Post by charmingnancy on Mar 23, 2009 14:10:20 GMT -5
Shih Tzu
Group: 6- Non-sporting
Origin: China
Purpose: Royal Companion Dog
Description:
The Shih Tzu was developed in the palaces of China from Tibetan temple dogs crossed with other Chinese breeds. It was originally bred to be a companion and that remains its sole purpose today. Sturdy and surprisingly hardy, they are well suited to both city and country living. The Shih Tzu is an abundantly coated dog with a distinctly Oriental appearance. It is a solid, sound little dog that is rather heavy for its size.
Appearance- Breed Standards:
Coat and Colour: A luxurious long, flowing coat with an undercoat. May be slightly wavy but never curly. The coat may be parted from the root of the tail to the back of the skull. The hair on the head may be tied up to form a topknot. A bow or ribbon to be optional. Coat may be trimmed so as not to interfere with the movement of the dog. All colours are acceptable providing they have black noses, lips and eye rims. The exceptions are the livers and blues, which have pigmentation that compliments that particular colour.
Head: Skull round, broad and wide between the eyes with a definite stop. The muzzle is short, square and about one-fifth of the total length of the skull. The muzzle is approximately 1 inch (2 ½ cm) from the stop to the tip of the nose. The upward sweep of the front part of the muzzle should place the nose level with the bottom of the eye. The placement of the muzzle is directly responsible for the nose placement. The nose leather should be broad and the nostrils well open. Eyes should be large, dark and round, except in livers and blues where the light colour is permissible. The eyes should be well set in the skull and the expression should be warm and irresistible. Ear leathers drooping, set just below the crown of the head and so heavily coated that they appear to blend with hair of the neck. Mouth is slightly undershot or level, the bottom jaw is wide and strong. Teeth should not be visible when the mouth is closed.
Neck: The neck must be in balance with the body length and must also complement the high tail set and carriage.
Forequarters: Shoulders well developed, muscular and well set to allow freedom of movement. The upper arm well laid back thus allowing for the desired width and dept forming a good fore chest. The legs straight, well boned, set well under the body and fitting closely to the chest. Feet moderate size and well padded.
Body: This is not a square dog. The length of the back from the withers to the tail set to be slightly longer than the height from the withers to the ground. Taking into consideration the fore chest as well as the area behind the tail, the Shih Tzu should appear rectangular in outline. The body should be deep, sturdy and well coupled with a good spring of rib. There should be little or no tuck up of the underline. A good fore chest is essential to both the movement and balance of the Shih Tzu. The topline should be level both standing and moving.
Hindquarters: Strong, muscled, well angulated and in balance with forequarters. Hocks short, sturdy and turning neither in nor out. Feet moderate size and well padded.
Tail: Well feathered, set high and carried gaily over the back in a loose curve with the tip just touching the back.
Gait: Should be smooth and flowing with the head and tail held high. Extension both front and rear. Front legs should move out of the coat in a straight line, feet turning neither in nor out. Rear legs show strong rear action displaying full pads on the move. The Shih Tzu has a distinct swagger when on the move that is enhanced by his air of importance.
Faults:
Temperament- Any deviation from the above-mentioned temperament to be considered very undesirable.
Size- lack of proper bone and substance.
Coat and Colour - Excessive trimming, sparse or wooly coats, missing pigmentation.
Head- Narrow head, lack of stop, pink on nose or eye rims, small or light-coloured eyes, eye white showing, missing canines or incisors, lack of strength of under jaw, pinched nostrils, wry mouths, tongue showing when the mouth is closed, wrinkles like a Peke.
Neck- Too short in that it does not complement the carriage and outline of the Shih Tzu.
Forequarters- Excessive legginess and crooked legs.
Body- Lack of fore chest, narrow, weedy bodies with no bone and substance, high in rear standing or moving. Shih Tzu not adhering to the correct rectangular outline.
Hindquarters - Slipping stifles and luxating hocks, cow hocks.
Tail- Tails flat on back, pig tails, tails not carried gaily or happily, tails carried sickle like without tip touching back.
Gait- Lack of reach and drive, bouncing gait, inability to move with tail or head held high.
Disqualifications:
Scissors or overshot bites, one or two blue eyes.
Size:
The Shih Tzu is not a Toy dog. This is a smaller type of dog with good bone and substance. Height at withers approximately 9 to 10 ½ inches (23-27 cm). Breed type and balance always to be main consideration.
Temperament:
Shih Tzu are distinctly arrogant with a character all their own. They are exceptionally good-natured, affectionate and intelligent. They are full of life and have an air of importance that cannot be denied.
Health:
Shih Tzu have several serious health problems. The most common are eye ulcers, knee dislocation, bleeding disorders, heart strokes, kidney disorders and high susceptibility to colds.
