The Shih Tzu's coat has two layers: the beautiful, luxurious hair you can see that falls to the ground, and a hidden, second coat called an undercoat. There is a lot of hair around the face of a Shih Tzu, so many people tie it up into a bow to keep it out of the dog's eyes. Shih Tzu look adorable with their pretty bows. This picture shows what a Shih Tzu looks like when he is well-groomed and doesn't have his hair cut. Beautiful, isn't he?

The Shih Tzu is often called "the chrysanthemum-faced dog" because of the funny way his hair grows around his face. (A Chrysanthemum is a flower.)

Fido's Fabulous Dog Facts

Shih Tzu love to play. It doesn't take much coaxing to get them interested in doing fun things. They enjoy games, playing ball and doing tricks. They love doing things with you. Shih Tzu are smart and they have lots of energy, so giving them things to do is a very good thing and will keep your Shih Tzu happy and content, and hopefully out of trouble.

	Spend lots of time with your new pup from an early age so he is comfortable with you. Roll him over, touch his feet, look at his teeth, and brush him gently. This will help him get used to being handled and he will be a better companion when he is older.
Like any puppy, a Shih Tzu must treat be treated carefully and gently. Rough play with a puppy or even a full grown dog can be harmful.

Grooming Your Dog You will need to brush or comb your Shih Tzu every day, or the hair will become tangled and matted. If you can't groom him that often, your family may want to have a professional groomer do it, or even cut his hair shorter so that it's easier to handle. Start practicing when your dog is a puppy so he gets used to being handled.

Know Your Breed The Shih Tzu has a short, somewhat flat face. Because of this some Shih Tzu snore, breathe heavily, snort, or make other weird noises during the day and night. Not all will do that, but you should know that some will make little noises. Some people think the sounds a Shih Tzu makes are cute, but others believe it to be annoying. Would funny noises from your dog bother you?
Special Summer Care Shih Tzu are very sensitive to hot weather. Bring your dog inside during the summer or make sure you give him lots of shade and cool water. Keep an eye on your dog when there are long stretches of hot days. He may need your assistance more than some other breeds of dogs.

Having a small breed of dog is a big responsibility. Because the Shih Tzu are small dogs, they can be injured more easily. They are not delicate because they have strong muscles, but things like falling, being stepped on, or bothered by other, bigger dogs can be a serious situation for a small dog. The owner of a Shih Tzu has to make a commitment to be especially watchful and protective of their dog.

Often, Shih Tzu need the corners of their eyes cleaned with a cloth.
This helps keep the mucous from building up and causing problems with their eyes.

There's a Little Something on Your Face A Shih Tzu's face frequently gets dirty when he eats. That's because his nose is short and his face is close to the food. Have a towel handy so that you can clean his face after he eats or drinks.

Shih Tzu like to be social. That means that they like to spend their time with others, people or dogs. They get very lonely when left alone too much. Dogs that are left alone a lot can become destructive and bark too much. This is called separation anxiety. Try to make sure that your Shih Tzu has lots of company.

"A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog,
when you are just as hungry as the dog." - Jack London

Our Shih Tzu, Casey Ray, is a lot of fun! He likes to play ball,
chase us around and he likes to cuddle and he likes to eat. He chews
a lot and we are teaching him that he can't do that. When we leave
our home he goes in a crate, but when he hears the key to the door,
he starts barking and shaking. So we go in and take him outside for
a while to exercise. Our mom and dad like to play with him also. He is
with our mom most of the day when we are at school, so she plays with
him a lot. And our dad takes care of him a lot, too. We love our Casey Ray!!!
Noah, Ruben, & Jaime, ages 9,6,2, Texas USA

Pixie is my two year old Shih Tzu. She's cute and funny.
Lola is fifteen, but still active. Sylvia, age 8, New Jersey USA

Our Shih Tzu, Casey Ray, is a lot of fun! He likes to play ball,
chase us around, and he likes to cuddle and he likes to eat. He chews
a lot and we are teaching him that he can't do that. When we leave
our home he goes in a crate, but when he hears the key to the door,
he starts barking and shaking. So we go in and take him outside
for a while to exercise. Our mom and dad like to play with him also.
He is with our mom most of the day when we are at school, so she
plays with him a lot. And our dad takes care of him a lot too. We love
our Casey Ray!!! Noah, Ruben, & Jaime, age 9,6,2, Texas, USA

