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Standards for the Shih
Tzu |
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General Appearance: |
Solidly compact, well groomed, luxurious coat, an alert,
energetic, and strikingly exotic looking animal |
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Head: |
Broad domed shaped head with a definite stop, the eyes while
being large, round, and well spaced are not protrusive. They
look straight ahead and are dark in color. In liver colored
and/or liver marked dogs the eyes are a lighter. The large
and heavy coated ears are set just below the crown of the
skull and appear to blend into the rest of the coat. The
crown hair is long, and worn in a “top knot”. The
well-plumed tail is set high and carried curled well over
the back. |
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Body: |
The
body is short but sturdy, longer in length than height. The
back is level, the deep chest broad and the shoulders firm.
The short legs are straight, well boned and muscular.
Forelegs are set under the chest and wide apart. |
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Color: |
The
lavishly long and dense double-coat may be any color. The
hair itself may be straight or slightly wavy. |
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Size: |
Females: 9-10 inches // 12-15 pounds
Males: 9-10 inches // 12-15 pounds |
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Temperament: |
This
playful, feisty, ever alert and very energetic dog makes a
great little watch-dog/ companion. It is a high-maintenance
breed due to the abundant coat. Daily grooming is highly
recommended. While this is very time consuming, it is also
very gratifying to the owner and the pet. |