The Truth About Show Quality and Pet Quality Shih Tzu... REVEALED (From a Breeder's Point of View)

I often hear these questions from my buyers: "Is this Shih Tzu puppy a show-quality or a pet-quality?" or "How many red marks does the puppy have?". I also keep on seeing ads that say "Show-quality Shih Tzu for sale". Moreover, most buyers prefer pet-quality shih tzu because they are cheaper than the show-quality ones.

So, what really differentiates a pet-quality shih tzu puppy from a show-quality shih-tzu puppy?

Honestly, it is hard to tell right away that a puppy is a show-quality since there are plenty of changes that happen during their growth period. However, experienced breeders have already developed an eye for "show-potential" puppies. Show-potentials puppies are the ones that possess desirable traits while young. Some show-potential puppies grow into show-quality adults, but some also ends up as pet-quality. It all depends how the puppy will turn out to be as an adult. A show quality dog is composed of conformation, attitude and proper care. Show-quality dogs have many red-marks, but not all Shih Tzu with many red marks are show-quality.

CONFORMATION

The Shih Tzu breed standard serves as a guide on what a Shih Tzu should be like--it is the perfect Shih Tzu dog in words. It describes the structure, the proportion, the movement and the over-all look of the Shih Tzu. A deviation from the breed standard is considered a fault, which can either be a minor fault or a major fault depending on the degree. A minor fault can be acceptable, while a major fault can disqualify a dog inside the ring. There is no perfect Shih Tzu dog in the history of the breed, yet it is the goal of a show breeder to strive to produce a close-to-perfect Shih Tzu, that is why a show-quality Shih Tzu may or can have a very few minor faults (acceptable faults).

Each breeder has his or her version of the perfect Shih Tzu picture in mind and their personal preferences also affect their judgment and evaluation of the dog. What is a show-quality to one may not be a show-quality to another--it depends on what a breeder value in a dog. Some breeders prefer the Shih Tzu with large head and will place those with smaller heads as pets. Other breeders give importance to the body structure while others favor shih tzu with warm facial expression. It really is, "the perfect Shih Tzu" in the eye of the breeder... :)

ATTITUDE

Aside from the conformation, attitude plays a vital role in evaluation. The attitude is composed of temperament, confidence and the ability to be trained. Dogs are like people, they have varied and unique personalities. The show-quality shih tzu has a good temperament, does not bite or is not aggressive towards humans and other dogs, full of confidence and eager to learn, and not hard to train. If a conforming show-potential Shih Tzu manifests a negative attitude then they become pet-quality dogs. You don't want to show a Shih Tzu that does not perform well inside the ring.

CARE

Show-quality Shih Tzu are given extra care and require more grooming rituals. A show-potential puppy whose baby teeth have been overlooked and failed to fall off might affect the outgrowth of its new and permanent set of teeth, which might also affect the bite. Incorrect bite or poor dental health are faults that might affect the quality of the Shih Tzu. Accidents or illnesses may happen which may require the dog to be cut-down or shaved, break a bone, etc. which may prevent a show-quality Shih Tzu to be campaigned. The coat obviously will grow in time; however, broken bones might affect the performance of the dog in the ring.

THE PET-QUALITY:

Pet-quality Shih Tzu are usually those that have major faults or attitude issues which prevent them from being shown. They should never be bred as they might pass those undesirable traits to the future puppies. If a Shih Tzu puppy or a dog has more bad qualities than good qualities (again, depending on the breeder's evaluation) then it will be considered as pet-quality.

WHICH IS BETTER THEN?

It depends on your intention or plans for your Shih Tzu or your future Shih Tzu, are you showing or breeding or just spoil like a baby? Whether for show or not, the important thing is to love your dog. They all deserved to be treated equally and loved the same. So don't be disappointed if you have a pet-quality Shih Tzu as it doesn't mean that your dog is ugly and must be loved less. They just can't be shown and bred.

Labeling the shih tzu puppy as show-quality should not be based on the number of red marks the puppy has. Having a high number of red marks does not mean that it is already show-quality. Show dogs also produce puppies that are of pet-quality. So do not focus too much on the number of red marks the next time you are going to buy a shih tzu puppy. Red marks do not guarantee that your dog will be of show-quality.

Keep in mind, "A show dog can be a great pet dog, but a pet dog will never be a show dog." So buyers beware!

If you want me to discuss something that is not yet available in Totally Shih Tzu, just send me an email at supernesskennel@yahoo.com.

