History Of The Breed
By Victor Joris
To the best of my knowledge and from extensive research all Shih Tzu in the U.S. trace their ancestry to imports from either the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands or one of the Scandinavian countries.
The original Shih Tzu imported into England by Lady Brownrigg, into Ireland by Miss E. M. Hutchins and into Norway by Mme. Henrik Kauffman, although carefully chosen by each of these ladies, were not identical in size, structure, weight or type. In efforts to establish a new breed with a very limited gene pool the breeding policy is governed by the existing conditions and the available stock. The breeding of close relatives was unavoidable and even desirable in some instances in order to establish a uniform type. The entire gene pool for all existing Shih Tzu is derived from a combination of 14 dogs and bitches. One of these fourteen was the Pekingese dog, Philadelphus Suti-T’sun of Elfann. One bitch Ishuh Tzu, whose dam, Hamilton Maru, was registered in the United States as a Lhasa and had won at Westminster, was imported into the U.K. in 1948 and declared suitable for registration as a Shih Tzu by Lady Brownrigg. One interesting note concerning this line in the Lhasa Apso Best in Show winner at Crufts in 1984 and the Best of Breed Shih Tzu winner at the same show descended from that line. Each had illustrious descendents in the U.K. and the U.S. Most of the imports, both English and Scandinavian, had come from China with “pedigree unknown,” or only one generation known. A great deal had to be learned about their descendants through the offspring of the early generations. Before the death of the Dowager Empress in 1908 the Shih Tzu was very difficult to obtain and so far as we know after the death of the old Dowager Empress the Shih Tzu became extinct in China with only a few able to reach the Western world. At the time of her death there were three distinct toy dogs being bred in the Imperial Palace, the Pug, Pekingese and Shih Tzu, all short nosed breeds with not much difference between them except coat. No one knows exactly what ingredients the palace eunuchs stirred together in their experiments with the palace dogs to create the Shih Tzu.
It is interesting to note that prior to 1952 eight Shih Tzu from the UK were imported into the US and all were re-registered and bred as Lhasa Apso as well as some of the Shih Tzu brought back by members of the armed forces which were also bred. We know that all breeds of dogs were created by interbreeding for a desired trait. We can only suppose what breeds were used in the creation of the Shih Tzu. It has long been my belief that the Shih Tzu for the most part was a combination of the Tibetan Spaniel and the Pekingese rather than the Lhasa Apso and have seen this in litters which would indicate that the Tibbie breeds true while I think the Shih Tzu does not. That does not discount the introduction of Lhasa genes as we know they are also there. The differences between the Lhasa head and the Shih Tzu head are considerable. The Shih Tzu head more closely resembles that of the Tibetan Spaniel.
We can breed away from certain genes but once introduced they are carried from generation to generation in the genotype and may never resurface again but could in future litters when least expected. Even with the utmost care when selecting a superior dog and bitch for breeding and with full knowledge of their ancestors, there is always the chance that the litter will not be up to specifications and could produce throwbacks to an earlier ancestor.
As stated before very early in the development of the breed a great many Shih Tzu were imported into the U.S. and the two types were interbred whereas only one or two Shih Tzu were exported to England early on from Scandinavia. That established a more stable type for the English dogs as there was very little interbreeding between the two lines. The English lines had been introduced into the Scandinavian imports very early in the development of the breed as well as the Scandinavian line through ‘My Lord of Tibet’ into the English lines.
The breed was established in the U.K. with Championship status granted in 1940, long before the Shih Tzu made an appearance in the U.S., with over 700 registered Shih Tzu between 1930 and 1955. Despite interest in the breed by American fanciers the American Kennel Club showed very limited, or no, interest in the breed. The Shih Tzu was eventually accepted into the AKC Miscellaneous Class in 1955 but had to wait another 14 years before being able to compete for championship status. One stumbling block for acceptance was the Peke cross done by Miss Evans in 1952 and the similarity to the already approved Lhasa Apso. The Shih Tzu was approved for AKC conformation shows on the 1st of September 1969.
Unfortunately the little Chinese Lion Dog captured the imagination of the public and almost overnight became the most sought after toy dog in the U.S. From 1957 through 1963 well over 100 Shih Tzu were exported to the US from around the world. This information comes from the late Rev. D. Allan Easton’s papers listing the name of the breeder, country of origin, kennel name, date exported and new owner.
