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SHIH TZU |
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Additonal Breeds Starting With Letter:
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Although the Shih Tzu's roots are in Tibet, his perfection occurred in China. If the Lhasa is a mildly dwarfed Tibetan Terrier, the Shih Tzu is a slightly more exaggerated dwarf form of these breeds. The Chinese prized the smaller individuals from the Lhasas sent to China and pre-ferred the very shortened face. Although some writers feel crossing to the Pekingese occurred, simple selection for the most dwarfed forms of the Lhasas could easily have created this charmer. To further link
the two breeds, the Chinese call their version Shih Tzu> which
means lion dog, the same label that the Lhasa dog bears in Tibet. The
scenario can easily be imagined: Tibetans sent pairs of charming smallish
lion dogs to the imperial court of China. The Chinese also called them
lion dogs (in Chinese, of course). Over the centuries the smaller, shorter
legged and shorter faced specimens were selected or crossed with native
toy breeds, and the result evolved into our modern Shih Tzu.
The dogs lived
lives of luxury in the palaces of China, and were bred as loving companions.
After China became a republic in 1912, occa-sional
specimens made their way into Britain. Fortunately, enough were brought
to England and Norway, and later North America, to begin good breeding
programs prior to the Communist takeover when dogs were virtually eliminated
in China.
The British
awarded championship status to the breed in 1949 but it was not recognized
in North America until the 1960s. When allowed to be shown in America
in 1969, one of the specimens exhibited went all the way to Best in
Show the first time he was shown. The breed is well known for its marvelous
movement, with tremendous reach and drive pushing that little body smoothly
ahead like a locomotive. Shih Tzus have enjoyed tremendous success in
show rings all over the world. In Canada, where then-standard allows
for a slightly larger specimen, they are a part of the Non-Sporting
Group. The Shih Tzu is shown in the Toy Group in the United States.
The Shih
Tzu is also being "discovered" as a fine companion dog.
Less suspicious of strangers than his erstwhile cousin, the Lhasa,
he is vivacious and athletic for his small size, and very people-oriented.
Full of confidence and self-importance, his arrogant carriage is described
in the standard. His beautiful, flowing coat does require a fair amount
of grooming to look its best. It is the hair that grows upward from
the short nose that gives the Shih Tzu the "chrysanthemum"
look described by the Orientals. In fact, the original standard issued
by the Peking Kennel Club may have been the most descriptive in dogdom.
Included in the requirements were a "lion head, bear torso, camel
hoof, feather-duster tail, palm-leaf ear, rice teeth, pearly petal
tongue and movement like a goldfish." Shih Tzus consider themselves
extremely dignified, yet can be charming clowns.
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