AKC Shih Tzu Breed Standard

Are you planning to buy a Shih Tzu puppy but don't know what to look for in a Shih Tzu? This article is all about the breed standard for a Shih Tzu. So if you don’t have any idea on what a Shih Tzu should look like, this might help you.

The AKC Shih Tzu Breed Standard was approved on May 9, 1989 and took effect on June 29, 1989. The following breed standard can be found at this link: http://www.shihtzu.org/Info/standard.asp?menu=Info but I will post it here for easy viewing:

AKC Shih Tzu Breed Standard

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: 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 is 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: 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: 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.

This guidelines is basically for show people. But if you are thinking for a pet then any Shih Tzu will do good. Just buy from a reputable Shih Tzu breeder. Pets from reputable breeders are those that come from a Shih Tzu that conforms to the breed standard. It just so happened that the Shih Tzu has a disqualifying fault that prevents the breeder from showing the dog. Unlike those from backyard breeders that breed a pet quality to another pet quality Shih Tzu which I will discuss in my next article.

I hope you enjoy reading this article. Thank you for visiting Totally Shih Tzu.

History and Foundations of Shih Tzu

Since this is my first official post here in Totally Shih Tzu, let’s start my blog about the early development of Shih Tzu. Oh, before anything else, I would like you to know that the plural term for Shih Tzu is still Shih Tzu – not Shih Tzus.

“Lion dog” is the Chinese translation for Shih Tzu. It is also tagged as “chrysanthemum-faced dog” because of its chrysanthemum-like face. Many believed that Shih Tzu originated from Tibet. These dogs were exported as gifts to Chinese emperors. They were given by Grand Lamas as tributes to the Chinese Imperial Court. It was the eunuchs of the Dowager Empress Cixi who started selling some of the palace’s dog to wealthy Chinese and people from other countries. It was believed that these dogs were fed with broken glass to prevent the dogs from going out of the Imperial Palace. Due to the broken glass, these dogs died before reaching their destinations. Cixi’s death in 1908 ended an era for the Shih Tzu. But some private individuals were still breeding the said dog.

As of today, the origin of Shih Tzu can only be traced to seven dogs and seven bitches in which a Pekingese dog, Philadelphus Suti-T’su, was included. Philahelphus Suti-T’su was a black and white purebred Pekingese dog brought into England by Miss Elfreda Evans of Elfann Kennel in 1952. She mated the dog with a Shih Tzu bitch. During that time, only the fourth generation from this outcross can be registered as purebred.

Other foundation dogs consist of three Shih Tzu that were imported from China to England, six imported to Great Britain and three into Norway. Gen. Sir Douglas and Lady Brownrigg brought to England a black and white bitch (Shu-ssa) and dog (Hibou) in 1930. It was also during that same year when Ms. E.M. Hutchins imported a black and white dog (Lung-fu-ssu) to Ireland. While Mrs. Henrik Kauffman imported Aidzo, a black and white dog, into Norway in 1932. She also imported Leidza, a solid gold bitch, which was the only Shih Tzu from the Imperial Palace known to have contributed to today’s Shih Tzu. Another black and white bitch that was imported by Mrs. Kaufmann was Schauder. Walter Ekman, known as the first breeder of Shih Tzu in Sweden, imported a Shih Tzu (name unknown) in 1934. A liver bitch (Tashi of Chouette) was imported in 1938 from Canada into England by Rt. Hon. The Earl of Essex. Lt. Gen. Telfer-Smollett, Lord of Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire, imported Ming, a black and white bitch, from China into England. He also imported Ishuh Tzu, a gray brindle and white bitch, in 1948. A solid gold or fawn dog named Wuffles was brought into England in 1948 by Mr. and Mrs. Fraser Buchanan. Mai-ting, a black and white bitch, was brought into England in 1949 by Mr. and Mrs. Rowland Morris. In 1952, Mr. R.P. Dobson brought His-li-ya, a yellow and white bitch, from Hongkong into England.

Thank you so much to the fourteen foundations of Shih Tzu that are said to have contributed to the early development of Shih Tzu. Without them, we will never have this lovable breed which brings joy to our lives.

I hope you liked my first post about Shih Tzu. Do visit Totally Shih Tzu again.

Blogs All About Shih Tzu

Welcome to Totally Shih Tzu.

This site is dedicated to all shih tzu lovers. All articles will be totally about shih tzu. Here you will learn the basics in owning a shih tzu. Tips and advices will be provided for new shih tzu owners.

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