With countless imports flooding the country to would be “breeders,” many of whom had absolutely no knowledge of the breed, a frenzy of breeding took place. Many of the early dedicated breeders struggled diligently to try and develop a healthy and stable type Shih Tzu from the assorted differences in sizes of the original imports. In the very early years prior to and after AKC acceptance one could see 17 and 18 pound Shih Tzu in the show-ring alongside some weighing 7 pounds. It was necessary to stabilize and try to correct the many variables in the breed. Many of the early fanciers of the breed were no longer breeding and the Shih Tzu future was left somewhat in the hands of anyone who could own a dog. However, thankfully most of those would be breeders fell by the wayside and it was left up to the remaining dedicated breeders to try and correct some of the results of the haphazard breedings that took place. It was those breeders who have continued to extol the virtues of the breed.
Some of the early imports from the U.K. and the Continent, as stated, were large in size and weight with unruly coats, bad mouths and bowed fronts but with beautiful round heads, good bone and body. Missing, though not in all, was the warm Eastern look in the eyes of the Scandinavian exports. Some of the imports that arrived from the Scandinavian countries were smaller in overall size, daintier, with softer, straighter coats, straight front legs, better mouths, slightly smaller heads, a slightly longer nose and beautiful soft eyes.
I mention all the background as a basis for the comparison of the early imports and the Shih Tzu of today. Enormous problems faced the early breeders. Although countless imports flooded the U.S., the Shih Tzu were scattered from coast to coast and many of the “breeders” had never seen a Shih Tzu. The very size of the US made breeding even more difficult when many breeders were forced to use the only available studs in their immediate vicinity, good or bad. Shipping by air to breed was not a common practice at that time. At the time most of the imports were not closely line bred so a great many breedings were out crosses and locating a close relative or a pre-potent stud was near impossible. The fact that there were two different Shih Tzu registries and one independent breeder registry did not help either. The British Standard was used as a basis when the American Shih Tzu Club devised its Standard. One major change was that the “legs became straight” and in the 1989 revision the word “short” when referring to the legs was omitted in the American Standard. Another problem was that the Shih Tzu would be shown in the Toy Group in the U.S. and shown in the Non-Sporting Group in Canada and the equivalent in the U.K., the Utility Group.
With the differences in the imports many heated arguments took place between the breeders as to what the correct size and weight should be. Some stated that the larger and coarser dogs had lost their Oriental appearance, a major breed point at the time. What was more important in the correct “type” differed in each section of the country. Type is one of the most used and misused words when referring to dogs. The Hon. Mrs. Neville Lytton in her book “Toy Dogs and their Ancestors,” published in 1911, wrote when asked about type, “most people interpret it rather than define it.” I think this is still a very valid answer after nearly 100 years. According to Webster’s New Explorer Dictionary type is defined as “a class, kind or group set apart by common characteristics.”
I am using a quote from the late Mr. Nigel Aubrey-Jones in an article written for “Dog News.”
“One word the new comer has to wrestle with is to truly understand what it is to describe “type.” Yet they have no reason to be ashamed of this, as its intended meaning can also escape the established breeder and judge. It is a very vague term and not by any means alone when we refer to dogs. Yet this is a virtue in a dog or bitch that an experienced breeder or judge can recognize instantly. It has been said quite often that the nearest to absolute perfection of type in any breed lies at the recommended description in a breed Standard, not at its extremes.”
During the early 1970’s the Shih Tzu in the American show ring were a mixed bag so to speak, as the breed had not been stabilized to conform to the then standard. During that period one could see small, big, bigger, short legged, long legged, slab-sided, square but one consolation, thankfully, a rainbow of beautiful colors in the show-ring. It was later, in the 1980s, when every shade of gold and white with black tips became the “in” color combination and it was very nearly impossible to win with any other color. This was due to several studs being used on a great many bitches good and bad. It was during this latter period and into the 1980s that many of the newly approved judges had never seen solid blacks, silvers, black and white, black masked golds and brindles with many assuming that gold and white was the color of all Shih Tzu. This was when the “American Shih Tzu” began to emerge, a leggy, slab-sided, square dog with too much length of neck. The eyes were smaller due to the reduction in the size of head and the forehead became less prominent and flatter which I think was due to a throwback to the Lhasa. It appears the Shih Tzu head seems to be regressing to the normal structure of the dog. IF WE LOSE THE BROAD ROUND SHIH TZU HEAD IT WILL BE LOST FOREVER, NEVER TO BE REGAINED. IT MUST BE CONTINUALLY BRED FOR.