Average Lifespan:
9-15 years
History:
The ancestry of the Shih Tzu is rather obscure, but it is probable that the breed is primarily of Tibetan origin. The history of the Tibetan “Lion Dogs” is interwoven with the tenets of Buddhism, which originated in India. The lion was closely associated with Buddhism, but the lion was not indigenous to China, so the Chinese and the Tibetan lamas bred their toy dogs to resemble lions. The Shih Tzu (whose name means “lion”) is reputed to have been the oldest and smallest variety of the Tibetan “holy dogs” and bears some similarity to other Tibetan breeds. For much of the long and illustrious history of China, the breeding of the small “Lion Dog” was a favorite pastime of succeeding imperial rulers.
Prior to A.D. 624, documents show that small dogs were exported from Malta, Turkey, Greece, and Persia as gifts to the ruling Chinese emperors. It is likely that the first small Tibetan Lion Dogs from which the Shih Tzu is probably descended came to China during the Qing (Ch’ing) Dynasty (1644-62) as tributes from the Grand Lamas to the Chinese Imperial Court, and that the Chinese interbred these Tibetan dogs with the early western imports and with the Pug and the Pekingese.
The existence of the Shih Tzu as we know it today is owed to the Dowager Empress Cixi (T’zu Hsi), whose kennel of Pugs, Pekingese, and Shih Tzu was world renowned. Although she carefully supervised the kennel during her lifetime and attempted to keep the three imperial breeds separate, the actual breeding was carried out by palace eunuchs who secretly crossed the breeds to reduce size and produce unusual and desirable markings. After her death in 1908, the kennels were dispersed and palace breeding became haphazard. Some breeding was still practiced by private individuals and specimens were exhibited, but the dogs were almost impossible to acquire. So far as is known, the breed became extinct in China after the Communist revolution.
Seven dogs and seven bitches comprise the gene pool of all existing Shih Tzu. These fourteen include the Pekingese dog used in an admitted cross in England in 1952--a cross which caused considerable trouble, as it was done by a newcomer to the breed and reported after the fact. The other foundation dogs included three Shih Tzu imported from China that became the foundation of the Taishan kennel of Lady Brownrigg in England and eight additional imports to England between 1933 and 1959. Three other Shih Tzu were imported into Norway from China in 1932 by Mrs. Henrick Kauffman, including a bitch that was the only Shih Tzu bred in the Imperial Palace to reach the Western world.
Sources:
Canadian Shih Tzu Club (Breed Standard)
Go Pets America
American Shih Tzu Club (Breed History)
Pictures:
Photobucket
Group: 6- Non-sporting
Origin: China
Purpose: Royal Companion Dog
Description:
The Shih Tzu was developed in the palaces of China from Tibetan temple dogs crossed with other Chinese breeds. It was originally bred to be a companion and that remains its sole purpose today. Sturdy and surprisingly hardy, they are well suited to both city and country living. The Shih Tzu is an abundantly coated dog with a distinctly Oriental appearance. It is a solid, sound little dog that is rather heavy for its size.
Appearance- Breed Standards:
Coat and Colour: A luxurious long, flowing coat with an undercoat. May be slightly wavy but never curly. The coat may be parted from the root of the tail to the back of the skull. The hair on the head may be tied up to form a topknot. A bow or ribbon to be optional. Coat may be trimmed so as not to interfere with the movement of the dog. All colours are acceptable providing they have black noses, lips and eye rims. The exceptions are the livers and blues, which have pigmentation that compliments that particular colour.
Head: Skull round, broad and wide between the eyes with a definite stop. The muzzle is short, square and about one-fifth of the total length of the skull. The muzzle is approximately 1 inch (2 ½ cm) from the stop to the tip of the nose. The upward sweep of the front part of the muzzle should place the nose level with the bottom of the eye. The placement of the muzzle is directly responsible for the nose placement. The nose leather should be broad and the nostrils well open. Eyes should be large, dark and round, except in livers and blues where the light colour is permissible. The eyes should be well set in the skull and the expression should be warm and irresistible. Ear leathers drooping, set just below the crown of the head and so heavily coated that they appear to blend with hair of the neck. Mouth is slightly undershot or level, the bottom jaw is wide and strong. Teeth should not be visible when the mouth is closed.
Neck: The neck must be in balance with the body length and must also complement the high tail set and carriage.
Forequarters: Shoulders well developed, muscular and well set to allow freedom of movement. The upper arm well laid back thus allowing for the desired width and dept forming a good fore chest. The legs straight, well boned, set well under the body and fitting closely to the chest. Feet moderate size and well padded.
Body: This is not a square dog. The length of the back from the withers to the tail set to be slightly longer than the height from the withers to the ground. Taking into consideration the fore chest as well as the area behind the tail, the Shih Tzu should appear rectangular in outline. The body should be deep, sturdy and well coupled with a good spring of rib. There should be little or no tuck up of the underline. A good fore chest is essential to both the movement and balance of the Shih Tzu. The topline should be level both standing and moving.
