The
AKC standard for Shih Tzu is described below or you can see the
illustrated guide to the standard here.
AKC
Standard taken from the AKC website
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 10 1/2 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.