Some of the imports had a great influence on the American Shih Tzu while others had no direct influence at all. I know several dogs imported by the Rev. Easton and Mrs. Easton which arrived over an extended period. It was well known that Rev. Easton preferred a smaller Shih Tzu but imported several Shih Tzu from the U.K. They included, in addition to Si-Kiang’s Tashi from Ingrid Colwell, who was the sire of many champions, Wei Honey Gold of Elfann from Elfreda Evans, a 10 pound solid gold bitch sired by Mister Wu x Elfann Gold Leaf of Tawnyridge; Jemima of Lhakang, a black and white ggranddaughter of Wuffles and Mai-Ting from Mrs. Gay Widdrington; Ch. Katrina of Greenmoss; and Int. Ch. Tangra von Tschomo Lungma, in whelp to Int. Ch. Bjornholms Pif, from Erika Geusendam. One puppy from that breeding was to make history for the Shih Tzu breed in the U.S. That puppy became Am/Can. Champion Chumulari Ying Ying ROM. His influence has been tremendous and is still felt in the show-ring. Some of his accomplishments included winning Best in Show on the first day of AKC recognition. He sired 30 champions, 6 all breed Best in Show dogs, each from a different dam; this was accomplished before shipping by air was in vogue. His name appears in an extended pedigree of countless champion Shih Tzu and would be impossible to list. His name appears 7 times in the pedigree of the top producing American Shih Tzu of all time and in Am/Can Ch. Shente’s Brandy Alexander, winner of 58 BIS and 18 Specialties and Am/Can. Ch. Shente’s Christian Dior, winner of 94 BIS and 8 Specialty awards. He was the sire of Ch. Dragonwyck The Great Gatsby, who became the top winning Shih Tzu in the US with 42 BIS. I doubt if there is any country with Shih Tzu that in some of the dogs “Ying’s” name does not appear in an extended pedigree. The Eastons later imported from the Baroness Van Panthaeleon Int. Ch. Quang Te V.D. Blauwe Mammouth and Dhuti V. Tschomo Lungma from Mrs. Guesendam. An additional bitch exported to the U.S. was Int. Ch. Freya Shu V.D. Oranje Menage to the West Coast.
Additional influential imports were Elfann Fu Ling of Lhakang in the Midwest, silver and white dog; Ching Yea of Lhakang, a small black and white dog, in the Pennsylvania area; Jungfaltets Jung-Wu on the east coast, a dark silver and white bitch; Bjornholms Pif, gold and white dog, in the Midwest; Int. Ch. Sophon Vom Tschomo Lungma, silver gold and white dog on the West coast; Chasmu Solo, clear gold and white dog, in the Northeast; Ahso Deska, silver and white bitch, and Yue Kaang of Ilderton, silver gold and white dog, in the Southwest. These are only a few of the original imports that produced the first generations of Shih Tzu in the U.S. who later served as foundation stock for many new breeders.
Having seen some of the original dogs imported by the Eastons and photos of many of the other imports not only has the type changed drastically but the overall silhouette has changed as well, to the point that comparing the early Shih Tzu imports to those of today would be like comparing apples to oranges. In my opinion many of the original English imports were exceptional with their broad round heads, good bodies and bone along with the smaller Scandinavian dogs with their straight front legs and beautiful coats. The breeders in the U.S. created an American Shih Tzu from the combination of the two totally different lines. In a comparison by photos, it is quite evident that the current Shih Tzu in America bears little resemblance to its early ancestors. Mr. Nigel Aubrey-Jones in the same article for Dog News has expressed my opinion on the current Shih Tzu in the ring with words far better than I. He wrote, “Exaggeration has always been responsible in destroying type in almost every breed. Whether we like it or not America, through its professional handlers, has to take some responsibility for this. There are always those breeders and exhibitors who will try to beat other competitors by showing a dog with a bit more this or that. They make the mistake of believing this to be a virtue not a fault. Very soon this picture can lead to very untypical and unbalanced dogs dominating a breed in the show-ring. Exaggeration in some features of a dog quite often turn what could have been a virtue into a serious fault.” Unfortunately in most cases what we see in the ring is the way the breed is headed.
