Shih Tzu Breed Standard
Toy Group

General Appearance
The
Shih Tzu is a sturdy, lively, alert toy dog with long flowing double
coat. Befitting his noble Chinese ancestry as a highly valued, prized
companion and palace pet, the Shih Tzu is proud of bearing, has a
distinctively arrogant carriage with head well up and tail curved over
the back. Although there has always been considerable size variation,
the Shih Tzu must be compact, solid, carrying good weight and
substance.

Even though a toy dog, the Shih Tzu must be subject
to the same requirements of soundness and structure prescribed for all
breeds, and any deviation from the ideal described in the standard
should be penalized to the extent of the deviation. Structural faults
common to all breeds are as undesirable in the Shih Tzu as in any other
breed, regardless of whether or not such faults are specifically
mentioned in the standard.

Size, Proportion, Substance
Size
- Ideally, height at withers is 9 to 10½ inches; but, not less than 8
inches nor more than 11 inches. Ideally, weight of mature dogs, 9 to 16
pounds. Proportion - Length between withers and root of tail is
slightly longer than height at withers. The Shih Tzu must never be so
high stationed as to appear leggy, nor so low stationed as to appear
dumpy or squatty. Substance - Regardless of size, the Shih Tzu is
always compact, solid and carries good weight and substance.

Head
Head
- Round, broad, wide between eyes, its size in balance with the overall
size of dog being neither too large nor too small. Fault: Narrow head,
close-set eyes. Expression - Warm, sweet, wide-eyed, friendly and
trusting. An overall well-balanced and pleasant expression supersedes
the importance of individual parts. Care should be taken to look and
examine well beyond the hair to determine if what is seen is the actual
head and expression rather than an image created by grooming technique.
Eyes - Large, round, not prominent, placed well apart, looking straight
ahead. Very dark. Lighter on liver pigmented dogs and blue pigmented
dogs. Fault: Small, close-set or light eyes; excessive eye white. Ears
- Large, set slightly below crown of skull; heavily coated. Skull -
Domed. Stop - There is a definite stop. Muzzle - Square, short,
unwrinkled, with good cushioning, set no lower than bottom eye rim;
never downturned. Ideally, no longer than 1 inch from tip of nose to
stop, although length may vary slightly in relation to overall size of
dog. Front of muzzle should be flat; lower lip and chin not protruding
and definitely never receding. Fault: Snipiness, lack of definite stop.
Nose - Nostrils are broad, wide, and open. Pigmentation - Nose, lips,
eye rims are black on all colors, except liver on liver pigmented dogs
and blue on blue pigmented dogs. Fault: Pink on nose, lips, or eye
rims. Bite - Undershot. Jaw is broad and wide. A missing tooth or
slightly misaligned teeth should not be too severely penalized. Teeth
and tongue should not show when mouth is closed. Fault: Overshot bite.

Neck, Topline, Body
Of
utmost importance is an overall well-balanced dog with no exaggerated
features. Neck - Well set-on flowing smoothly into shoulders; of
sufficient length to permit natural high head carriage and in balance
with height and length of dog. Topline - Level. Body -Short-coupled and
sturdy with no waist or tuck-up. The Shih Tzu is slightly longer than
tall. Fault: Legginess. Chest -Broad and deep with good spring-of-rib,
however, not barrel-chested. Depth of ribcage should extend to just
below elbow. Distance from elbow to withers is a little greater than
from elbow to ground. Croup - Flat. Tail - Set on high, heavily plumed,
carried in curve well over back. Too loose, too tight, too flat, or too
low set a tail is undesirable and should be penalized to extent of
deviation.

Forequarters
Shoulders - Well-angulated, well
laid-back, well laid-in, fitting smoothly into body. Legs - Straight,
well-boned, muscular, set well-apart and under chest, with elbows set
close to body. Pasterns - Strong, perpendicular. Dewclaws - May be
removed. Feet - Firm, well-padded, point straight ahead.

Hindquarters
Angulation
of hindquarters should be in balance with forequarters. Legs -
Well-boned, muscular, and straight when viewed from rear with well-bent
stifles, not close set but in line with forequarters. Hocks - Well let
down, perpendicular. Fault: Hyperextension of hocks. Dewclaws - May be
removed. Feet - Firm, well-padded, point straight ahead.

Coat
Coat
- Luxurious, double-coated, dense, long, and flowing. Slight wave
permissible. Hair on top of head is tied up. Fault: Sparse coat, single
coat, curly coat. Trimming - Feet, bottom of coat, and anus may be done
for neatness and to facilitate movement. Fault: Excessive trimming.

Color and Markings
All are permissible and to be considered equally.

Gait
The
Shih Tzu moves straight and must be shown at its own natural speed,
neither raced nor strung-up, to evaluate its smooth, flowing,
effortless movement with good front reach and equally strong rear
drive, level topline, naturally high head carriage, and tail carried in
gentle curve over back.

Temperament
As the sole purpose of
the Shih Tzu is that of a companion and house pet, it is essential that
its temperament be outgoing, happy, affectionate, friendly and trusting
towards all.

Approved May 9, 1989
Effective June 29, 1989 

source: http://www.pinoypetfinder.com/forum/index.php?topic=80.0

nice....

thanks.