Determining Puppy Quality Based on the Shih-Tzu Breed Standard.

We strive to produce beautiful Smoochie faces, large round heads, big eyes with no visible eye white, turned-up and high set noses, short legs and cobby bodies, straight backs and legs, nice tail sets, and beautiful thick double coats.

Faults in the breed and things to watch out for:

Serious Faults:

Body- Roached back or curved top line.

Head- Narrow head

Eyes- Close set eyes, walleye or cross eye, lack of roundness

Muzzle- Lack of definite stop, receding chin, long muzzle, curved or down sloping

Bite - Overshot

Legs - Bowed legs, out at the elbows

Tail - Straight tail

Pigmentation - Pink spots and/or lack of pigment on nose, eye rims, and lips

Minor Faults:

Bite- Teeth showing when mouth is close, tongue protrudes from the mouth

Tail - low set, kinked tail, tight curled tail

Feet - Pointing out or in

Coat - Single coat, curly or kinky

Hernias and pinched nostrils are things you should be aware of but understand these are common in the breed. They are not life threatening and both can be fixed at the time of spay / neuter if need be.

There are many Colors in the Shih-Tzu breed: Black, Gold, White, Red, Chocolate, Liver, Brindle, Blue, silver, etc. As you can see there are an array of colors in solid, parti-color, and dobie markings. Some colors are more rare and some are more desired than others. We feel it is just a personal preference for everyone.