A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO EXAMINING & JUDGING THE SHIH TZU by Joe Walton J udging the Shih Tzu can be a challenging task for the newly approved breed judge. Because the Shih Tzu is a heavily coated
drome in the breed, as a look in which the face is small; with the muzzle pinched, with small nose leather, and the entiremuzzle turned up. The Shih Tzu should NEVER give that impres- sion when viewed straight on. There should be good bone, good substance (referred to many times in the stan- dard), good spring of rib, and a long, luxurious “double coat.” The eyes are large and as dark as possible; set wide apart, with the bridge of the nose no lower than the bottom of the eye sockets. The nose leather (not length) should be large and black, with wide open nostrils. If you must choose be- tween “down-faced” or a nose placed too high, choose the latter. The eyes should be large, round, and dark, with as little eye white as possible. The Shih Tzu should have a broad lower jaw with a reverse scissors bite. Many newer judges are hesitant to thoroughly examine the head of the Shih Tzu for fear of “messing up the grooming.” It is not difficult to exam- ine the Shih Tzu’s head thoroughly without disturbing the grooming at all. To examine the head, cup the head with your hands and fingers behind the ears. With your thumbs, check the ear set to see if the ears are set just below the crown of the head, and to see if there is “doming” between the ears. Use either thumb to determine the depth of the stop and the length of the nose. Using either thumb, push inward on the topknot (between the bow and the stop) to see if there is
sufficient skull forward. Often, the skull falls away above the eyes, with practically no foreskull. Run both thumbs down each side of the muzzle andmustache to determine the width. Using either hand, hold down on the beard below the lower lip, and push the lips upward with the other to ex- amine the bite. The mouth should be a reverse scissors bite. This means the upper incisors are inside the lower. When perfect, the incisors just touch. The amount of “undershotness” is not important, as long as the teeth and tongue do not show. The width of the jaw is more important than mis- aligned or a missing tooth. Check the muzzle from the side to see if it is per- pendicular and not swept (laid) back. The remainder of the physical exami- nation of the Shih Tzu is like that of most other breeds. When examin- ing the coat texture, feel the coat be- tween your fingers to determine the texture. Do not massage (stroke) the coat back and forth along the spine. Lay the tail back to see if it is set on high. Also, determine whether the tail lays flat on the back, or is more like a teapot handle. There should be room for you to slide your hand between the tail and the dog’s back when the tail curls over the side. The tail is set on high; arching well over the back, and not carried tightly over the side of the dog or lying flat on the back. Step back to determine the shape of the dog. The Shih Tzu should be only slightly longer than tall (legginess is a fault).
breed, one must take extra care dur- ing the hands-on examination. Dur- ing the gaiting, confusion can arise because of the flowing coat which can create illusions both positive and negative. And lastly, what one finds in the ring is often quite different from what was learned in seminars and study groups. In those sessions, one often sees only good examples of the breed. The reality of judging is that most of the time, one has to pass judg- ment on, shall we say, less than stellar examples of the breed. What then are the most important characteristics to keep in mind while judging these beautiful dogs? One is the head. The head should be large in proportion to the body. We have lost size in heads, and what is more alarm- ing is that most dogs’ heads are nearly flat between the ears. There should be good “doming” above the eyes and between the ears. The head should be ROUND when viewed from the front or from the side. The muzzle should be broad and square from the front, and perpendicular when viewed from the side. The nostrils should be wide open. The teeth are ideally straight, but the width of the jaw (per the standard) is more important than slightly misaligned teeth or a missing tooth. Many years ago, Jay Ammon described the “Persian Kitten” syn-
58 • T op N otch T oys , N ovember 2021
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