Schelsy is my cute little Shih Tzu. She is 3 years old, she loves playing
with me and learning tricks. When I was younger, my dream was to have a dog,
but my house was too little. But when I was ten, my mom and my dad decided
to buy a dog and we searched a lot for the special dog that we wanted, and
this was Schelsy. ^^ I was really alone when I was younger and Schelsy
helped me to meet new people and have new friends at school, and now I
have a lot of friends! :)Thainara, age 14, Brazil

I have a Shih Tzu named Balti (pretty strange name). His color is
white, black, white and gold - 4 colors, hahahhaa! He is turning three months
this April 3, 2009. Tina, age 13, Philippines

I actually have 3 Shih Tzu so I will tell a little bit about all three
of them. The first one I would like to share is Mazy Mae. She can be wild,
but she is mostly lazy (her nickname is Lazy Mazy!!!) Next I would like to share
some information on Bella. She is soft and cute but she is selfish. She thinks
the whole world will not survive without her. Next, I will tell you about Makea.
She is still a puppy so she is wild. She always wants to play with Mazy, but Mazy
doesn't want to play with her! All of My Shih Tzu are cute funny and adorable!!!
Payton, age 12, Wyoming USA

My Shih Tzu, Charlie, is five months old. He is white with brown on his
back and head. He loves to play and wrestle with our Yorkie! Most of the day he
sleeps spread out on the floor. :) He is a very cute and affectionate dog! I love him!
Johanna, age 13, Iowa USA

Skip the Stories

My dog, Lucky, is wild but he knows pretty and sit now. We are
going to the state dog show this year in Michigan and we are going to win.
Danyel, age 14, Michigan USA

My Shih Tzu is brown and white and her name is Lacey.
Right now she is almost nine months old and is so cute! I have wanted
a dog my whole life and hope to be a vet when I grow up. But before
we went and got Lacey, we kept going to this one pet store that had the
cutest puppies and the sales lady said one day you will come in here
and won't be able to leave without a puppy. Of course you don't believe
people when they say that, but sure enough... one day we went in there
and we found this puppy that was just so adorable! My parents and me
and my siblings wanted her so much and they talked it over and then
my parents said that we didn't have enough money. I was devastated!
I just loved her so much and we weren't going to get her.

I pouted and cried all night because we were so close to getting a dog
and then we didn't. So the next day my mom talked to my dad and
asked him if there was any way of getting the cute little Shih Tzu,
and he said YES! So my mom told me we were getting her in one week
and I was crying tears of JOY! It had to have been the best day of my LIFE!
Anonymous, age 13, Florida USA

She's Black with a white chest. I just got her today. She's so cute
and so outgoing. She's adorable! She couldn't be any cuter and she's only
seven weeks old! Luke, age 13, Canada

Our Shih Tzu is Trixie and she is very funny. She loves to play
and loves to eat everything that doesn't eat her first. She's only one and
a half years old. She also has a husband named Scooter and he is a Beagle.
Aapril 29th of 09 she will be a whole 2 years old, so happy happy birthday Trixie!
Shelby, age 13, Ohio USA

My puppy's name is Gizzmo. He is twelve weeks old and very
friendly. He has a black face and white and brown body. He looks just like
Gizzmo from the movie Gremlins. He is just soooo cute! Suki, Michigan USA

My Shih Tzu's name is Snowy. It is only one year old and it
is a very cutie pie. It has very long ears and is very white. It likes to eat
chicken rice and it loves to walk around the neighbourhood.
We like snowy a lot. Preety, age 15, Penang Malaysia

My Shih Tzu is tan and white. She's three years old and has so
much energy. She gets in trouble, but those puppy eyes are so adorable
and forgiving. I love my Cinnamon. Brandi, age 18, New Orleans USA

My Shih Tzu is a brindle color. Her name is Chanel' and she loves
to play with her toys and me. She is very furry and she hates to take a bath
so when I give her a bath, I throw her favorite toy in the tub and she plays with
it when I'm giving her a bath. And as soon as I get done, I blow dry her off
I give her some cheese for being such a good girl. Gaylan, age 13