Over the past 25 years I have seen one of the most delightful, outgoing, happy, rugged and beautiful breeds turned into a pampered, powdered, painted, cosmetic cartoon character of its original self, with their giraffe like necks, square bodies, long legs, the exaggerated and incredibly teased and sprayed top-knots, done to make a small head appear larger and often times used to disguise a too long nose. Their dead straight coats achieved by hours of pressing with every conceivable type of pressing iron possible. The current AKC standard cautions about trimming. It does not include shaving the hair from the upper lip to the outer corners of the nose leather to achieve a square muzzle. That completely destroys the warm sweet expression and could be faulted as excessive trimming. I personally find the shaving of the top lip extremely offensive. If that were not enough the beautiful natural black eye stripes that were once genetically acquired are now painted on in black, the color stopping at the bow which sits squarely in the middle of “that top-knot.” I find it amazing that the black color stops at the bow and does not extend to the ends of the hair. It would be difficult to recognize a few of our present day winners without their “make up.” In many cases I feel that a great deal of the beauty of the original Shih Tzu has been bred out.
The comments in this article are simply my own opinions and observations of this incredible little dog for the last 36 years as an exhibitor, breeder and judge. I thank all the breeders then and now who have helped preserve one of God’s truly unique creatures. I thank the Shih Tzu Club and its members for this opportunity to express my views on the American Shih Tzu.
It is fitting to share this article on the 50th anniversary of AKC recognition of the Shih Tzu. It was written about 15 years ago for the Shih Tzu Bulletin in England and permission to reprint it in the United States was granted by the late Victor Joris, noted breed historian, judge and the author of The Complete Shih Tzu (1984). If other old-timers who saw some of the first American Shih Tzu would like to share their thoughts on how the breed in America has changed over the past 50 years, for good and for ill, please contact Jo Ann White, joawhite@juno.com.
To the best of my knowledge and from extensive research all Shih Tzu in the U.S. trace their ancestry to imports from either the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands or one of the Scandinavian countries.
The original Shih Tzu imported into England by Lady Brownrigg, into Ireland by Miss E. M. Hutchins and into Norway by Mme. Henrik Kauffman, although carefully chosen by each of these ladies, were not identical in size, structure, weight or type. In efforts to establish a new breed with a very limited gene pool the breeding policy is governed by the existing conditions and the available stock. The breeding of close relatives was unavoidable and even desirable in some instances in order to establish a uniform type. The entire gene pool for all existing Shih Tzu is derived from a combination of 14 dogs and bitches. One of these fourteen was the Pekingese dog, Philadelphus Suti-T’sun of Elfann. One bitch Ishuh Tzu, whose dam, Hamilton Maru, was registered in the United States as a Lhasa and had won at Westminster, was imported into the U.K. in 1948 and declared suitable for registration as a Shih Tzu by Lady Brownrigg. One interesting note concerning this line in the Lhasa Apso Best in Show winner at Crufts in 1984 and the Best of Breed Shih Tzu winner at the same show descended from that line. Each had illustrious descendents in the U.K. and the U.S. Most of the imports, both English and Scandinavian, had come from China with “pedigree unknown,” or only one generation known. A great deal had to be learned about their descendants through the offspring of the early generations. Before the death of the Dowager Empress in 1908 the Shih Tzu was very difficult to obtain and so far as we know after the death of the old Dowager Empress the Shih Tzu became extinct in China with only a few able to reach the Western world. At the time of her death there were three distinct toy dogs being bred in the Imperial Palace, the Pug, Pekingese and Shih Tzu, all short nosed breeds with not much difference between them except coat. No one knows exactly what ingredients the palace eunuchs stirred together in their experiments with the palace dogs to create the Shih Tzu.
