What are Miniature, Tea Cup & Imperial Shih Tzu Dogs?

The Truth About Miniature, Tea Cup & Imperial Shih Tzu Dogs

So many people love tiny dogs. There is a great market all over the world of people wanting a very small dog.

To appease the public, who keeps hearing the terms of Teacup and so on, some Shih Tzu breeders will have a breeding program in which they will breed dogs to produce puppies who fall on the lower end of the weight scale. This is acceptable.

There are some breeders who breed under the standard, but within a weight range that will still produce healthy dogs, generally between 6 and 8 pounds. In this case, these Tzu are dubbed "Imperials". While these dogs will not standard conformation, when bred ethically, they will be as healthy as a standard size.

Even a wonderful breeder who breeds to stay within the standards, will always have a few puppies every so often who are smaller than expected. Even with careful breeding, Mother Nature has the final say. In these cases, a breeder may refer to those smaller than planned dogs as "Imperials".

However, when a Shih Tzu is purposefully bred to be under 5 pounds, this is extremely dangerous. Shih Tzu are not meant to be that tiny! The pups will most likely have many health issues.

Therefore, it is important to understand the difference between a breeder who uses the word "Imperial" to simply mean "small" and others who use the word to mean the dog is much, much smaller than nature intended... this type of dog would most likely have many health issues.

What is the Imperial Shih Tzu?

When bred and dubbed correctly, the term Imperial, Teacup, Toy and Miniature are not nouns. These words = Small. Do keep in mind that a Tzu under 9 pounds will not fit dog show standards. The dog may be registerable, however.

What About Dogs who are Much Under the Accepted Weight

Purposely breeding for puppies who fall under 5 lbs. is dangerous . While Mother Nature has the final say and all ethical, loving breeders will sometimes have pups who are smaller than their littermates...you will not want to obtain a Shih Tzu puppy who is 2 or 3 pounds fully grown.

These very tiny dogs are so fragile and usually have a lifetime of health issues. The lifespan of these dogs is usually much shorter, as well. Liver shunts can be one of the problems of these dogs who are undersized.

Are Tea Cup, Miniature or Imperial Shih Tzu Dogs Healthy? Is it Okay to Purchase One?

If a Shih Tzu is unnaturally tiny due from unethical breeding, the dog can have many health issues. If two un-naturally tiny dogs are bred together, this causes the problems. This will cause calcium deficiency. Vital internal organs will be affected. This can cause everything down the road from liver failure to heart disease. Too tiny dogs (2 or 3 lbs.) Shih Tzu dogs will often have health issues such as breathing problems and eating problems. Any dog that is unnaturally tiny will have issues with their organs that are unnaturally tiny. Great care must be taken.

What Do I Do if I Already Purchased a Shih Tzu who is Far Under the Breed Standard Size?

Getting to your dog's veterinarian must be the first priority. Careful testing should be done to check for any health issues or pending health issues. A dog that is much smaller than nature intended will need special care. Most importantly, careful monitoring of food intake. Usually food must be introduced slower than usual to a "Miniature Shih Tzu". If food is not tolerated at all, your dog's veterinarian may prescribe a formula for you to give to your puppy.

These "too tiny" dogs are usually very sensitive to temperature. These dogs often have difficulty adjusting to temperature changes and care must be taken to protect the dog when outside in the cold, just as putting dog clothes on the Shih Tzu. They may also overheat more easily.

Bones are usually fragile. Care must be taken so that the puppy or dog does not fall. Using ramps to help the dog get off and on furniture is helpful. Socialization with larger dogs is dangerous, as they may be injured very easily in what should be normal dog play.

Keeping regular checkups with the veterinarian is most important. Catching health issues in the beginning stages will be the best strategy for battling any health issues.

Source: http://www.allshihtzu.com/Miniature_Imperial_Dogs.html

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What Benefits Can You Get From Training Your Shih Tzu

There are lots of benefits you can get from training your Shih Tzu. Among are the following:

You are your dog's leader and mentor

Once you have trained your Shih Tzu, your bonding is strengthened. Not only does this build communication between the two of you as master and pet, this only gives him a better understanding of who has the higher order of the two of you. By him knowing that you are his "Alpha", you gain his respect. If this doesn't happen, your dog may usually misbehave and he won't follow orders from you.

Training your dog keeps him alive and well

If you have more control of your dog, you have more control of his behavior. You will also develop sufficient voice control to prevent any tragedy from happening to your dog. Imagine if your dog doesn't follow you when you tell him not to chew a certain object. There are many things that when chewed by dogs can be harmful for them.

Also, imagine when your dog shrugs off his collar in the middle of a busy street. All you will have to do to prevent any harm come to him is to heel him across the road and then ordered to sit while you replace his collar.

Alternatively, if one of your family leaves the front door open and your dog makes his escape, you can call him back home by using the recall command that he has learnt.

