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AKC SHIHTZU STANDARDS
COPIED
FROM
THE AKC WEBSITE
Below are facts, and not opinions. However, due to the high amount of phone calls and emails I receive about sick shihtzus that have been made to be smaller with a huge price tag, I want to warn you......please do NOT purchase anything called small, tiny, imperial, chinese imperial, toy, minature or a trinket as these are names given by unethical breeders who have downsized this breed and brought many health issues into the wonderful shihtzu bloodlines. Call your vet, they can tell you. Call AKC, they will also tell you. The phone calls I receive are heartbreaking to say the least. These breeders charge a high amount only to have the pups get sick soon after they are released by the breeder. If you want loving and healthy stay away from such breeders, you will be heartbroken if you purchase anything other than AKC standards!
Shih Tzu Breed Standard
Toy Group
General Appearance
The Shih Tzu is a sturdy, lively, alert toy dog with long flowing double coat. Befitting his noble Chinese ancestry as a highly valued, prized companion and palace pet, the Shih Tzu is proud of bearing, has a distinctively arrogant carriage with head well up and tail curved over the back. Although there has always been considerable size variation, the Shih Tzu must be compact, solid, carrying good weight and substance.
Even though a toy dog, the Shih Tzu must be subject to the same requirements of soundness and structure prescribed for all breeds, and any deviation from the ideal described in the standard should be penalized to the extent of the deviation. Structural faults common to all breeds are as undesirable in the Shih Tzu as in any other breed, regardless of whether or not such faults are specifically mentioned in the standard.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Size - Ideally, height at withers is 9 to 10½ inches; but, not less than 8 inches nor more than 11 inches. Ideally, weight of mature dogs, 9 to 16 pounds. Proportion - Length between withers and root of tail is slightly longer than height at withers. The Shih Tzu must never be so high stationed as to appear leggy, nor so low stationed as to appear dumpy or squatty. Substance - Regardless of size, the Shih Tzu is always compact, solid and carries good weight and substance.
Head
Head - Round, broad, wide between eyes, its size in balance with the overall size of dog being neither too large nor too small. Fault: Narrow head, close-set eyes. Expression - Warm, sweet, wide-eyed, friendly and trusting. An overall well-balanced and pleasant expression supersedes the importance of individual parts. Care should be taken to look and examine well beyond the hair to determine if what is seen is the actual head and expression rather than an image created by grooming technique. Eyes - Large, round, not prominent, placed well apart, looking straight ahead. Very dark. Lighter on liver pigmented dogs and blue pigmented dogs. Fault: Small, close-set or light eyes; excessive eye white. Ears - Large, set slightly below crown of skull; heavily coated. Skull - Domed. Stop - There is a definite stop. Muzzle - Square, short, unwrinkled, with good cushioning, set no lower than bottom eye rim; never downturned. Ideally, no longer than 1 inch from tip of nose to stop, although length may vary slightly in relation to overall size of dog. Front of muzzle should be flat; lower lip and chin not protruding and definitely never receding. Fault: Snipiness, lack of definite stop. Nose - Nostrils are broad, wide, and open. Pigmentation - Nose, lips, eye rims are black on all colors, except liver on liver pigmented dogs and blue on blue pigmented dogs. Fault: Pink on nose, lips, or eye rims. Bite - Undershot. Jaw is broad and wide. A missing tooth or slightly misaligned teeth should not be too severely penalized. Teeth and tongue should not show when mouth is closed. Fault: Overshot bite.
Neck, Topline, Body
Of utmost importance is an overall well-balanced dog with no exaggerated features. Neck - Well set-on flowing smoothly into shoulders; of sufficient length to permit natural high head carriage and in balance with height and length of dog. Topline - Level. Body -Short-coupled and sturdy with no waist or tuck-up. The Shih Tzu is slightly longer than tall. Fault: Legginess. Chest -Broad and deep with good spring-of-rib, however, not barrel-chested. Depth of ribcage should extend to just below elbow. Distance from elbow to withers is a little greater than from elbow to ground. Croup - Flat. Tail - Set on high, heavily plumed, carried in curve well over back. Too loose, too tight, too flat, or too low set a tail is undesirable and should be penalized to extent of deviation.
Forequarters
Shoulders - Well-angulated, well laid-back, well laid-in, fitting smoothly into body. Legs - Straight, well-boned, muscular, set well-apart and under chest, with elbows set close to body. Pasterns - Strong, perpendicular. Dewclaws - May be removed. Feet - Firm, well-padded, point straight ahead.