It is interesting to note that prior to 1952 eight Shih Tzu from the UK were imported into the US and all were re-registered and bred as Lhasa Apso as well as some of the Shih Tzu brought back by members of the armed forces which were also bred. We know that all breeds of dogs were created by interbreeding for a desired trait. We can only suppose what breeds were used in the creation of the Shih Tzu. It has long been my belief that the Shih Tzu for the most part was a combination of the Tibetan Spaniel and the Pekingese rather than the Lhasa Apso and have seen this in litters which would indicate that the Tibbie breeds true while I think the Shih Tzu does not. That does not discount the introduction of Lhasa genes as we know they are also there. The differences between the Lhasa head and the Shih Tzu head are considerable. The Shih Tzu head more closely resembles that of the Tibetan Spaniel.
We can breed away from certain genes but once introduced they are carried from generation to generation in the genotype and may never resurface again but could in future litters when least expected. Even with the utmost care when selecting a superior dog and bitch for breeding and with full knowledge of their ancestors, there is always the chance that the litter will not be up to specifications and could produce throwbacks to an earlier ancestor.
As stated before very early in the development of the breed a great many Shih Tzu were imported into the U.S. and the two types were interbred whereas only one or two Shih Tzu were exported to England early on from Scandinavia. That established a more stable type for the English dogs as there was very little interbreeding between the two lines. The English lines had been introduced into the Scandinavian imports very early in the development of the breed as well as the Scandinavian line through ‘My Lord of Tibet’ into the English lines.
The breed was established in the U.K. with Championship status granted in 1940, long before the Shih Tzu made an appearance in the U.S., with over 700 registered Shih Tzu between 1930 and 1955. Despite interest in the breed by American fanciers the American Kennel Club showed very limited, or no, interest in the breed. The Shih Tzu was eventually accepted into the AKC Miscellaneous Class in 1955 but had to wait another 14 years before being able to compete for championship status. One stumbling block for acceptance was the Peke cross done by Miss Evans in 1952 and the similarity to the already approved Lhasa Apso. The Shih Tzu was approved for AKC conformation shows on the 1st of September 1969.
Unfortunately the little Chinese Lion Dog captured the imagination of the public and almost overnight became the most sought after toy dog in the U.S. From 1957 through 1963 well over 100 Shih Tzu were exported to the US from around the world. This information comes from the late Rev. D. Allan Easton’s papers listing the name of the breeder, country of origin, kennel name, date exported and new owner.
With countless imports flooding the country to would be “breeders,” many of whom had absolutely no knowledge of the breed, a frenzy of breeding took place. Many of the early dedicated breeders struggled diligently to try and develop a healthy and stable type Shih Tzu from the assorted differences in sizes of the original imports. In the very early years prior to and after AKC acceptance one could see 17 and 18 pound Shih Tzu in the show-ring alongside some weighing 7 pounds. It was necessary to stabilize and try to correct the many variables in the breed. Many of the early fanciers of the breed were no longer breeding and the Shih Tzu future was left somewhat in the hands of anyone who could own a dog. However, thankfully most of those would be breeders fell by the wayside and it was left up to the remaining dedicated breeders to try and correct some of the results of the haphazard breedings that took place. It was those breeders who have continued to extol the virtues of the breed.
Some of the early imports from the U.K. and the Continent, as stated, were large in size and weight with unruly coats, bad mouths and bowed fronts but with beautiful round heads, good bone and body. Missing, though not in all, was the warm Eastern look in the eyes of the Scandinavian exports. Some of the imports that arrived from the Scandinavian countries were smaller in overall size, daintier, with softer, straighter coats, straight front legs, better mouths, slightly smaller heads, a slightly longer nose and beautiful soft eyes.
I mention all the background as a basis for the comparison of the early imports and the Shih Tzu of today. Enormous problems faced the early breeders. Although countless imports flooded the U.S., the Shih Tzu were scattered from coast to coast and many of the “breeders” had never seen a Shih Tzu. The very size of the US made breeding even more difficult when many breeders were forced to use the only available studs in their immediate vicinity, good or bad. Shipping by air to breed was not a common practice at that time. At the time most of the imports were not closely line bred so a great many breedings were out crosses and locating a close relative or a pre-potent stud was near impossible. The fact that there were two different Shih Tzu registries and one independent breeder registry did not help either. The British Standard was used as a basis when the American Shih Tzu Club devised its Standard. One major change was that the “legs became straight” and in the 1989 revision the word “short” when referring to the legs was omitted in the American Standard. Another problem was that the Shih Tzu would be shown in the Toy Group in the U.S. and shown in the Non-Sporting Group in Canada and the equivalent in the U.K., the Utility Group.
