Shih Tzu

Who a Shih Tzu suits

Right for somebody who will treat grooming as time together rather than a chore, because the coat is a daily commitment with no way around it. In return the companionship is unhurried and constant. Anyone unwilling to pick up a brush should not take one on.

How to build the bond: Make brushing a nightly ritual — a Shih Tzu bonds through unhurried hands. That sits on top of how the species works generally: Trust grows through shared ritual — the same walk, the same greeting, touch given freely. To a dog, consistency and love are the same word.

The Shih Tzu against the other nineteen

Lined up stillest to liveliest, the Shih Tzu is 4th of the twenty dog breeds here, one of 4 in the calm band — the daily cost is low and the ceiling on stimulation is lower, which is a good trade for a quiet household and a poor one for anybody who wanted a project.

Ordered by how near each one sits to the Shih Tzu on the energy axis, then by the notes they have in common. Every dog breed reads this table from its own position, so no two of the twenty are ordered alike.

The birth years a Shih Tzu sits easiest with

This half of the reading is the species rather than the breed — every dog meets a given birth year the same way. These are the communities that sit easiest with one:

• Taurus Spirit Guardian—1949,1961,1973,1985and later
• Dragon Spirit Guardian—1952,1964,1976,1988and later
• Goat Spirit Guardian—1955,1967,1979,1991and later
• Monkey Spirit Guardian—1956,1968,1980,1992and later
• Eagle Spirit Guardian—1957,1969,1981,1993and later
• Wolf Spirit Guardian—1958,1970,1982,1994and later

A birth year outside that list is not a warning — it is the half of the reading this page cannot settle on its own. Seat the pair on the board and it reads the rest. What the dog is like as a companion applies to the Shih Tzu as much as to the other nineteen.

A pairing that involves an animal returns a word rather than a percentage. The board's deepest layer reads two inner selves against each other and an animal cannot hold one, so the result is described rather than scored — what is read here is the keeper's birth year against the species, and the breed decides everything about living with it day to day. An animal does get a chart of its own once its birth hour is known, one rung further up.

Frequently asked

What is a Shih Tzu like to live with?

Bred to warm the laps of emperors — a Shih Tzu takes its job of companionship seriously: unhurried, sweet-tempered, a little proud, and happiest within arm's reach of its person. On the energy axis this catalogue uses, the Shih Tzu reads as calm — 4th of the twenty dog breeds here when they are lined up stillest to liveliest.

Who is a Shih Tzu a good match for?

Right for somebody who will treat grooming as time together rather than a chore, because the coat is a daily commitment with no way around it. In return the companionship is unhurried and constant. Anyone unwilling to pick up a brush should not take one on.

How do you bond with a Shih Tzu?

Make brushing a nightly ritual — a Shih Tzu bonds through unhurried hands. That sits on top of how the species works generally: Trust grows through shared ritual — the same walk, the same greeting, touch given freely. To a dog, consistency and love are the same word. The thing that most reliably undoes it — Long stretches alone wound deeper than any scolding — a lonely dog turns the ache into noise and chewed furniture.

Which dog breeds are most like a Shih Tzu?

Maltese, French Bulldog, Pug — nearest first, measured on energy band and shared traits. At the other end of the same twenty sits the Husky, opposite ends. Every one of the nineteen is ranked against the Shih Tzu further up this page.