Hindquarters: Strong, muscled, well angulated and in balance with forequarters. Hocks short, sturdy and turning neither in nor out. Feet moderate size and well padded.
Tail: Well feathered, set high and carried gaily over the back in a loose curve with the tip just touching the back.
Gait: Should be smooth and flowing with the head and tail held high. Extension both front and rear. Front legs should move out of the coat in a straight line, feet turning neither in nor out. Rear legs show strong rear action displaying full pads on the move. The Shih Tzu has a distinct swagger when on the move that is enhanced by his air of importance.
Faults:
Temperament- Any deviation from the above-mentioned temperament to be considered very undesirable.
Size- lack of proper bone and substance.
Coat and Colour - Excessive trimming, sparse or wooly coats, missing pigmentation.
Head- Narrow head, lack of stop, pink on nose or eye rims, small or light-coloured eyes, eye white showing, missing canines or incisors, lack of strength of under jaw, pinched nostrils, wry mouths, tongue showing when the mouth is closed, wrinkles like a Peke.
Neck- Too short in that it does not complement the carriage and outline of the Shih Tzu.
Forequarters- Excessive legginess and crooked legs.
Body- Lack of fore chest, narrow, weedy bodies with no bone and substance, high in rear standing or moving. Shih Tzu not adhering to the correct rectangular outline.
Hindquarters - Slipping stifles and luxating hocks, cow hocks.
Tail- Tails flat on back, pig tails, tails not carried gaily or happily, tails carried sickle like without tip touching back.
Gait- Lack of reach and drive, bouncing gait, inability to move with tail or head held high.
Disqualifications:
Scissors or overshot bites, one or two blue eyes.
Size:
The Shih Tzu is not a Toy dog. This is a smaller type of dog with good bone and substance. Height at withers approximately 9 to 10 ½ inches (23-27 cm). Breed type and balance always to be main consideration.
Temperament:
Shih Tzu are distinctly arrogant with a character all their own. They are exceptionally good-natured, affectionate and intelligent. They are full of life and have an air of importance that cannot be denied.
Health:
Shih Tzu have several serious health problems. The most common are eye ulcers, knee dislocation, bleeding disorders, heart strokes, kidney disorders and high susceptibility to colds.
Average Lifespan:
9-15 years
History:
The ancestry of the Shih Tzu is rather obscure, but it is probable that the breed is primarily of Tibetan origin. The history of the Tibetan “Lion Dogs” is interwoven with the tenets of Buddhism, which originated in India. The lion was closely associated with Buddhism, but the lion was not indigenous to China, so the Chinese and the Tibetan lamas bred their toy dogs to resemble lions. The Shih Tzu (whose name means “lion”) is reputed to have been the oldest and smallest variety of the Tibetan “holy dogs” and bears some similarity to other Tibetan breeds. For much of the long and illustrious history of China, the breeding of the small “Lion Dog” was a favorite pastime of succeeding imperial rulers.
Prior to A.D. 624, documents show that small dogs were exported from Malta, Turkey, Greece, and Persia as gifts to the ruling Chinese emperors. It is likely that the first small Tibetan Lion Dogs from which the Shih Tzu is probably descended came to China during the Qing (Ch’ing) Dynasty (1644-62) as tributes from the Grand Lamas to the Chinese Imperial Court, and that the Chinese interbred these Tibetan dogs with the early western imports and with the Pug and the Pekingese.
The existence of the Shih Tzu as we know it today is owed to the Dowager Empress Cixi (T’zu Hsi), whose kennel of Pugs, Pekingese, and Shih Tzu was world renowned. Although she carefully supervised the kennel during her lifetime and attempted to keep the three imperial breeds separate, the actual breeding was carried out by palace eunuchs who secretly crossed the breeds to reduce size and produce unusual and desirable markings. After her death in 1908, the kennels were dispersed and palace breeding became haphazard. Some breeding was still practiced by private individuals and specimens were exhibited, but the dogs were almost impossible to acquire. So far as is known, the breed became extinct in China after the Communist revolution.
Seven dogs and seven bitches comprise the gene pool of all existing Shih Tzu. These fourteen include the Pekingese dog used in an admitted cross in England in 1952--a cross which caused considerable trouble, as it was done by a newcomer to the breed and reported after the fact. The other foundation dogs included three Shih Tzu imported from China that became the foundation of the Taishan kennel of Lady Brownrigg in England and eight additional imports to England between 1933 and 1959. Three other Shih Tzu were imported into Norway from China in 1932 by Mrs. Henrick Kauffman, including a bitch that was the only Shih Tzu bred in the Imperial Palace to reach the Western world.
Sources:
Canadian Shih Tzu Club (Breed Standard)
Go Pets America
American Shih Tzu Club (Breed History)
Pictures:
Photobucket