GENERAL APPEARANCE
Shoulder height: Not to exceed 26.7cm (10½”). 
Colour: Whole or parti-colours - white blaze and tail tip is desirable on parti-colours.
Coat: Outercoat - long and dense, straight or slightly wavy.
Soft undercoat. Topknot is tied in a bow.
Gait: Free flowing with a proud head carriage and hind legs showing the hind pads from the rear.
Abundantly coated, the Shih Tzu always attracts attention with it’s proud arrogant carriage. The broad round skull has a distinct stop and the square muzzle is about one - quarter the length of the head. There should be a massive topknot with good beard, whiskers, well feathered ears and tail. Noses should be black, except liver is permitted in liver coloured dogs. The well spaced large round eyes should show no white in the corners, the arched neck runs into a body slightly longer than shoulder height, and the tip of the high set tail curls over the back. Muscular hindlegs finish in round feet.
CHARACTERISTICS AND CARE 
Pronounced ‘shid-zoo’, these spunky little dogs with their arrogant bearing retain a sense of humour well beyond puppyhood. They give the appearance of being no-one’s fool and expect certain privileges from their owners in return for an abundance of love. Regular grooming with a pin brush that reaches right through the coat is essential to keep the skin healthy and the coat free of knots - this breed does not shed coat seasonally. It is advisable to tie their topknot up in a band or bow to keep the hair out of their eyes.
HISTORY
Little dogs similar to the Shih Tzu have been found in artifacts dating back to 624 AD. However, as the Shih Tzu, Pekingese and Lhasa Apso were all known as Little Lion Dogs, it is not unnatural to presume they all have the same ancestry. Like the Pekingese, these dogs were highly respected in the Chinese Courts and around 1930, Lady Brownrigg succeeded in taking some back to England and thus the breed gradually became established in the Western world.