Shih Tzu ~~ The Lion Dog
Once upon a time, many centuries ago, somewhere in
the mountains of Tibet, a small, playful, fascinating,
adorable dog named Shih Tzu (pronounced Sheed-Zoo)
was born.
Legend traces the origin of the breed to the temples of
Tibet where the little dogs were highly prized as a
treasured companion and regarded as sacred. Pairs of
Shih Tzu were occasionally given to distinguished
visitors as a token of goodwill and good luck.
That is how they came to be established in China.
The Chinese called them Tibetan Shih Tzu Kou or
"Lion Dogs." Shih Tzu means lion and Kou is the
Chinese word for dog. The Chinese often clipped their
Shih Tzu to look like little lions.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) the Shih
Tzu was a cherished pet highly favored by the royal
family. Eunuchs were charged with the duties of
breeding and rearing the beautiful royal pets.
Competition among the eunuchs to gain royal favor
became fierce, as each tried to breed the best, most
lion like specimens.
The Manchu Dynasty extended from 1644-1912.
The Shih Tzu came into its heyday as the pampered
darling of the Chinese Imperial Palaces during the
reign of the last Empress, "Tzu Hsi", who came
into power in 1861 and continued as Empress until
her death in 1908.
Tzu Hsi was the patroness of the Palace Dog
the Shih Tzu. Her chief Eunuch, Li Lien-Yang,
was made responsible for over seeing the breeding
and Shih Tzu selections to be presented to her and
perhaps to become part of her "Shih Tzu entourage."
The Empress insisted that complete pedigrees and
descriptions of physical markings be kept for all
dogs used as breeding stock within the Imperial
household, as well as for all puppies whelped.
Imperial selections of "best specimens of Shih Tzu"
were based on health, temperament, conformation,
and markings. Particolors with perfect facial
marking and perfect saddle were held in high esteem
by the Empress. But solid colors were prized equally
by her.
Tzu Hsi was wise to the laws of color inheritance.
She knew the importance of the darker shades of
brindle and silver and of black in maintaining
pigmentation of eye color and coat color. The Imperial
Shih Tzu flourished and developed in uniformity
under her half century of direction and influence.
Our present day Shih Tzu exemplify the great love
the Dowager Empress, Tzu Hsi, had for the breed.
After the fall of the Manchu Dynasty, Shih Tzu
continued to be bred outside the Imperial Palace by the
Chinese and foreigners. At this time, the various
Tibetan breeds were known collectively as Tibetan or
Lhasa Lion Dogs.
The first Shih Tzu were taken from China to England,
Ireland, and Scandinavia in the late 1920s and early
1930s. Without these early exports, we would have no
Shih Tzu today. The breed is believed to have become
extinct in China after the Communists came into power
in 1949. The Communists considered pet dogs useless
consumers of food and viewed them as a symbol of wealth
and privilege.
The first Shih Tzu were imported to the United
States from England in 1938. All Shih Tzu in the
United States trace their ancestry to the English and
Scandinavian kennels, which were the source of the
first imports.
The original stock imported into America varied in
structure, size, and type. The English imports were
somewhat larger and lower on the leg than the more
refined and small Scandinavian Shih Tzu.
In 1955, Shih Tzu were admitted by the AKC to the
Miscellaneous Class, where they could compete at AKC
licensed shows. Although they could not earn conformation
championship points, they could compete for obedience
titles.
The breed gained in popularity during the 1960's
with many imports from England and Europe.
However, as in England and Europe, due to the war
and rarity of the breed, there were only a little over
300 dogs recorded in 1963.
It was not until 1969 that the Shih Tzu were permitted
to be shown as a separate breed in the Toy Group. The
Shih Tzu was admitted to registration in the American
Kennel Club Stud Book on March 16,1969.
By 1969, some three thousand Shih Tzu had been
registered by the American Shih Tzu Club. Today,
the breed has become so popular that about as many
Shih Tzu are registered with the AKC Club each
month as were registered during the thirty-some
years prior to AKC recognition !
This places the Shih Tzu in the top 25 most popular
breeds according to AKC registrations. However, as
more breeders get involved, there are risks that the
breed will deteriorate as some new breeders try to profit
from the Shih Tzu popularity. It is the individual Shih
Tzu buyer's responsibility to maintain the breed by
rewarding the proper breeder.
We owe much gratitude to the early breeders who
concentrated and helped to preserve the genes of the
early Shih Tzu. Diligent breeding from both the
English and Scandinavian imports helped to stabilize
the different lines and develop what is clearly an
American Shih Tzu.
More Information On The Shih Tzu:
AKC Shih Tzu Breed Standard~
http://www.shihtzu.org/stinfo/astcstand/
Miniature Shih Tzus~about so called
"miniature/Imperial" Shih Tzu~
http://www.shihtzu.org/read/astcart/astcsml/
by Victor Joris~
http://www.shihtzu.org/read/astcart/small_joris/
A Responsible Breeder
http://www.shihtzu.org/stbreed/astcbree/
Pet Shop puppies
http://www.stop-puppy-mills.com/
http://www.shihtzu.org/club/astcresc/
http://www.shihtzu.org/health/astchlth/
http://www.shihtzu.org/read/astcrdgs/
Information Sources:
The Book of the Shih Tzu: Brearley and Easton
The Joy of Owning a Shih Tzu: Seranne Miller
The Complete Shih Tzu: Victor Joris
The Shih Tzu: JoAnn White
Shih Tzu: JoAnn Regelman
Shih Tzu: Robert P. Parker and Gerarda M. Collins
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