Adopting new Shih Tzu dog breeds at home would be an excellent idea for you and your family.
These types of dogs would be perfect for your family, especially if you want some dog companions who can be with you during your busy days.
Once you came home from your work, then here comes now your Shih Tzu coming after you because they want to be cuddled.
After that, your mood will be changed as if you didn’t even get tired because of their presence.
These dogs may be your stress relievers because of their cuteness and beautiful hair coat appearance.
So, if you have Shih Tzu at home, you may want to know more about these dog breeds to understand their temperament, behavior, how you can maintain their long straight haircoats, everything about your Shih Tzu dog breeds.
So, here’s a list of frequently asked questions with comprehensive answers and explanations about Shih Tzu dog breeds.
What’s a Shih Tzu?
Generally, Shih Tzu means “little lion,” but there is nothing to fear about this dog breed. It is because this pooch is not a hunter but a lover.
Many people want this breed as their companions at home because these dog breeds are loyal, happy, affectionate, and sweet. They always want to be cuddled by their dog owners.
In these present years, pet owners have started taking these types of dogs off their laps and get into different dog sports.
They also started training these dog breeds for rallies, obedience, and agility competitions. Shih Tzu dog breeds are great pets for families who can get along with children and other animals.
If you have kids at home, it would be advisable to encourage them to play correctly and handle your Shih Tzu for good.
So, if you are looking for a small type of best buddy for you and for your household who can join you on your couch for cuddles, then this Shih Tzu dog breed is perfect for you.
What Does Shih Tzu Look Like?
Shih Tzu is a lively, alert, and sturdy toy dog with long flowing double haircoats.
Befitting their noble Chinese lineage as highly valued palace pets and prized companions, these dog breeds are proud of bearing and have typically arrogant carriage with head up and tail curved on their back.
Although Shih Tzu dog breeds come in different sizes, they must be solid, compact, carrying good substance and weight.
Generally, Shih Tzu dogs are often slightly longer with a sturdy body and good-sized head. They have quite a short muzzle with undershot bite.
Their eyes are prominent, and their head is round. These dogs are covered with luxuriously long and straight double haircoats—these double haircoats require a fair amount of maintenance, especially if left longer on these short dog breeds.
The hair coat color for these dog breeds is acceptable, but a dark pigment is highly preferred around their eyes and nose.
Shih Tzu dogs tend to be little dogs and expected to live up to 14 or 15 years old.
How Big Do Shih Tzu Get?
Shih Tzu dog breeds’ traditional size is 9 to 16 pounds and 8 to 11 inches at their shoulder, but some of them are smaller in types and almost ranging from 5 to 9 pounds.
Have you heard about these phrases: teacup Shih Tzu? Imperial Shih Tzu? Tiny Toy Shih Tzu and Miniature Shih Tzu?
Some dog breeders use those phrases as “marketing terminologies” for smaller Shih Tzu types. However, these are just marketing terms.
You may find out that there’s only one type or breed of Shih Tzu. Whether your Shih Tzu dogs weigh around 5 or 15 pounds, these breeds are still Shih Tzu.
Some of them are just simply larger or smaller than others. The larger dogs are sturdier and said to be a safer pet for the households.
How Much Do Shih Tzu Weigh?
Most of the Shih Tzu dog breeds weigh from 5 to 16 pounds. However, there are some instances that these breeds even became quite larger than what you expect from them.
Perhaps an ideal overall indicator for your pups’ adult size is their parents. You’ll never get tiny Shih Tzu from parents weighing around 14 pounds.
However, just considering their parents’ size is not enough to know your puppy’s actual weights.
Your Shih Tzu puppies share part of DNA provided by their parents and with paternal and maternal grandparents.
As you go back into its pedigree, the lineage has less impact on its current generation, but there’s still a little trace on the DNA.
Do Shih Tzu Shed?
All Shih Tzu dog breeds shed hairs throughout the year, containing a big amount of shedding that occurs twice a year – three weeks in spring.
