The Shih Tzu's Ancestry

Shih Tzu's are one of the oldest of the toy breeds, their ancestry tracing back to China as far as the 17th century, where they appear in Chinese artwork and texts. To be more exact, the Shih Tzu's ancestry goes back to the Temple dogs of Tibet, where Chinese and Tibet rulers presented them as Chinese royalty because back then they were seen as status symbol and thus as power and as having a lot of money. Shih Tzu's were produced when Lhasa-like dogs were crossed with Pekingese dogs in China. Lhasa-like dogs refers to the "Lhasa Apso,"which were dogs that were bred in Tibetan monasteries. "Lhasa Apso's" were originally named the "Abso Send Kye," meaning the “Bark Lion Sentinel Dog." Back then, Lhasa's were never sold but rather they were given as gifts to people who possessed exalted ranks or held positions of honours and/or dignity. Lhasa’s were used as indoor guardians because of their keen hearing and their instinct for identifying friends from strangers; this made them into ideal and desirable watch dogs. Lhasa Apso’s are loving and loyal dogs, to those they know, and they also have a unique temperament; it is said they have a big dog personality. On the other hand, Pekingese dogs date back to the 8^th century and it is believed that they are the miniature edition of the ancient “Foo Dogs” of China. It was believed that "Foo dogs" were used to ward off evil spirits. In the 8^th century, only members of the Chinese Imperial Court were allowed to own Pekingese dogs. The Peke, another name for the Pekingese, is a calm, good-tempered, non-aggressive and fearless dog but at times it can be really stubborn and very protective of its home and family. Shih Tzu’s were then imported into Great Britain in the late 1920s or early 1930s and then in the late 1950s they were brought into the United States. The name, Shih Tzu, means the “Lion Dog” in Chinese but it is a very deceiving name because this dog was not bred to hunt lions nor does it relate to its personality in any way. Instead, this name was given to this dog because they were said to resemble the lion as depicted in traditional Chinese art work.