by Jo Ann White LIVING WITH A SHIH TZU
I t is hard tobelieve that I acquiredmy first Shih Tzu more than 50 years ago, before the breed first gained full AKC recognition in 1969. Since that time, I have never been without one or more of these delightful crea- tures sleeping on my bed and sharing my life—through several jobs, seven moves and two marriages. And I have never regretted a moment of it! This is a wonderful breed. Shih Tzu love children and other dogs—and, most of all, people in general. Your Shih Tzu is always interested in what you are doing and is likely to follow you from room to room, but usually does not insist on your immediate attention. If you are otherwise occu- pied, he will sleep (probably on your feet) or amuse himself (toy freaks are common). A Shih Tzu can be very cat-like, using its paws to juggle its toys and keeping itself clean. Of course, he would prefer to train you rather than have you train him! Just don’t let the charm lead to an over- weight, spoiled dog that refuses to be groomed. Praise for doing the right thing is the best training method for this eager-to-please breed, while an- noying attention-seeking behaviors are best ignored. When I got my first Shih Tzu, I had never even been to a dog show.
Shih Tzu Club National. We will be at the Pier Sixty-Six Hotel and Ma- rina in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from April 23-27 with two regionals, the national specialty, and two obedience and rally obedience competitions, plus seminars on grooming and han- dling and breed history and the breed standard. There will also be ASTC- sponsored agility trials at the Bratty Paws complex in Punta Gorda, Flor- ida, April 20-22. And if you are al- ready planning to attend any of these events, please welcome and mentor newcomers. The complete schedule of events—and a lot more information about our breed for pet owners, ex- hibitors, and judges—can be found on the ASTC website, www.shihtzu.org . We invite you to Flamingle with us! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jo Ann White, a director of the ASTC and the Shih Tzu Fanciers of Central Florida, is show chair for the 2019 ASTC National, breed columnist for the AKC Gazette, and manager of the ASTC website. She has bred and/ or owned more than 20 champions, including the winner of the 2010 Na- tional, and has writtenmany books and articles on the breed.
His breeders encouraged me to try showing, and the atmosphere around the miscellaneous class ring was wel- coming. Other exhibitors were help- ful. We were trying to promote our breed and gain full AKC recognition, so we could compete for group and best in show honors instead of hav- ing competition end after winning, at most, a pink ribbon. At that time, grooming (especially topknots) was rudimentary, the atmosphere less competitive, and everyone wanted to learn everything they could about this old but new-to-us breed. It fos- tered a ringside camaraderie that is often missing today. Like many of the Shih Tzu breed- ers who got their start in the 1960s and 1970s, we volunteered and we studied. A lot. I don’t know whether it is because dog shows have become more expensive and competitive, or because modern life is more hectic, or because breeders are under pres- sure from the animal rights people, or because people want instant grati- fication, or because show grooming requires so much effort, but the dog show world’s cadre of knowledgeable and willing workers is dwindling. Let’s all try to change that. Shih Tzu lovers of all stripes are wel- come to join us at the 2019 American
“A SHIH TZU CAN BE VERY CAT-LIKE, USING ITS PAWS TO JUGGLE ITS TOYS AND KEEPING ITSELF CLEAN.”
46 • T op N otch T oys , A pril 2019
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