“A proper topknot should frame the face and enhance the expression. IT SHOULD NOT BE A TEASED AND ROUNDED
the bottom of the eye rim. The head should be in balance with the rest of the dog, and the correct placement of the eyes is a key factor in creating the desirable sweet, warm expression re- flective of the breed’s temperament. And then, returning to the issue of grooming, there are those towering, elaborate topknots that have become the bane of newcomers to our sport. A proper topknot should frame the face and enhance the expression. It should not be a teased and rounded append- age on top of—and generally unre- lated to—the head. (If the dog is not structurally sound, such a topknot “bobs” when the dog is moving.) Nor should it be a palm tree or a show-girl headdress. Such elaborate topknots are often used to create the illusion of a long neck. If the dog has little body, a long neck, a small head, and a flat tail, the end result may appear elegant, but it is far from the well-balanced dog described in the breed standard and pictured in the Illustrated Guide. Below is the American Shih Tzu Club Judges EducationCommittee’s state - ment on topknots, provided to judges and prospective judges of Shih Tzu at seminars sanctioned by the Ameri- can Shih Tzu Club: The Shih Tzu Standard addresses both the Shih Tzu head and ex- pression in some detail. The head should be round and broad “in bal- ance with the overall size of the dog.” The expression is warm and sweet, “an overall well-balanced and pleasant expression.”
We are cautioned to “examine well beyond the hair to determine if what is seen is the actual head and expres- sion rather than an image created by grooming technique.” The Parent Club has been watching an ever growing trend for topknots that are more and more elaborate in shape and construction. It has, in fact, developed to the point of actually de- tracting from some of the breed’s very important characteristics—head, ex- pression, and balance. This style of topknot may give the il- lusion of a longer neck when viewed from the side. The breed is required to have sufficient length of neck to permit naturally high head car- riage—in balance with the height and length of the dog. Nowhere is it stated “long neck.” We are asking Shih Tzu judges, as well as breeders, to help reverse a trend that has become out of hand. Some handlers are hesitant to show their dogs with a more classic, sim- plistic topknot for fear of appear- ing unknowledgeable or lacking in grooming skills. Perhaps some judges are hesitant in their selections for the same reason. No good dog should be penalized for the groomer’s preference in topknot styles. However, they should not be given preferential treatment for the same thing. Let’s please heed the caution underlined in our Standard referencing “an image created by grooming technique.”
APPENDAGE ON TOP OF—
AND GENERALLY UNRELATED TO— THE HEAD.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jo AnnWhite, a director of the ASTC and the Shih Tzu Fanciers of Central Florida, is the long-time breed colum- nist for the AKCGazette andmanager of the ASTCwebsite. She had bred and/or ownedmore than 20 champions, including the winner of the 2010 ASTCNational Specialty, and has writtenmany books and articles on the breed.
62 • T op N otch T oys , N ovember 2021
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