Breed · Dog

Shih Tzu

Tibetan-Chinese palace companion, bred to sit on silk and be admired, and still absolutely certain that is the arrangement.

The Shih Tzu is the companion brief executed almost perfectly: small but sturdy, friendly rather than fragile in temperament, genuinely good with polite children, and content with modest walks and maximum proximity. The work is the coat — hair, not fur, growing constantly, matting cheerfully — and the face, which is short enough that heat, eyes and dental crowding all belong on the owner’s checklist. Kept clipped and chosen from a breeder who cares about nostrils as much as noses, it is one of the easiest companion dogs to actually live with.

At a glance

Lifespan: 12–16 years
Adult weight: 4.5–8 kg
Daily exercise: 30–45 min
Trainability: Moderate; charming procrastinator
Alone time tolerated: Moderate
Shedding: Minimal shed, constant growth
Noise level: Low to moderate
With children: Good with gentle children
With other pets: Very good

Colours · 4 listed

Every colour and mix is allowed and none of them changes the dog. Pet clips are sensible; the floor-length show coat is a devotional practice.

Gold & white
Black & white
Brindle
Solid gold

Right for you if

You want an affectionate small companion that is not neurotic about strangers.
Daily brushing or a standing clip appointment is a settled routine.
Walks are pleasant rather than epic, and mostly out of the heat.
An older household, or one with considerate children.

Wrong for you if

Grooming is the chore you already know you will skip.
You want a jogging partner or a farm dog in a small package — that is a terrier, not this.
Hot outdoor summers with no cool retreat.
You need fast recall and instant obedience; the palace staff never required it.

What to ask a breeder

The UK Kennel Club lists eye testing as good practice for the breed, and from January 2027 formally adds breathing assessment under its Respiratory Function Grading scheme — the same scheme used for Pugs and Bulldogs, which tells you what the regulator thinks of where this face is heading.¹
Look at nostrils — the parents’ and the puppy’s. Open and round is what you want to see; pinched slits are the shortcut this breed’s face can take, and you are allowed to choose against it.
Ask at what age the breeder’s dogs typically need dental work and what they do about crowded mouths — an honest dental answer is a good proxy for honest everything else.

Sources

Shih Tzu — breed health and pre-breeding screening. The Royal Kennel Club 2026. Accessed 2026-09-04. United Kingdom The Royal Kennel Club The UK Kennel Club's published screening lists for the breed: good practice is eye testing; best practice adds breathing testing under the KC Respiratory Function Grading scheme, which the page notes joins the Health Standard formally from January 2027.

Every source here was checked, not recalled. Where this page makes a health statement and no source appears against it, that is not an oversight we have hidden — it means the claim is not yet sourced, and the build reports how many are in that state.

Availability, registration and keeping requirements differ from place to place. Check the rules where you live before you commit to any animal — we describe animals, not law.