Their coat for winter switches over to cooler summer haircoats and three weeks in fall since their summer haircoat changes over to thicker winter haircoats.
The shedding of your Shih Tzu always dogs on whether the short or long haircoats.
Their shed hairs get caught on the long coat if you keep their long coats. These will only come out when you finally brush their coats instead of falling on the furniture or ground floor.
But if you clip the haircoats to make them short, then hairs can now freely fall out from their coats.
Shearing the haircoat means less hair brushing on your pets but more visible on shedding.
Keeping the haircoats longer means more hair brushing, but there will be less shedding.
How Often Should You Bathe a Shih Tzu?
Shih Tzu is one of the dog breeds that need high maintenance than any other types of dogs out there.
Generally, Shih Tzu should be given a bath every three weeks to hair and skin healthy.
Giving a proper bath to your dogs can avoid developing its bad smells. It would be true to all types of dogs and not only Shih Tzu dog breeds that giving them a frequent bath is not that good.
Shih Tzu dogs secrete natural body oils that keep their skin moist and soft. These natural body oils that they produce keep their hair coat shiny and healthy.
So, you need to bear in mind that proper bathing in intervals is necessary for your dogs because it washes away the utilized essential oils from the Shih Tzu’s body.
Moreover, you need to teach your mind that providing them with frequent bathing will wash away the dogs’ natural body oils faster than they can produce these oils.
Thus, their hair coat and skin will become dry and possibly itchy, eventually becoming reddish.
Do Shih Tzu Dogs Bark a Lot?
Shih Tzu dogs are always barking breeds, and their barking may sometimes out of control.
These dog breeds are prone to barking. They even tend to bark at some other dogs and people passing the window or even from a distance when you walk with them outside your house.
Is Shih Tzu Hypoallergenic?
Even though it is often touted as low-shedding and hypoallergenic, Shih Tzu dog breeds are neither.
However, those with dog allergies still want these dog breeds to maintain the haircoats longer enough to catch up with the shedding hairs.
They can then just do the hair brushing to remove them from the coats.
It’s only a matter of proper grooming and brushing your Shih Tzu dog breeds, so their allergies will not trigger that dog owners and your family members.
Is Shih Tzu Easy to Train?
Shih Tzu dog breeds are independent dogs that are quite stubborn to train, most especially in housebreaking.
However, with a consistent positive kind of training, you can surely train them to have a more disciplined outlook.
You can create some daily routines and funny tricks with your dogs as part of their training.
You can then give them praise and treats once your dogs performed the tricks of the command you have given to them.
This is one way to encourage your dogs to participate in your activity and learn more about training routines.
If you want to make sure that your Shih Tzu dog breeds can learn well as part of their growth and development, then you can find a dog training class in your locality and let them join the class for the training session.
There are some dog trainers that you can find online if you don’t know someone who can help you from your locality.
However, you just need to invest an extra amount of money if you want to make sure that your Shih Tzu dogs will learn something from their daily routines and training exercises.
What are the Most Common Shih Tzu Behavior Problems?
Typically, Shih Tzu dog breeds have are no behavioral problems other than barking a lot.
Even in the smallest detail, you may notice that your Shih Tzu may keep on barking.
Their attention was caught by other people and animals who happen to pass nearby. So, it would be better to invest a little time and effort in proper training with your dogs for you to address this issue.
It’s only a matter of providing your dogs with proper training so that they can even control this behavior problem.
Once you consistently give them a positive way of training exercise, then sooner or later, they will learn to adapt to every situation.
How Much Does Shih Tzu Cost?
If you want to buy Shih Tzu dog breeds for you or your household, several tips and considerations must be taken.
Many people may look at the puppies’ actual cost, which is essential. The cost of buying a Shih Tzu puppy may vary depending on the breeder and the region you live in.
However, it is expected that the price range for this type of dog breed is from $500 to $1000 on average.
There are also some instances that the price for this dog breed becomes quite higher than its actual average price.
It’s quite rare to have a higher price than this actual price range. However, it is still advisable to prepare extra money in your pocket since the cost for this dog will be considered when adopting or buying this dog breed.