My Shih Tzu, Max, is a great dog. He will snuggle with you when
you're sick because he knows that you're not feeling well. Max also is
hilarious when he jumps so high that you can see his face on the other
side of the counter, looking to see what we are eating at the time. Max
is now three and if I had one wish, it would be to let Max die with me.
Taylor, age 13, Missouri USA

I have two Shih Tzu and I used to have three but there's two
I have now that are Lucky And Cloey. Cloey is pregnant and is going to
have a litter. Lucky on the on the other hand, is why we call he Lucky,
is because Lucky one time when we were eating dinner and started
choking so we had to take him to the Vet, and he was passed out. When
we got there it took two weeks till Lucky was back on his feet. But Lucky
still has seizures once in a while, but he was Lucky to still be alive now.
Now Lucky is four years old and he is a champion at the fair and we are going
to take him to state this year because he got first in every competition.
When it's bedtime, Lucky comes to sleep with me and Lucky is never
aggressive to anybody. He is the best dog ever and I would never ask for
another dog like him. Lucky the Best Dog Ever! Danyel, age 14, Michigan USA

My Shih Tzu is cinnamon and white, he is a little over a
year old, and loves to cuddle and play with me or my cat!! :) He also
likes to steal my food or my mom's food....So that means I have to
keep a special eye on him when we eat!! :P I love my puppy.
Oh, and my dog's name is Digby (Digg.bee.). I sometimes call
him Diggy! Marci, age 12, USA

Hi, I am Alex. My Shih Tzu is 8 weeks old and her name
is Momo. She still drinks milk from her mom and she loves to play.
She is black and white and she plays with my three other dogs:
Fergie , Bobo, and Wags. Fergie is a Pug, Bobo is a Lhasa Apso,
and Wags is a Papillon. Love, Alex ( I'm a girl), age 15, Florida USA

Silverman is the name of my Shih Tzu. He loves to run and play
with squeaky toys. He only barks if someone comes to the door or he wants
to eat or go outside. He is 6 years old and black and white. I love him
so much! Chanel, age 11, Maryland USA

I have a girl Shih Tzu name Sophie. She loves to kiss me
on the face and Sophie loves to play. Sophie loves walks too! Sophie
is white. Naomi, age 9, Ontario, Canada

I love my new dog. He is good. He is a lot of fun.
When there are dogs at shows, he barks at them. He is brown,
black, and white. Leasya, age 14, Louisiana USA

My puppy, Max, loves it when I get his towel, wet it,
then put it in the fridge so when I take it out, it's cold and he
chews on it. Jose, age 13, California USA

Shih Tzu's are my favorite kind of dog because they
have big eyes. My dog Penny has the cutest face in the world.
People can't resist it and they love her very much. Her name is
Penny Pooh Lane! Tianna, age 7, Florida USA

Hello there, my name is Taylor and I just got a new
Shih Tzu pup three days ago and he is wonderful, but we still
have some training to do! Oh, and his name is Cosmos. He came
out of a litter of six puppies and he was the last one to come
and he is pretty fat too!!! LOL Your friend, Taylor
Taylor, age 13, Kentucky USA

I have a Shih Tzu named Molly. She is black and
white. She loves to kiss me on my nose and she sleeps
in my bed. Molly is my best friend.
Melanie, age 8, Toronto Canada

My Shih Tzu, Boomer, is a lot of fun. He likes to play
fetch and he eats crumbs on the floor when we eat supper.
When there are dogs on TV, he barks at them!
Boomer is the best! Marcos, age 10, Texas USA

Cody's Tour	Kelly's Tour	Trouper's Tour
Your New Dog	Well-Behaved Dog	Special Topics
A New Dog	Your Best Friend	Too Many Dogs
I'll Love You Forever	Training Basics	Following the Rules
What Dogs Cost	Obedience Lessons	Keeping Safe
What Dogs Need	Behavior Problems	Older Dogs
Puppy Basics	Learning Tricks	Losing Your Dog

Read our Privacy Policy How To Love Your Dog...A Kid's Guide to Dog Care http://www.loveyourdog.com Copyright ©1998 - 2009 by Janet Wall and Rick Wall May be reproduced for individual or classroom use only. Photographs, graphics, and backgrounds may not be reproduced to other websites or for any other purpose.