Talk:Shih Tzu

Why is it "A James Mumford wrote a lovely ..." Is it supposed to be "A. James Mumford..." or should it just be "James Mumford...."? ~

Copyright infringement?

Just thought I'd mention it...

Entire paragraphs seem to be the same between them. Which came first?

http://www.shihtzuhundar.com/history.html

Those paragraphs do seem to have been copied from the Shih Tzu in Iceland page (the link above). The info was posted by an anon. user in February. Someone should either rewrite the paragraphs ("history and myth" and "character" sections) or remove them. Lachatdelarue (talk) 14:25, 17 May 2005 (UTC)

Done. Elf | Talk 21:46, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Unhelpful changes in pronunciation

Someone recently added "the real pronunciation" of Shi zi to the article. The pronunciation that person gave is not the standard Mandarin pronunciation. For help on standard Mandarin pronunciation, please see http://www.wfu.edu/~moran/Cathay_Cafe/template.html in "The Guide's Shop." P0M 21:17, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Size of dogs

(moved question from Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Dog breeds/Breed grouping:) I was just wondering, I own a female shih-tzu and so far every male shih-tzu we've met has been smaller then her. My question is about Shih-Tzu's, are the females larger then the males?

Not typically. In some breeds, the male is noticeably larger than the female on average, but I believe that most Shih Tzus are in about the same range. Some dogs, just like people, are way outside the norm, even if their parents were normal-sized. Did you get your dog from a known breeder? If so, you could ask the breeder about the size. If you don't know who the breeder was, then it's also possible that it's not a pure shih-tzu or not bred from "typical" Shih Tzu parents. Elf | Talk 20:49, 24 October 2005 (UTC)

I've had both males and female shih tzus since I was little. Currently have 2 girls. The males are slightly bigger than the females. My 2 girls weigh about 11 lbs each. Hope this helps. --speedoflight 22:00, 24 October 2005 (UTC)

This is my first Shih Tzu, named Holly, who is black and white, and she is HUGE compared to other Shih Tzus. Her legs are taller than normal ones, and is very healthy. She is normal from head to tail, but from her front paw to her head when she stands up, so I think female Shih Tzus are taller than male Shih Tzus from my knowledge. --VelairWight 04:52, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

The AKC has standards set for a shih tzu's "perfect" height and weight. In competition, shih tzus do not compete against each other but are measured on how close they meet these standards. Female shih tzus are not typically bigger than males. Almost every male shih tzu that I have met, including champion ones are slightly bigger than the females. --speedoflight | talk to me 12:33, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure if males or females are generally larger, but my Shih Tzu Sami, a female, weighs 20 pounds. On the other hand, my other Shih Tzu Cady, also a female, weighs 10 pounds. Both are fully grown. I've never seen a Shih Tzu bigger than Sami, though I've heard of one. I believe that one might have been a female too... weird.--Koen the Mole 01:44, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

These dogs are notorious for size variance. I had a male that was 19 lbs from age 1 1/2 til his death at age 15. The vet never considered him fat, just a big Shih Tzu. I also read somewhere that they were bred down over the centuries, initially a large breed (60 lbs?). I have never found that article again, so I can't verify it. But I believe it, because they were great watch dogs with a vicious bite, and would be perfect to attack in packs against invaders of the monasteries.--Smileyporkpyn 02:39, 1 August 2006 (UTC)smiley/7.31.06

=> they are Lhasa apso. NOT SHIH TZU! all shih tuz must have very friendly personality and never aggressive even to strangers. shih tzu are bred for companionship, and Lhasa apso are bred for guard dogs for monasteries. and some breeders mix shih tzu with apso because they want more puppies whihch means more money! apso are bigger than shih tzu and generally more aggresive.

consistent genetic histories?

The article currently says:

It is believed that this ornamental breed was created by breeding the Bei-jing gou (Pekingese) with a Tibetan dog breed, the Lhasa Apso. Recent DNA analysis confirms that this is one of the oldest breeds of dog.[1]

These two sentences may be contradictory if it turns out that the Pekinese and/or the Lhasa Apso are genetically more recent breeds. P0M 17:59, 27 December 2005 (UTC)

Pix

• 
  Shih-Tzu
• 
• 
• 
• 

Lifespan?

Can someone find a good source for their lifespan and post it in the article. I came there to find info on it but nothing. I have a few Shih Tzus and am curious.--68.102.37.191 21:13, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Shedding - hair/fur

This doesn't make much sense to me

"the hair does shed, but is "captured" in the dense undercoat. Therefore, you're not likely to see as much hair on your furniture, clothes, and carpet as you would with dogs that shed. If not brushed daily, however, the hair that is caught up in the undercoat can cause mats."

They either shed or they don't. If they do get mats "captured" then they are surely shedding? I could say the same about border collies or many long coat breeds as they will also mat if they are not brushed out. So do they shed or not?

they don't shed. but it depends on what quality coat your dog has too.(if the dog is not full shih tzu, he might shed). i have two shih tzu and I cannot find a single dog hair even when I vacuum the whole house. sure I can see a lot of human hair though. some shih tzu get hair tangled and some don't. it depends on their hair type. my first shih tzu has thin hair type, and she gets mat all the time but the second one never gets tangled(I brush him once a week though). but neither of them spreads hair on carpet or furniture.

Fair enough. Seems that the article needs rewording tho as it reads here that they are shedding and that causes the mats (as with a shedding type dog).