Hindquarters
Angulation of hindquarters should be in balance with forequarters. Legs - Well-boned, muscular, and straight when viewed from rear with well-bent stifles, not close set but in line with forequarters. Hocks - Well let down, perpendicular. Fault: Hyperextension of hocks. Dewclaws - May be removed. Feet - Firm, well-padded, point straight ahead.
Coat
Coat - Luxurious, double-coated, dense, long, and flowing. Slight wave permissible. Hair on top of head is tied up. Fault: Sparse coat, single coat, curly coat. Trimming - Feet, bottom of coat, and anus may be done for neatness and to facilitate movement. Fault: Excessive trimming.
Color and Markings
All are permissible and to be considered equally.
Gait
The Shih Tzu moves straight and must be shown at its own natural speed, neither raced nor strung-up, to evaluate its smooth, flowing, effortless movement with good front reach and equally strong rear drive, level topline, naturally high head carriage, and tail carried in gentle curve over back.
Temperament
As the sole purpose of the Shih Tzu is that of a companion and house pet, it is essential that its temperament be outgoing, happy, affectionate, friendly and trusting towards all.
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Below in red was sent to me by a very sweet and ethical breeder....THIS is something for you to think about before you purchase one of those tiny shihtzus....
Breeding dogs, as you know, is a lot more than just putting a female in estrus with a male and letting nature take its course. Shih Tzus are not naturally tiny. The gene that makes a dog tiny has been identified. It is LGF-1. Shih Tzus do not carry this gene!!!! Once the AKC recognized the Shih Tzu as a breed the gene pool was closed. The only way to get this LGF-1 into the gene pool would be to cross them with something such as a Chihuahua. As you know, they were crossed with the Pekinese in the 1950s to increase the gene pool, but that was before they were recognized by the AKC. If a Shih Tzu is tiny it is by accident. It cannot be guaranteed to produce tiny offspring.
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Reading material about the imperial shihtzu
article taken from shihtzu.org
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The Myth about Imperial or Tiny Teacup Shih Tzu
The words “imperial” and “tiny teacup” have been used interchangeably when describing undersized Shih Tzu. This is not what the American Shih Tzu Club (ASTC) and the American Kennel Club (AKC) recommend and accept as good breed representation. The terms “imperial’ or ‘tiny teacup’ should be regarded as ....A MYTH.
Maybe you read an ad in your local newspaper, searched the Internet, or know of someone who acquired a Shih Tzu using these words to describe how unusual and special (and even more expensive?) their dog may be. The official breed standard for the Shih Tzu calls for a weight range of 9-16 pounds. Why would anyone want to steer away from the weight called for in the AKC. approved breed standard or to call the breed by anything but its AKC. recognized name? Could it be a fad they have created in order to obtain a higher price? These particular breeders have deliberately downsized an already designated toy breed. By doing this, they risk the overall health and wonderful distinguishing characteristics of our breed.
Many of these less reputable breeders claim that their Shih Tzu possess the ‘imperial’ gene. There is no proof that such a gene exists. Size reduction occures by breeding the smallest dog in a litter to another small dog of another litter, and son on and so forth. This not only creates an abnormally small Shih Tzu, but also puppies that may have health problems. This is not indicative of an ‘imperial gene’ but rather of poor breeding practices.
A responsible breeder does not advertise an occasional ‘runt’ as an ‘imperial’ or ‘tiny teacup’ Shih Tzu. Rather, it is sold as a pet, solely as a companion dog that is not used for breeding. Responsible breeders strive to breed healthy dogs that conform to the breed standard. The ideal Shih Tzu is a sturdy, active, healthy dog with good substance for its size. Those desiring a very tiny pet should choose another breed rather than destroying the very characteristics that make the Shih Tzu such an idea companion.
There is no such thing as an AKC Imperial or Tiny Teacup Shih Tzu. Any registry other than the American Kennel Club is not recognized by the American Shih Tzu Club. Breeders using alternative registries may have lost their AKC registration and breeding privileges for various reasons.
We would like to caution everyone reading ads, searching the Internet or who has heard the description of Shih Tzu as “imperial” or “tiny teacup” to conduct further research before making a purchase.
This American Shih Tzu Club website (http://www.shihtzu.org) is a good place to begin or continue your research on our breed. There also are many good books about dog breeds, care and training to be found in most public libraries. Especially recommended is the AKC’s “The Complete Dog Book” which has a chapter on every recognized breed of dog.
NOTE: Chinese Imperials or Imps as they call them is another name used for these dogs along with Trinkets, Tinies, and Teacups. These are names given to a very unhealthy downsized shihtzu which is not a true shihtzu.
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Below was taken from the Detroit Free Press.
