Country of Origin: Tibet

Date of Origin: 16^th Century

Characteristics: The Shih-tzu is from Tibet and first bred in the sixteenth century. It was used as a watchdog, and as a royal pet. The Shih-tzu is stubborn, clever, spunky, and is fairly active.

Height & Weight: It can live up to 15 years or more. It weighs between 9-16 pounds and it is about 11 inches tall.

Original Function: The Shih-tzu's original function was they were used for breeding and for trading.

Today's Function: Today it is used as a companion, and a show dog (listed under non-sporting dog).

Tibet is a warm, beautiful country. The Chinese invaded Tibet and are still stripping away the land. Tibet is the highest region on earth and its capitol is Lhasa. The Shih-tzu is called the lion dog because the hair on their face looks like a lion's main. I enjoyed researching this dog and I hope you learned something!