of required health screenings, kept by its parent club and published through OFA. A preservation breeder working in this breed tests to that list and shows you the results — including the ones that didn't go their way.
Carry the messageEvery Bred By Co. piece funds this education work.
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