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Breed guide · Dogs
Her ancestors were a gift to an emperor. I brush her teeth every night.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Room to room all day, the bathroom included, and happiest when touching you.
What's going onShih Tzus were bred for company and nothing else, and they take it seriously. Wanting to be near you is normal. Distress when you leave is something else, and a reason to contact your vet.
At home
On their back, twisted, or half off the sofa.
What's going onIt is one of the best things about them. Loud snoring is the part to notice. If it is getting louder, film it and show your vet.
At home
A sudden sprint round the living room, then flat out on the floor.
What's going onThe burst is normal. How long they take to get their breath back is what to watch.
At home
Wet, stained fur under the eyes that comes back however often you wipe it.
What's going onIt is common, and not only cosmetic. Hair rubbing the eye, or an eyelash growing the wrong way, can cause it. Keep the hair trimmed, and contact your vet the same day to have their eyes looked at.
At home
A kiss you notice from across the sofa.
What's going onPet parents joke about it. In a Shih Tzu, bad breath is often their teeth, and teeth are where this breed most often runs into trouble.
At home
Head shaking and ear scratching that looks like a habit.
What's going onEar infections and allergies can start young in a Shih Tzu, so a monthly ear clean is part of the routine. Itching that keeps coming back is a reason to contact your vet the same day.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: A lap to sit on, and someone to keep company.
In Dubai: Company in a flat, and sometimes a long day alone.
Their face
Built for: A short face and a sweet expression.
In Dubai: A narrower airway, in a summer that runs from May to September.
Their coat
Built for: A floor-length coat for the show ring.
In Dubai: A long coat in the heat, with hair all around the eyes.
The tear stains, the breath and the snoring mostly come from that face.
So much of their care happens at home, in a few minutes a day: a toothbrush and a comb, with eye wipes and ear cleaning on a routine. The ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Shih Tzu's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Their airway is narrower than a longer-faced dog's, and they carry a long coat. Heat is the thing they handle worst.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Their airway is narrower than a longer-faced dog's, and they carry a long coat. Heat is the thing they handle worst.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark, and keep it short. When they stop, let them. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds. If you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Never leave them in the car.
They play in bursts and will keep going past the point they should stop.
Every age, most of all puppies and young dogs
Why
They play in bursts and will keep going past the point they should stop.
What to do
Short games indoors, then a rest. Stop before their breathing gets loud. In summer, keep play in the air conditioning.
The breed's health record lists a mild form of Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome (flat-faced breathing difficulty) from puppyhood to young adulthood. Snoring is easy to find sweet and easy to miss.
Every age, and again each year
Why
The breed's health record lists a mild form of Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome (flat-faced breathing difficulty) from puppyhood to young adulthood. Snoring is easy to find sweet and easy to miss.
What to do
One night, film two minutes of them asleep with the sound on. Watch for snoring, pauses in their breathing, or waking with a start, and show your vet. Film again once a year and compare.
They will be brushed, combed, trimmed and have their teeth cleaned for life. A dog who is happy on the table makes all of it easier.
Every age, starting in the first week
Why
They will be brushed, combed, trimmed and have their teeth cleaned for life. A dog who is happy on the table makes all of it easier.
What to do
A minute or two a day from the first week: touch their paws, lift their lip, hold their chin while you wipe their eyes, and reward them for staying still. Keep it short, and do it somewhere cool.
Lying flat on cold tiles is how they get rid of heat.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Lying flat on cold tiles is how they get rid of heat.
What to do
Keep their room air-conditioned from May to September, with a tiled spot or a cooling mat and water in two places. If they always end up on the same cold patch of floor, put their bed next to it.
A collar pulls on their throat, where their airway is already short.
Every age, refitted as they grow
Why
A collar pulls on their throat, where their airway is already short.
What to do
Use a harness that sits across their chest, and check the coat underneath it for knots. Keep a collar for their tag, and never clip the lead to it.
A short face and a long coat that soaks through. They are not built to swim.
Every age, most of all puppies and older dogs
Why
A short face and a long coat that soaks through. They are not built to swim.
What to do
Keep them out of the pool area. Near water, put them in a dog life jacket with a handle and keep hold of it. After any soaking, dry their coat and their ears properly.
Extra weight makes breathing harder, and from middle age it puts more strain on their back.
Every age, most of all from 6 months to 7 years
Why
Extra weight makes breathing harder, and from middle age it puts more strain on their back.
What to do
Weigh them every month. Measure their meals and count treats as food. Feel for their ribs under the coat with your hands: you should find them easily.
Dental disease is the biggest risk for a Shih Tzu. Eye problems and ear infections can start in puppyhood too.
Every age
Why
Dental disease is the biggest risk for a Shih Tzu. Eye problems and ear infections can start in puppyhood too.
What to do
Brush their teeth every night. Keep the hair trimmed away from their eyes, and clean around them with a vet eye wipe at least once a month. Clean their ears once a month with a vet ear cleaner. Squinting or a cloudy eye means contacting your vet the same day. A professional dental clean every 6 to 12 months and an ophthalmic evaluation (eye exam) every year are in your plan from six months to four years.
From middle age the breed's health record lists Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD, a slipped disc in the back) and recommends ramps and no high jumps.
Every age, most of all from 4 years
Why
From middle age the breed's health record lists Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD, a slipped disc in the back) and recommends ramps and no high jumps.
What to do
Put a ramp up to the sofa and bed, and lift them down. Carry them with one hand under the chest and one under the back end. If they suddenly will not jump, yelp when lifted, or walk hunched, contact your vet the same day. A spinal evaluation (a back exam) is in your plan from age four.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Show coat or puppy cut
Show Shih Tzus are kept in the full, floor-length coat. Most family Shih Tzus wear a shorter puppy cut or teddy bear cut, trimmed by a groomer. Under either one it is the same dog, with the same teeth and eyes to look after.
Colours
Gold, white, black, brown and every mix of them. The colour makes no difference to how they are cared for.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Start the toothbrush in the first weeks, even on puppy teeth. You are teaching a habit they will need for life.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Put a ramp or a step up to the sofa and bed, leave a tiled spot or a cooling mat in an air-conditioned room, and keep them out of the pool area.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask to meet both parents if you can, and look for open nostrils. Dental disease, eye problems and a narrowed airway are the first risks on a young Shih Tzu's record.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They won't thank you for the toothbrush. Keep going every night anyway.
Before they were yours.
The beginning
The Shih Tzu's family comes from Tibet. The breed you know today was made later, from those small, long-coated dogs.
What they still carryThe coat, and the wish to be close to you.
The late 1920s to 1940
The Shih Tzu reached England in the late 1920s, where the first dogs were classed with the Lhasa Apsos. The Shih Tzu Club of England was founded in 1934, and the Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1940.
What they still carryA small founding family, and the same long coat and short face.
1969 onwards
The American Kennel Club recognised the Shih Tzu in 1969. Show breeding kept the face short and the coat long.
What they still carryCrowded teeth in a short jaw, eyes with hair all around them, and a narrower airway.
Today
Here a Shih Tzu is company in a flat, which suits them well.
What they still carryA long-coated, flat-faced dog in a city built for air conditioning.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Shih Tzu suits you, so might these.
PekingeseThe same kind of dog: a flat-faced companion from China, more dignified, and quieter.
Lhasa ApsoAnother long-coated companion from the East, kept in Tibetan monasteries, and more independent.
MalteseThe same sweet, steady temperament and gentle energy, in a white toy dog with a longer face that copes better with heat.
CavapooA similar size and a coat that sheds little, in a friendlier cross that needs regular trims.
