“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.”
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 pro- fessional handlers, has to take some responsibility for this. There are al- ways 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 be- lieving this to be a virtue not a fault. Very soon this picture can lead to very untypical and unbalanced dogs domi- nating a breed in the show-ring. Ex- aggeration in some features of a dog quite often turn what could have been a virtue into a serious fault.” Unfor- tunately 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 conceiv- able 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
Additional influential imports were Elfann Fu Ling of Lhakang in the Midwest, silver and white dog; Ch- ing 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 Ilder- ton, 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 founda- tion 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 to- day would be like comparing apples to oranges. In my opinion many of the original English imports were excep- tional with their broad, round heads, good bodies and bone along with the smaller Scandinavian dogs with their straight front legs and beauti- ful 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 cur- rent Shih Tzu in America bears little resemblance to its early ancestors. Mr. Nigel Aubrey-Jones in the same
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 bowwhich sits square- ly 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 dif- ficult 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 sim- plymy ownopinions andobservations 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 mem- bers 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.
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