All About the SHIH TZU - Traits and History!

The history of the Shih Tzu shares many aspects with that of the Pekingese, just like that breed the Shih Tzu was first bred in Buddhist monasteries where it was considered a sacred dog and a companion for Chinese novelty, Its small size, sweet appearance, and great intelligence., have made the Shih Tzu one of the most popular dog breeds in the world.

The main traits of the Shih Tzu breeds are its long thick coat, and its charming expression, which makes it easy to confuse with a Lhasa Apso. Shih Tzu's are also recognizable by their wide rounded head covered by shaggy hair over their eyes and muzzle that looks like a beard and thick moustache, as a fun-packed.

You should know that the hair on their nose grows upwards giving their face a chrysanthemum shape the Shih Tzu has a wide set of large round and dark eyes with a loving expression, their ears are also large drooping and covered in thick hair, their tail is covered by feathery fur, and it curls over their back, their coat is long with black to wavy hair.

It's very thick with a good undercoat. According to official breed standards.

Shih Tzu's can be of any solid color or color combination; this breed is characterized by its intelligence and sociable, cheerful temperaments. Shih Tzu love being with people, and they're always ready to play and show their affection; this is why this breed is easier to socialize than others as Shih Tzu's are friendly by nature.

However it's still important to start the socialization process at the puppy stage if you want your Shih Tzu to get along with other dogs and animals, Shih Tzu's are the perfect choice for people who can spend time with them since this breed doesn't tolerate spending many hours home alone, they get along with children as long as they don't hurt them.

The coat of this Shih Tzu tends to get tangled so it will be necessary to brush and comb your dog daily although you can choose the kind of haircut you prefer, It's strongly recommended to keep the hair over the eyes short to help them see this dog breed needs quite a lot of exercise to stay in its proper range and cover their playtime.

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However, you need to take into account the Shih Tzu size and plan the intensity of the walks accordingly, Shih Tzu's need lots of company, so they're not the kind of dog to live in a garden or backyard they need to enjoy surrounded by the human family inside the home.

Shih Tzu's learn quickly and willingly, and it will be easy to teach them lots of different things, to get a Shih Tzu to learn basic orders and tricks it will be very important to use positive reinforcement and plan short, but fun training sessions if they have been properly socialized. Shih Tzu's don't show any behavioural issues.

However, if they're on their own for hours, they can bark, become destructive and even develop separation anxiety, this breed doesn't have any alarming rates of common canine diseases.

Shih Tzu's tend to suffer from contortion, progressive retinal atrophy, hip dysplasia and ear or eye infections, to prevent them and to enjoy the company of a healthy and happy dog; it will be necessary to keep their vaccination and deworming schedule up to date as well as getting regular veterinary checkups the Shih Tzu's life span is of about 16 years.