The Shih Tzu is native to China, where it has been and continues to be respected as one of the most important dogs in its history. Its name means “lion-dog”, it is said to descend from the Ihassa apso and the Pekingese. It has always enjoyed the company of nobles and emperors, it is a highly valued breed of dog.
Its history begins in the 17th century, under the T’sing Manchu dynasty. Legend has it that the Dalai Lama himself, eager to please the Chinese emperor, gave him several copies of Shih Tzu to guard the temples. This little “Lion-Dog” is supposed to be sacred and as such should live in palaces. Impressive, right? Let’s see more details about this beautiful breed of small, elegant and stately dog.
Index of contents
- 1 Characteristics of the Shih Tzu dog breed
- 2 Qualities and character of the Shih Tzu
- 3 Tips for taking good care of a Shih Tzu breed dog
Characteristics of the Shih Tzu dog breed
The Shih Tzu is a small dog with large fur. Even his whiskers and beards are extremely long, giving him a very “hairy” look, something that is highly appreciated by people bent on styling their pets. Its size is not more than twenty-seven centimeters and its weight is around six kilos, sometimes some more or less depending on your sex and care.
His gaze is very peculiar, tender and somewhat melancholic, his bright dark eyes make a certain resemblance to a chrysanthemum. Despite the impression it may give us, it is a very determined dog, an authentic lion if necessary.
Currently, it is a very common dog among high society characters, many famous actors and public figures of interest have some specimen of this breed of dog, so characteristic. The Shih Tzu is a lovely dog, perhaps it has a bit of character but his heart is huge, like his personality.
Qualities and character of the Shih Tzu
Among his qualities stands out his intelligence, his kindness and tenderness, his independence and security, as well as his great cunning. As against, it is disobedient and not very docile.
Although he is very affectionate and grateful, it is possible that we detect in the certain airs of independence, as if he had a somewhat distant relationship with his owners, but it is only appearance … in fact he is very sociable and friendly.
With the smallest of the house (children) it is a charm, although it should not be neglected, since its large fur is too succulent an attraction for children and could make them angry.
As we always recommend, small children with dogs should never be left alone, just for safety.
It is an excellent dog to have both on a flat and in a large garden, it likes to go for a walk and play with other dogs, sport is not its strong suit but it will never hurt to run a little with its owner, although always when temperatures allow it, let’s not forget that his coat is very abundant and therefore gives you excessive heat in the hottest months.
Tips for taking good care of a Shih Tzu breed dog
In addition to the recommended care for any dog how keep your vaccinations up to date, provide you with a healthy and balanced diet and get some exercise …
We want to highlight the following personalized care for this breed:
- It requires special and intense care, its large amount of hair requires great care and daily brushing.
- A bath every fortnight will be very useful, to remove the knots and clean her hair.
- Playing with other dogs on a daily basis will do him good to exercise, he is also very sociable.
- Avoid walking when the sun is strong, or you could suffer a heatstroke.
As its size is small, the cost to maintain it is also small, so do not hesitate to feed it with high quality feed, or better yet, natural food.