Despite its small size, Shih Tzu has a real temper of lion. Sometimes this dog seems to be too arrogant and too proud. It is not true. Dogs of this breed really do not like when they are ignored. Though, the pushiness isn't peculiar for this breed,on the contrary, it feels a wonderful emotional mood of its master and comes to him only when it's necessary. Only the presence of the dog can change bad mood. Shih Tzu is the perfect companion for older people, and will play games with children.
Since these dogs were brought up in palaces, they aren't only extremely clean. Their bark may be called quiet and melodic. They never allow to hurt themselves. It seems to be strange, but this dog really has a lot of patience, endurance and courage.
This dog is easily trained and it does not need excessive activity. This means that it can walk only a few times a week if it is taught to use the tray.
This dog is a long-liver. At the same time you will have to look carefully after its health. One of the main problems of Shih Tzu is its hair, especially if the owner while buying a pet didn't give a thought to how difficult it will be to keep a healthy look of his beloved pet.
So, what should you know about hairstyles and haircuts of these arrogant little dogs? Firstly, do not be afraid of sheding - the hair of this breed is similar to the hair of Yorkshire terriers, and it won't appear constantly on its favorite places and on your clothes. Highly allerdic peple can quite safely play with these little pranksters.
You will have to bathe it quite often, once every 2 weeks or more. If you want it to take part at dog shows then you should teach it to wash every week. In this case, you will need to buy different kinds of products - shampoo, conditioner, special sponges, towels, hair dryer, comb ... It seems that there's a lot of these and washing the dog is long and hard. But if you're not scared of difficulties, you'll get the real oriental princess, with which you will not be ashamed to make a public appearance.