You have a more responsive pet

Training makes your pet more responsive. It also enables you to have quick and prompt control over your dog’s behavior, so in an emergency situation obedience training can actually save his life. In fact, training can save the vast numbers of dogs who ultimately end up in animal shelters. And if a dog is trained, he stands a better chance of being adopted sooner than an untrained dog. Data shows that those pups who are socialized and trained early in life are less likely to end up destroyed by the time they are three years of age than their untrained peers.

Well behaved pets are welcome everywhere

If your pet is obedience trained, he can go just anywhere you go without your worrying if he can hold his own there. He will never cause you any embarrassment or be a nuisance but display good manners whether at home when you have guests over or out in a crowd.

Build a lifelong relationship of trust

Few dog owners realize that by training their pets, they are actually investing in a lifelong relationship based on confidence, trust and friendship. In fact, it’s a surefire way of communicating with your dog and of sharing a common language. The more you teach or train him, the more you will get out of your special friendship as this will make him a better friend, more confident and secure and trusting too.

So make sure you train your dog. You are his master. You should let him know that.

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Shih Tzu: The Beginning

The Shih Tzu (pronounced /ˈʃiːtsuː/ SHEE-tsoo, from Mandarin [ʂɨ́tsɨ]) is a breed of small companion dog of very ancient dog type, with long silky fur. The breed originated in China. The name is both singular and plural.

Names and etymology

Shih Tzu (simplified Chinese: 狮子狗; traditional Chinese: 獅子狗; pinyin: Shīzi Gǒu; Wade-Giles: Shih-tzu Kou; literally "Lion Dog"), is the Chinese name rendered according to the Wade-Giles system of romanization in use when the breed was first introduced in Europe; the Chinese pronunciation is approximately SHIRR-tsə. The name translates as Lion Dog, so named because the dog was bred to resemble "the lion as depicted in traditional oriental art," such as the Chinese guardian lions. The Shih Tzu is also often known as the "Xi Shi quan" (西施犬), based on the name of Xi Shi, regarded as the most beautiful woman of ancient China, and, less often, the Chrysanthemum Dog, a nickname coined in England in the 1930s. The dog may also be called the Tibetan Lion Dog, but whether or not the breed should be referred to as a Tibetan or Chinese breed is a source of argument, the absolute answer to which "may never be known".

Appearance

A small dog with a short muzzle and large deep dark eyes, with a soft long, double coat, the Shih Tzu stands no more than 26.7 cm (10 1/2 in.) at the withers and with an ideal weight of 4.5 to 7.3 kg (10 to 16 lbs). Drop ears are covered with long fur, and the heavily furred tail is carried curled over the back. The coat may be of any color, although a blaze of white on the forehead and tail-tip is frequently seen. The Shih Tzu is slightly longer than tall, and dogs ideally should carry themselves "with distinctly arrogant carriage"

The traditional long silky glossy coat that reaches the floor requires daily brushing to avoid tangles. Often the coat is clipped short to simplify care, in a "puppy clip". For conformation showing, the coat must be left in its natural state, although trimming for neatness around the feet and anus is allowed.Because Shih Tzu noses are small and flat, owners often wipe the dog's face with a damp paper towel to remove food remnants after the dog has eaten a meal.Shih Tzu may be trained to drink out of a water bottle. The water bottle keeps the face clean and dry preventing red yeast from growing on the Shih Tzu beard and moustache. Owners often tie strands of hair from the Shih Tzu's head into a pony tail that sticks up.

Health

A number of health issues, some of them hereditary, have been found in individual Shih Tzu, and are listed below. There is no data on the percentage of dogs with these ailments.

Morbidity

Some health issues in the breed are portosystemic shunt of the liver and hip dysplasia in standard sizes.

Breathing problems

Shih Tzu are brachycephalic (short-muzzled) dogs and are very sensitive to high temperatures. Many airlines that ship dogs will not accept them for shipment when temperatures at any point on the planned itinerary exceeds 75 °F (24 °C). When they are drinking, it is sometimes necessary to supervise Shih Tzu; water can enter their face-level noses more easily and inhibit breathing. The area around the eyes should be checked each day for mucus buildup and cleaned when needed. Providing the Shih Tzu with bottled water (or water that does not contain chlorine) helps to keep eye mucus to a minimum.

Mortality

The life span of a Shih Tzu is 10-16 years although some variation from this range is possible.

Temperament

The Shih Tzu is a friendly lap dog that at one time was bred to be a companion dog for Chinese royalty. Some say living in the imperial palace gave the Shih Tzu an arrogant quality, although they also display qualities of devotion and adaptability. They are not afraid to stand up for themselves. They tend to be sweet, playful, and trusting as well. It ranks 70th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, considered one of the lowest degree of working/obedience intelligence (trainability). They don't need as much exercise as larger dog breeds, but do suffer from the same difficulties as most small breed dogs due to having a smaller bladder.

Variations

Size issues

There is no such thing as a "teacup" Shih Tzu nor a "toy sized" Shih Tzu. Imperial Shih Tzu is a term used by breeders to sell Shih Tzu that are below healthy standard size. These tiny dogs, often less than 50% of the recommended minimum size, are prone to serious health problems and may not live a full life span. Many are created by breeding the runt of one litter with the runt of another litter.

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