Page 20 - ShowSight Presents - The Shih Tzu

Shih Tzu were recognized by the American Kennel Club 45 years ago, but there is a fairly short list of ‘breeder/judges’. That fact,
I believe, places extra responsibility on judges who have come from other breeds/ groups to judge Shih Tzu. When selecting judges for National or Regional special- ties, exhibitors are looking for judges who have proven to understand the nuances of the breed and any concerns about cur- rent problems that may be evident in the show ring. We want judges of Shih Tzu to be knowledgeable and comfortable when judging these toy dogs.
It is important to use parent club material about the breed. I urge new or experienced judges of Shih Tzu to include in their preparation The Illustrat- ed Guide to the Shih Tzu Standard pub- lished by the American Shih Tzu Club. This attractive 64-page booklet contains the standard, with clarifications. These
are accompanied by wonderful drawings by Stephen Hubbell to help understand what is under the glamorous looking coat on dogs in the show ring. To further that understanding, there are also col- ored photos of Shih Tzu in full show coat and then ‘cut down’. The accompanying honest evaluations of the good and less desirable features of these dogs is invalu- able to anyone learning or judging the breed. Before any assignment to judge Shih Tzu, it is worthwhile to take this booklet off of the shelf and review what the parent club is telling you about the breed. If it is not in your personal library, review it online at: www.americanshiht- zuclub.org. I also recommend that Shih Tzu exhibitors and breeders review this information regularly. It contains more specifics than this article, which is a con- densed review of breed characteristics.
PROPORTION
The Shih Tzu should be a rectangular dog, with “length between the withers and root of tail slightly longer than height at withers”. It is not a square dog, and must never be so high stationed to appear leggy, nor so low sta- tioned as to appear dumpy or squatty.
Color patterns may be deceptive—a solid-colored dog will look longer than a dog that has a wide white ‘shawl’ over the shoulders. The amount and qual- ity of hair may also vary the perception of the proportion of the dog moving around the ring. Train your eye to these variances—and then use your hands to confirm the proportion of the dog dur- ing the table examination.
by SALLY VILAS
TABLE EXAMINATION
The only way to determine whether the dog fits the written standard is to use your hands to discover what is under the “long and flowing” coat. The first impres- sion when approaching the dog is the head and expression. Expression is described in the Standard as “Warm, sweet, wide- eyed, friendly and trusting... Care should be taken to look and examine well beyond the hair to determine if what is seen is the actual head and expression rather than an image created by grooming”. Round is the descriptive word to remember as you examine the head; it should be broad, and rounded from side to side as well as from stop to occiput.
The head should be in balance with the overall size of the dog. The muzzle is square, short, well cushioned, set no lower than bottom eye rim and ideally no lon- ger than one inch from tip of nose to stop. Front of muzzle flat; lower lip and chin not protruding and definitely never receding. The bite is overshot. Nostrils should be broad, wide and open, and the jaw is broad and wide. Ears are large and set slightly below crown of skull.
Round is also the word to remember when examining the eyes, which should be “large, round, not
prominent, placed
well apart... very
dark...” The correct
eyes are vital to the
warm, sweet, friendly
expression that is a
part of the essence of
the breed.
JUDGING
THE
SHIH TZU
290 • SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2014
Make a circle with your hands that would fit around a round
Shih Tzu head.