With the differences in the imports many heated arguments took place between the breeders as to what the correct size and weight should be. Some stated that the larger and coarser dogs had lost their Oriental appearance, a major breed point at the time. What was more important in the correct “type” differed in each section of the country. Type is one of the most used and misused words when referring to dogs. The Hon. Mrs. Neville Lytton in her book “Toy Dogs and their Ancestors,” published in 1911, wrote when asked about type, “most people interpret it rather than define it.” I think this is still a very valid answer after nearly 100 years. According to Webster’s New Explorer Dictionary type is defined as “a class, kind or group set apart by common characteristics.”
I am using a quote from the late Mr. Nigel Aubrey-Jones in an article written for “Dog News.”
“One word the new comer has to wrestle with is to truly understand what it is to describe “type.” Yet they have no reason to be ashamed of this, as its intended meaning can also escape the established breeder and judge. It is a very vague term and not by any means alone when we refer to dogs. Yet this is a virtue in a dog or bitch that an experienced breeder or judge can recognize instantly. It has been said quite often that the nearest to absolute perfection of type in any breed lies at the recommended description in a breed Standard, not at its extremes.”
During the early 1970’s the Shih Tzu in the American show ring were a mixed bag so to speak, as the breed had not been stabilized to conform to the then standard. During that period one could see small, big, bigger, short legged, long legged, slab-sided, square but one consolation, thankfully, a rainbow of beautiful colors in the show-ring. It was later, in the 1980s, when every shade of gold and white with black tips became the “in” color combination and it was very nearly impossible to win with any other color. This was due to several studs being used on a great many bitches good and bad. It was during this latter period and into the 1980s that many of the newly approved judges had never seen solid blacks, silvers, black and white, black masked golds and brindles with many assuming that gold and white was the color of all Shih Tzu. This was when the “American Shih Tzu” began to emerge, a leggy, slab-sided, square dog with too much length of neck. The eyes were smaller due to the reduction in the size of head and the forehead became less prominent and flatter which I think was due to a throwback to the Lhasa. It appears the Shih Tzu head seems to be regressing to the normal structure of the dog. IF WE LOSE THE BROAD ROUND SHIH TZU HEAD IT WILL BE LOST FOREVER, NEVER TO BE REGAINED. IT MUST BE CONTINUALLY BRED FOR.
Some of the imports had a great influence on the American Shih Tzu while others had no direct influence at all. I know several dogs imported by the Rev. Easton and Mrs. Easton which arrived over an extended period. It was well known that Rev. Easton preferred a smaller Shih Tzu but imported several Shih Tzu from the U.K. They included, in addition to Si-Kiang’s Tashi from Ingrid Colwell, who was the sire of many champions, Wei Honey Gold of Elfann from Elfreda Evans, a 10 pound solid gold bitch sired by Mister Wu x Elfann Gold Leaf of Tawnyridge; Jemima of Lhakang, a black and white ggranddaughter of Wuffles and Mai-Ting from Mrs. Gay Widdrington; Ch. Katrina of Greenmoss; and Int. Ch. Tangra von Tschomo Lungma, in whelp to Int. Ch. Bjornholms Pif, from Erika Geusendam. One puppy from that breeding was to make history for the Shih Tzu breed in the U.S. That puppy became Am/Can. Champion Chumulari Ying Ying ROM. His influence has been tremendous and is still felt in the show-ring. Some of his accomplishments included winning Best in Show on the first day of AKC recognition. He sired 30 champions, 6 all breed Best in Show dogs, each from a different dam; this was accomplished before shipping by air was in vogue. His name appears in an extended pedigree of countless champion Shih Tzu and would be impossible to list. His name appears 7 times in the pedigree of the top producing American Shih Tzu of all time and in Am/Can Ch. Shente’s Brandy Alexander, winner of 58 BIS and 18 Specialties and Am/Can. Ch. Shente’s Christian Dior, winner of 94 BIS and 8 Specialty awards. He was the sire of Ch. Dragonwyck The Great Gatsby, who became the top winning Shih Tzu in the US with 42 BIS. I doubt if there is any country with Shih Tzu that in some of the dogs “Ying’s” name does not appear in an extended pedigree. The Eastons later imported from the Baroness Van Panthaeleon Int. Ch. Quang Te V.D. Blauwe Mammouth and Dhuti V. Tschomo Lungma from Mrs. Guesendam. An additional bitch exported to the U.S. was Int. Ch. Freya Shu V.D. Oranje Menage to the West Coast.
