Shih Tzu Have A Difficult Start After The Imperial Palace Falls
By Connie Limon, Fri Dec 9th

After the fall of the Imperial Palace breeding continued outsidethe palace in the homes of both the Chinese and foreignfamilies. Kennels were developed that produced the Tibetan LionDogs, or the Lhasa Lion Dogs, as they were sometimes called.There was a lot of confusion during this time period trying todistinguish between the Tibetan breeds and there was no centralregistration system until the 1930s. The Apso and Shih Tzu typeswere grouped under several different names: The Tibetan Poodle,Shih Tzu Kuo (Lion Dog), Lhasa Lion Dog, Tibetan Temple Dog,Tibetan Holy Dog, Tibetan Holy Dog, Lhasa Terrier, Tribute Dog,Apso....

The China Kennel Club was formed in Shanghai in 1923. In 1930the first class was scheduled at a show under the name of LhasaTerrier or Tibetan Poodle. Mrs. R. Laurenz owned a kennel ofalmost all black Shih Tzu and took first and second place withher Mo'er and Mei Mei. It is thought that one of her dogs namedChu Po (a stud) was the great grandson of Hai-Ling (Sea Otter),Empress Dowager's favorite dog of all times.  

Note: I have a solid black stud dog now who resembles thepictures I have seen of Mr. Laurenz's two black Tibetan dogsthat won. My Duke really resembles her line of dogs. Thepedigree I have, of course, is not traced back that far, but ofall my dogs, Duke is so very extra "sharp," and stands out fromall the rest of my Shih Tzu. He is one of a kind at Stain GlassShih Tzu (except his offsprings of course will be somewhat likehim). He really is an interesting Shih Tzu to watch. He makesexcellent eye contact that looks just like human eyes looking atme. Duke also has the "blue" genes. He is producing blue in hisoffspring. I would not be surprised if his ancestors would be inthe same line as Sea Otter as well.

The Peking Kennel Club was established in 1934. That same year aclass was scheduled for "Lhasa Lion Dogs." From all I have readin this time period it seems they were having a terrible timetrying to create a standard and exactly what to call these dogs.By this time it looked like also there was many different types.It also appeared as if the size was "large" rather than small.This really makes me wonder if the reason for all this wasbecause at the Imperial Palace, only the smaller ones were kept,and the larger dogs were sold outside the palace as rejects ofthe Imperial Palace breedings, and many were even sold topeasants on the street. So I imagine from this large pool of thelarger size Shih Tzu or what would eventually become known asthe Shih Tzu was these Lhasa Lion Dogs and Tibetan Poodles. Thisis all they had access to, with the exception of whatever mighthave been saved in the smaller sizes from the Imperial Palace.Almost all the dogs were killed (destroyed in the fires) thateventually destroyed the Palace. Apparently though someone gothold of some of the Imperial Palace smaller types and dogs ofthis favorite color of honey or Tawny as well, because we stillhave some of them today and have nicknamed them appropriately:Imperials. I have a brother and a sister that fits thedescription perfectly. They are Danny and Jane Jane. Visit us atStain Glass Shih Tzu to see their pictures. I believe they willbe more in the Teacup size (according to my definitions ofTeacup size) and remember Imperial and Teacup today arenicknames

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for these smaller size shih tzu that do not fit theAmerican Kennel Club standard size of 9 to 16 lbs. I have thissize as well. I do not try to breed against the American KennelClub standard and I do not advise anyone else to do so either.The American Kennel Club is our official breed standard creatorand anyone breeding should strive to stick to the standards.With the Shih Tzu, however, because of its mysterious backgroundand all the legends behind it and all else this breed has gonethrough over time, we still occasionally get these "litte guys"we now nickname Imperials and Teacups, which in my opinion, andeveryone is entitled to their own opinion about any type ofsubject (we all have freedom of speech as part of ourgovernmental constitutional rights), I believe with all my heartand soul these little guys are more the offspring of some ofthese exquisite treasures that was so difficult to acquire fromthe Old Empress Dowager and even more difficult after her deathbecause most of her Shih Tzu were destroyed! However, I do lovethe 9 to 12 pound size as well with the broad face and skull andall else that goes along with them, and I do have those type ofShih Tzu as well. I really don't like a size over about 12pounds.

An official Standard of the Peking Kennel Club was notestablished until 1938. Those involved with creating thisstandard were: Madam de Brevil, a Russian refugee, and theCountess d'Anjou. The Countess d'Anjou emerged as the premierbreeder of the Shih Tzu in Peking during this period of time.

The 1938 Peking Kennel Club Official Standard for the Shih Tzu(Lion Dog) stated:

Lion head: Long ears, heart shaped (the longer the hair on thears the better). Long apron and pantaloons: Long hair difficultto get on the hind legs and all the more appreciated. Size:13-15 in. Weight: 10-15 lb. Eyes: Large and clear (the hairshould fall over them and cover them completely if possible).Toes: Well feathered, paw broad and flat. Front legs: May beslightly bowed (controversy about this). Hindquarters: Slightlyhigher than the back. Hair: As glossy as possible, apron andpantaloons wavy. Skull: Broad and flat. Tail: Well plumbed,carried gaily over the back. Colors: All colors permissible,singe and mixed. Tawny or honey-colored highly favored.

Some interesting facts about how hard it was to get hold of ShihTzu from the Imperial Palace was told by The Countess d'Anjou.It was very difficult to get the honey and golden color as thiswas the favorite colors from the Imperial Palace by the OldEmpress Dowager. The Lamas behind Peking bred the honey andgolden color but refused to sell them; they were often stolen byservants and then sold. The Countess had to first buy grownfemales that did not produce and felt as though something hadbeen done to them to keep them from producing (probably spayedto keep others from breeding from them). She sometimes was ableto get hold of tiny ones who had not even opened their eyes yet.Finally she was helped by a Chinese friend who had beenlady-in-waiting to the Old Empress to acquire "some" breedingstock. And no doubt, the ones she did acquire was of the smallertype - thank goodness - so that today we still have some ofthose exquisite jewels among us.

About the author:Connie Limon, Breeder of the Shih Tzu Austin, Indiana StainGlass Shih Tzu http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com IndependentField Rep HealthyPetNet http://www.healthypetnet.com/connielimon

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