Shih Tzu

Life Span - 11 to 12 years

Getting a puppy home - Expensive

Availability - Rare

About Shih Tzu :
With their beautiful flowing hair and upturned nose, Shih Tzus wear the air of snobbish royalty. Reality, however, is far from appearance: Chinese lion dog are amongst the most affectionate, playful, devoted dogs that ever existed. Even the most sceptical canine observer cannot ignore this breed’s charms for long.
They love nothing more than to adore their family and make new friends wherever they go. They also easily adapt to most places, being equally comfortable in a small apartment and a big house with a yard. While originally bred to be companion animals to Chinese royalty, Shih Tzus quickly won the hearts of everyone they met and today, continue to be amongst the most popular breeds for families.

Visits to Groomer - High
Drooling - No
Bath - Regular
Tolerance to heat - Get a heatstroke
Tolerance to cold - Loves snow
Exercise Requirement - Lots

Under Coat - Yes
Colour - Fawn/Mix
Coat Type - Long
Hair Length - Flowing
Hair Density - Dense

Shih Tzus are generally a healthy breed but you have to remember when getting a puppy home that almost all breeds are prone to both generic and genetic conditions. Shih Tzus are famously prone to allergies that can be induced by a variety of reasons including food, bedding, shampoos, pollen and mildew. These can be easily treated with the help of medication and dietary changes.

Renal dysplasia
Genetic Disorder
Frequent Urination
Keratitis
Proptosis

Temperament
Shih Tzus are greatly loved for their overall sunny disposition. Bred to be companion animals, they are good-natured, friendly, and highly adaptable. They are very well-suited for apartment living and love to please their human family. Their small size, however, puts them at a disadvantage whilst playing with very young children or much larger dogs, so all play between your Shih Tzu and very little children or several other animals needs to be monitored.

Training & Intelligence
Shih Tzus may be very people-friendly, but training them isn’t a walk in the park. They can be stubborn whilst learning, so be extra patient and innovative with this breed. Shih Tzus are big foodies, so positive reinforcement training methods using food and treats as rewards will work very well. Training needs to be consistent and repetitive, for the Shih Tzu to retain information and slowly learn right from wrong. Shih Tzus also have Small Dog Syndrome, which means they will try to take on dogs much larger than themselves, if they aren’t socialised early in their lives.

Breeding
Litter Size-2 to 4 puppies (approximately)

Complication in Breeding-No
Procreation
Shih Tzus are generally a healthy and there aren’t many complications attached to their breeding. As always, the thing to be most concerned about is having enough families lined up to adopt the puppies, so that they don’t fall into the wrong hands or get ill-treated by careless families. Shih Tzus attain sexual maturity anywhere between six to nine months of age, though they will be too young to breed at this point.
Breeding, if at all, is recommended after the dog reaches two years of age. The average litter size is about two to four puppies. If you’re mating your dogs for the first time, it’s recommended that you take the help of a veterinarian.