The Shih Tzu, aka “Chinese Lion Dog”, is a small sturdy toy breed with a big heart! They became recognized as part of the AKC toy group in 1969. This breed is an excellent choice for a house pet due to their lack of shedding, wonderful laid back personalities, and unlike most toy breeds they are not known for barking. They are by far one of the most beloved breeds of lap dogs.

BOY vs GIRL

Many people ask if they should get a male or a female? Both can make the prefect pet, but in this breed the males tend to be the better pet after being fixed than the females, since they tend to be more loving and outgoing. This is one of the few things almost all Shih Tzu breeders can agree on.

IMPERIALS

Are Imperials more sickly than the standards?  While they do tend to be more difficult to breed and often have major complications during labor, they do not seem to have any more health problems than any other well bred standard sized Shih Tzu’s.

There are a few common things that are seen in the Imperials more often than the Standards. Imperials are like premature human babies and some things just take longer to develope.  Imperials always have their soft spot longer than the larger pups and this is normal for their tiny size. The soft spots will grow shut but can take up to 6 months or maybe even longer to go away.  Their puppy teeth take longer to come down. They often do not hit sexual maturaity until over 1 yr old instead of 6 months for a standard and the testicles may not be down as very young puppies.

The key to finding any healthy Shih Tzu no matter what the size is to find a reputable breeder. Occasionally you will find a breeder who will sell a runt as an “Imperial” who comes from larger parents but has remained small. In this case there may be health issues as to why it is so much smaller than it’s siblings and should be dealt with caution. Commom health issues for a “runt” to remain small are heart mumurs, liver shunts, & kidney disorders - these should all be tested for before you get your puppy with a super chemcast, bun/creatine, or bile acid to rule them out. These problems tend to not affect the puppy until they are over 10 wks of age and may lead to death. Another precauction you might want to watch for is a breeder who is starving a puppy or reducing water intake to bring down it’s weight before going home. This can lead to major problems with low bloodsugar (hyperglycemia), something all tiny toy puppies are prone to. The best way to prevent the low bloodsugar is to NEVER buy a puppy that is less than 9 wks old or until they are a minimum of 2 lbs. Breeding Imperial Shih Tzu’s is a careful and slow breeding process. A TRUE Imperial cannot be obtained in only a few generations. Some breeders have been known to inbreed their dogs to get their size down faster. While inbreeding is used by many breeders (even show breeders) it is not a great way to produce healthy, quality pups in the longer run. When you inbreed, you may strenghten the good qualities but you also strenghten the poor ones. In dogs it is usually better to “line breed”. This means breeding two dogs that share some of the same lines but not all. For instance breeding to cousins, uncles, and aunts are a commom practice for some breeders. What is not good is inbreeding to mothers, fathers, and siblings. A problem common in the Imperial Shih Tzus is poor, thin or curly coats with very fine bone structure. This is most likely caused by poor breeding selection based on size more than over-all quality. Some breeders have been known to mix with a smaller toy breed like a Yorkie or Toy Poodle just to bring the size down. Remember, just because a puppy is registered does not always mean it is a full blooded Shih Tzu. You want to find a puppy with bones that have substance, thick double coats that are straight and soft, an even or slightly undershot bites, eyes with little white showing, and a body that’s slightly longer than the legs with a high tail set over a flat top line.

At birth even the most qualified breeder doesn’t know if a puppy is going to be a true Imperial. It is seldom the “runt” and is almost always the same weight or maybe even larger than their larger counterparts the standards at birth. It takes approximately 4 to 6 wks after birth for breeders to see a difference in growth rates. While a larger sized Shih Tzu’s growth remains the same, an Imperial’s growth slows down drastically. Imperials also tends to have a much smaller sized head and that can often be a early indication of their later size. While there is no sure way to know if a puppy will remain small or hit a growing spurt, there are ways to help experienced breeders determine adult weights.

Here is a chart that can help.

At 8 wks of age take the puppies exact weight and multiply by 3

At 10 wks X 2 and add a pound

At 12 wks X 2

The older the puppy the more accurate you can estimate it’s adult weight. Usually whatever height your puppy is at about 6 months is the height you can expect it to stay, but an Imperial can still gain one or two pounds from the age of 6 months old to adult hood (which is around a year old). The above chart is just a guideline, you also must take into consideration what the parents and grandparents weighed. If a puppy looks to be an Imperial but has standard sized parents there is always a chance it may reach near their weight. The most important thing to remember is that no one is able to know exactly what a puppy will weigh at adulthood. All any breeder can do is give their best educated guess based on past litter sizes and by knowing the background of sizes in our breeding adults.