Dog: Shih tzu - Characteristics, Personality, History, Healthy, Care, Temperament, Qualities, Dog Breed

Characteristics and personality of the Shih Tzu dog breed

Cheerful and happy, the Shih Tzu tends to need a lot of personal attention. Because he is comfortable with human company, it is easy to spoil him.

Shih Tzu is classified in most countries in the group of toy dogs. Its height ranges from 20 to 30 cm and its weight from 5 to 10 kg.

As in most companion breeds, Shih Tzu mature rapidly, reaching the size of adulthood at about ten months.

It is usually slightly longer than it is tall and has a robust body and a good sized head. The muzzle is fairly short, with a lower under bite. The head is round and the eyes are quite bulging. His tail is gleefully coiled on his back. His steps are long and fast for such a small dog.

The Shih Tzu is covered in lush long straight hair. This double layer requires a lot of maintenance, especially if it is left long. All colors are accepted for hair, although a dark pigment around the eyes and on the nose are preferred. They are usually quite robust puppies that can live up to 14 or 15 years.

Personality

Shih Tzu are famous for their happy and happy temperament, they are playful and friendly, they tend to get along with people of all ages and with other dogs, as well as pets of other species. You will rarely find an unfriendly Shih Tzu, as most are very sweet.

With their short snouts, Shih Tzu is not good biters, although they do enjoy digging and some allow themselves to bark annoyingly. They are moved by an enormous desire to be with humans, whether sitting on your lap or taking a walk in the park.

Coexistence

Shih Tzu can quickly become obese if they receive too many rewards so taking short walks is important to keep them fit. The Shih Tzu participates in agility and behavior competitions with some success. Be careful with exercise in hot and humid weather conditions, since with its short snout it is a breed prone to heat stroke.

Hair is a headache in the case of Shih Tzu. Most owners resort to a short body cut for the whole year, which suits them very well and is very easy to care for. If you want to keep your hair down long, be prepared to spend a lot of time with it. These dogs need weekly oil baths to help keep tangles at bay and daily grooming so foreign objects do not stick to their hair. When the hair has a correct texture it does not tangle as much.

The Shih Tzu tends to need a lot of personal attention every day. They like to share their time with people and it is easy to end up spoiling them. They enjoy training and learning tricks that make them the center of attention. They like to interact with young children, although they like people of all ages. Don't count on your Shih Tzu to watch over the house; it will probably welcome thieves with open legs.

History

The Shih Tzu grew up in Tibet, probably around the 7th century, where they were perhaps simply the smallest Lhasa also in the area. Presented as a gift to Chinese emperors, the breed developed into the dog we know today. Fans speculate on crossbreeds with Pekingese to shorten their faces and to select smaller Lhasa-type dogs. The name Shih Tzu means Leon lion dog ’in Chinese, which further clouds its ancestry, since“lion dog”usually refers to Pekingese.

Chinese royalty kept and bred this breed, and with the arrival of the British they introduced it to England and then went to the United States. Unfortunately, the communist coup d'état in China wiped out most of the original animals with the stroke of a pen.

No one doubts that these charming puppies were used as companion dogs.

Shih Tzu small breed dog

Tips for a healthy life

The Shih Tzu dog, small in size (does not exceed 7.5 kg in weight), with dense, soft and long hair, arises from the crossbreed with the Pekingese dog breed. It is originally from Tibet and, for years, it was considered as a dog of "sacred" breed, which was given as such to emperors in China.

Miniature Schnauzer - Small Breed Dog

It is characterized for being an intelligent and very affectionate dog, although it enjoys an independent and stubborn character that gives it a certain haughty attitude that is reflected in its behavior. For this reason, despite being a fast-learning and easy-to-socialize breed, the Shih Tzu needs dedication and some early obedience guidelines to avoid "going up in smoke."

The Shih Tzu dog is best handled indoors. She loves pampering, care and living with children and other pets. In fact, it is one of the dog breeds that best socializes with cats.

Shih Tzu Dog Care

Despite being a breed that does not usually have an excessive predisposition to suffer serious diseases until reaching old age, the Shih Tzu breed requires essential care to stay healthy.

Among them, it is worth highlighting the main necessary care:

- The Shih Tzu is not a great lover of outdoor exercise. It prefers interaction with its owners in small spaces and a daily frequency of short walks, especially in the seasons when the temperatures are highest.

- As in most small breed dogs, their metabolism is very fast and their stomach is small, making it unable to store food and consequently burning energy at a very high rate. This causes you to eat a small amount of food, but more often. The best option to guarantee that the Shih Tzu dog maintains its sugar levels stable, is to distribute its daily intake in several feedings (2 or 3 in the adult stage), in addition to providing it with a type of food that contains the key nutrients it needs, through a type of kibble that suits the dimensions of your mouth. In addition, in the specific case of this breed, a certain digestive sensitivity is added. In other words, taking good care of your diet is an essential factor to maintain your well-being.

- The characteristics of its coat, together with the condition of its bulging eyes, requires daily brushing and eye cleaning to avoid infections. The Shih Tzu's hair tangles very easily, and his bangs often fall out of his eyes, causing him discomfort. Some homeowners choose to let the bangs grow, comb it daily, and pull it back. Others prefer to go to a dog grooming periodically, in order to control the growth of the bangs. In both cases, daily eye cleaning by the owner continues to be a fundamental task to avoid possible eye pathologies.

- Bathing and nail cutting are two other cares that should be started in the puppy phase of the Shih Tzu. The recommended frequency of bathing is 1 time per month, taking advantage of the occasion to carry out a higher level of brushing and complete subsequent drying. Regarding the nails, since they are indoor dogs that do not usually wear them out through play in spaces set up for dogs, it is advisable to cut them regularly to avoid that they can hurt their owners through contact.

- Finally, it is essential to spend time cleaning your teeth. Small breed dogs are the most exposed to the presence of bacteria in the gums due to plaque accumulation, because they have the same definitive dental structure as other dogs (42 teeth), but their jaw is very small. Consequently, teeth spend much of the time embedded in a herringbone pattern that makes bacteria more likely to accumulate and lead to dental disease.

To prevent it, it is advisable that, starting from the 7th month of life, a daily tooth cleaning is carried out with the help of a brush and toothpaste for dogs. From the year on, this routine can be combined with the supply of a daily dental snack that promotes chewing, and encourages the physical “brushing” of the surface of your teeth, including the teeth at the back of your mouth, which is a hard-to-reach area, where teeth are most vulnerable to plaque and tartar buildup. It is also wise to have your dog's Shih Tzu dental health checked during regular check-up visits.

Shih Tzu - Characteristics, temperament and care

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.

Characteristics of the Shih Tzu dog breed

The Shih Tzu is a small dog with large fur. Even his mustaches and beards are extremely long, giving him a very "shaggy" 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 charming dog, perhaps it has a bit of character but its heart is huge, as is its 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 something disobedient and little 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.

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 it provides 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 to keep their vaccinations up to date, provide them 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 your 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 heat stroke.

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.

Shih tzu photo :