Shih Tzu traditional Chinese: çÂÂ
Ã¥ÂÂçÂÂ; simplified Chinese: ç®åÂÂçÂÂ; pinyin: Shëzi GÃÂu; Wade-Giles: Shih-tzu Kou; literally "Lion Dog"), is the Chinese alias rendered according to the Wade-Giles logical order of romanization in exercise when the breed was first bizarre in Europe; the Chinese pronunciation is authentic close to SHIRR-dzi
. The name translates as Lion Dog, so named because the dog was cultured to resemble "the lion as depicted in traditional oriental art," such as the Chinese guardian lions. The Shih Tzu is also often acknowledged as the "Xi Shi quan" (西æÂ½ç¬), based Imperial Shih Tzu Puppy on the epithet of Xi Shi, regarded as the most fair 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 Tibetian 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 antiphon to which "may never be known".
A inconsequential dog with a short muzzle and extensive eyes, with a long, double coat, the Shih Tzu stands no besides than 26.7 cm (10 1/2 ins) or less at the withers and with an ideal weight of 4.5 to 7.3 kg (10 to 16 lbs). Ounce ears are covered with long fur, and the heavily furred tail is carried curled over the back. The coat may be of any colour, 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".