Additional influential imports were Elfann Fu Ling of Lhakang in the Midwest, silver and white dog; Ching Yea of Lhakang, a small black and white dog, in the Pennsylvania area; Jungfaltets Jung-Wu on the east coast, a dark silver and white bitch; Bjornholms Pif, gold and white dog, in the Midwest; Int. Ch. Sophon Vom Tschomo Lungma, silver gold and white dog on the West coast; Chasmu Solo, clear gold and white dog, in the Northeast; Ahso Deska, silver and white bitch, and Yue Kaang of Ilderton, silver gold and white dog, in the Southwest. These are only a few of the original imports that produced the first generations of Shih Tzu in the U.S. who later served as foundation stock for many new breeders.
Having seen some of the original dogs imported by the Eastons and photos of many of the other imports not only has the type changed drastically but the overall silhouette has changed as well, to the point that comparing the early Shih Tzu imports to those of today would be like comparing apples to oranges. In my opinion many of the original English imports were exceptional with their broad round heads, good bodies and bone along with the smaller Scandinavian dogs with their straight front legs and beautiful coats. The breeders in the U.S. created an American Shih Tzu from the combination of the two totally different lines. In a comparison by photos, it is quite evident that the current Shih Tzu in America bears little resemblance to its early ancestors. Mr. Nigel Aubrey-Jones in the same article for Dog News has expressed my opinion on the current Shih Tzu in the ring with words far better than I. He wrote, “Exaggeration has always been responsible in destroying type in almost every breed. Whether we like it or not America, through its professional handlers, has to take some responsibility for this. There are always those breeders and exhibitors who will try to beat other competitors by showing a dog with a bit more this or that. They make the mistake of believing this to be a virtue not a fault. Very soon this picture can lead to very untypical and unbalanced dogs dominating a breed in the show-ring. Exaggeration in some features of a dog quite often turn what could have been a virtue into a serious fault.” Unfortunately in most cases what we see in the ring is the way the breed is headed.
Over the past 25 years I have seen one of the most delightful, outgoing, happy, rugged and beautiful breeds turned into a pampered, powdered, painted, cosmetic cartoon character of its original self, with their giraffe like necks, square bodies, long legs, the exaggerated and incredibly teased and sprayed top-knots, done to make a small head appear larger and often times used to disguise a too long nose. Their dead straight coats achieved by hours of pressing with every conceivable type of pressing iron possible. The current AKC standard cautions about trimming. It does not include shaving the hair from the upper lip to the outer corners of the nose leather to achieve a square muzzle. That completely destroys the warm sweet expression and could be faulted as excessive trimming. I personally find the shaving of the top lip extremely offensive. If that were not enough the beautiful natural black eye stripes that were once genetically acquired are now painted on in black, the color stopping at the bow which sits squarely in the middle of “that top-knot.” I find it amazing that the black color stops at the bow and does not extend to the ends of the hair. It would be difficult to recognize a few of our present day winners without their “make up.” In many cases I feel that a great deal of the beauty of the original Shih Tzu has been bred out.
The comments in this article are simply my own opinions and observations of this incredible little dog for the last 36 years as an exhibitor, breeder and judge. I thank all the breeders then and now who have helped preserve one of God’s truly unique creatures. I thank the Shih Tzu Club and its members for this opportunity to express my views on the American Shih Tzu.
It is fitting to share this article on the 50th anniversary of AKC recognition of the Shih Tzu. It was written about 15 years ago for the Shih Tzu Bulletin in England and permission to reprint it in the United States was granted by the late Victor Joris, noted breed historian, judge and the author of The Complete Shih Tzu (1984). If other old-timers who saw some of the first American Shih Tzu would like to share their thoughts on how the breed in America has changed over the past 50 years, for good and for ill, please contact Jo Ann White, joawhite@juno.com.