Of course, you also need to consider some other expenses like the materials or supplies once you already have the Shih Tzu, foods, grooming requirements, and many more.
Where to Buy/Adopt Shih Tzu Dog?
There are several places and avenues where you can buy or adopt a Shih Tzu dog breed.
Buying a new Shih Tzu puppy or adopting this dog breed would be a better idea, especially if you want to have a new companion at home.
If you want to buy this dog breed, then you may start your search for this dog in your locality.
Perhaps, some dog breeders are willing to sell their dogs at a reasonable rate. You may also visit some reputable sites online for you to find the best deals and offers for this dog breed.
If you don’t want to spend a big amount of money on this dog breed, you can opt to adopt Shih Tzu from the rescue shelters.
Shih Tzu dog breeds can also be found in rescue shelters, and you can visit their places to adopt new Shih Tzu puppies. If you don’t know any rescue shelter in your locality, you can find these rescue shelters online.
Some online sites can help you with this matter. You may visit a pet finder site that could give you an idea of where to adopt Shih Tzu dog breeds.
Do Shih Tzu Dog Breeds Come in Shorthaired or Longhaired Varieties?
Generally, the natural haircoat of the Shih Tzu is always longhaired, dense, and silky. It’s always in the double coating, which means an outer coating and an insulating undercoat.
However, many dog owners opt to minimize hair brushing, and they would like to keep their breeds like a perpetual puppy by shearing the haircoat short a couple of times a year.
You can do this clipping or shearing of their haircoat by yourself, or you may also find a professional groomer who can do the task for you.
How Much Grooming Do Shih Tzu Dog Breeds Need?
If you maintain a longer hair coat in your dogs, there’s a major consideration for grooming care.
It means that your Shih Tzu needs daily combing and brushing to avoid tangles and mats.
Tangles and mats may be quite painful once you pull these from the skin of your dogs; so, you need to maintain their long and straight haircoat without these hair issues.
You also need to know that the worst spots for tangles and mats are behind their front legs or in the armpits, behind their ears, and on their stomach, groin, and chest.
It is also advisable to always comb their paws, legs, and tails to avoid tangles and mats.
As part of their grooming requirements, it is also a must to maintain a short coat on the anal area and clip their groin to ensure cleanliness and proper sanitation when your Shih Tzu goes to their bathroom.
What to Consider First When You Got Your New Shih Tzu?
Getting a new Shih Tzu for your household is not that difficult to do, but what is quite challenging on your part is the actual preparations and considerations that you need to take once you already have your Shih Tzu.
Of course, you need to prioritize the important things needed by your pets. And what are these things?
Take a look at the two essential considerations that you need to take so that you can start taking care of your Shih Tzu dog breeds:
- Shih Tzu health: This includes feeding, proper health care, and vaccinations. These things are crucial to be taken into consideration because if you didn’t provide your new Shih Tzu with these things, then they may experience some health problems or issues later. Starting with the basic and proper care is imperative to your pets.
- Shih Tzu training: This includes respect training, socialization, and housebreaking. Start first with the basic types of training to learn it step-by-step. As much as possible, avoid performing wrong things with your dogs to not develop bad habits that will be harder to fix in your future days.
What are some Other Tips and Suggestions to Properly Take Care of Shih Tzu Dogs?
It is always important to know about taking care of your Shih Tzu dog breeds. Some other tips and recommendations that you need to know relative to taking care of them are the following:
- Give them a proper way of feeding. Nutritious foods are essential, especially during puppyhood, since nutritious foods are essential in building up their bodies for growth and development.
- Provide them regular exercise or daily routines. Although these dog breeds are playful and active, it is still necessary to give them a little walk outside your house since this could part of their daily routine. If you are not available for a morning walk, you can appoint any family member to do the task for you.
- Have a visit with your veterinarian for regular consultation. Don’t skip with your Shih Tzu’s regular appointment or checkup for you to ensure their overall health condition.
