History of the Shih Tzu Breed

The exact date of origin of the Shih Tzu is not known, but evidence of its

existence

has

come to

us

from

documents, paintings and objets d'art dating

from A. D. 624.

During the

Tang Dynasty

(618

to 907 A.

D.), the King of Viqur

gave the Chinese

court a pair of dogs

said to have come from

the

Fu Lin

(assumed to be the

Byzantine Empire).

Another theory of their introduction to China was recorded in the mid-17th

century

when

dogs

were

brought from Tibet to the Chinese court. These dogs

were bred in

the Forbidden

City of

Peking. The

smallest of these dogs

resembled a lion, as

represented in Oriental art.

"Shih Tzu"

means "lion".

The Shih Tzu is reported to be the oldest and smallest of the Tibetan holy dogs,

the

lion

being

associated with the Buddhist deity. These dogs were bred by the

Chinese

court and

from them

the dog

we know today as the Shih Tzu

developed. They are

also called "the

chrysanthemum-

faced dog"

because the

hair grows about the face

in all directions.

It is known that the Shih Tzu was a house pet during most of the Ming Dynasty

(1368

- 1644

A.D.)

and

that they were highly favored by the royal family.

Dowager Empress

Cixi (T'zu Hsi)

kept an

important

kennel of Pugs, Pekingese,

and Shih Tzu. After her

death in 1908 the

dogs were

dispersed and

breeding

mostly ceased. When the

Communist Revolution

occurred in China the

breed

became almost

extinct. Every

Shih Tzu today can be traced to

fourteen dogs -

seven

bitches and seven dogs -

some of

which were imported to England

where

breeding of the Shih

Tzu began in

1930. There the breed was

first classified as

"Apsos" but after a ruling by the

Kennel

Club (England) that Lhasa Apsos and

Shih

Tzus

were separate breeds, the Shih Tzu

Club

of England was formed in

1935.

From England members of the breed were exported to other countries in

Europe

and

Australia.

American soldiers stationed in these countries brought

the breed

back to the

United States thus

introducing them to this country. The

Shih Tzu was

admitted to

registration in the American

Kennel Club

Stud Book in

March, 1969 and

to regular show

classification in the Toy Group at

AKC

shows

beginning

September

1, 1969.

History of the Shih Tzu

Breed History: Shih Tzu

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