| During the last few years there has been a | | | | never stops amazing people with its joy of |
| lot of talk about the need for keeping the | | | | life and this is why no other dog in his |
| work abilities of several breeds of dogs. | | | | group gets more attention than the Shih Tzu. |
| With that particular goal in mind, the | | | | |
| Newfoundland club organizes water trials and | | | | The history of the Shih Tzu takes us back to |
| draft tests for numerous dog breeds and the | | | | Tibet's "lion dogs," an exclusive group of |
| Dalmatian club has events on horseback in | | | | dogs bred by Buddhist monks, many centuries |
| order to prove the stamina of the breed. For | | | | before the times of the Chinese emperors of |
| the for the sporting dogs and beagles, the | | | | the Manchu Dynasty from the middle of the |
| American Kennel Club has hunting tests and | | | | 19th Century. In 1850, the monks sent several |
| trials, herding tests and trials for herding | | | | of their temple dogs to the Manchu emperors |
| dogs and Samoyeds and many tests for | | | | in Peking. It was the Chinese who called |
| terriers. In order to prove the endurance, | | | | these dogs Tibetan Shih Tzu Kou or Tibetan |
| intelligence and the guardian ability of | | | | Lion Dog. The main purpose of breeding these |
| their dogs, the people who have German | | | | dogs was the pleasure of the emperors. At |
| Shepherds or Rottweilers get their dogs into | | | | their palaces, there were three different |
| Schutzhund trials. These specially bred dogs | | | | types of dogs, depending on the length of |
| go into the trials without any preparation in | | | | their coat. |
| advance. They just do the natural things they | | | | |
| were born to do. | | | | Nobody knows how, but the Shih Tzu managed to |
| | | | find its way to England in the 20th century. |
| But this is not the way things are for | | | | It was originally called "Apsos", but Shih |
| smaller breeds. These dogs are companions, | | | | Tzu was soon considered to be a separate |
| which have been developed and bred as pets. | | | | breed by the the Kennel Club. The American |
| There are no such events for the small dogs, | | | | soldiers stationed in England during World |
| as the training it takes to make them up to a | | | | War II were charmed by the little dogs, so |
| competition would be too exhausting for them. | | | | they took some back home in the United |
| | | | States. This is how they got to be spread all |
| The Shih Tzu is one of these little ones. He | | | | over the world! |