Shih Tzu Lookalike Finder: 141 in the Pool

To find your Shih Tzu's lookalike, upload one clear photo to PetMatch and the model compares your dog's face against the 141 Shih Tzus already in the pool, returning the real dog whose face sits closest to yours. The crop it scores is a round, broad head: a domed skull, a definite stop, and a short square muzzle that is ideally no longer than one inch.

A round head under the fall

The AKC standard, approved May 9, 1989 and effective June 29, 1989, calls the Shih Tzu a sturdy, lively, alert toy dog with a long flowing double coat. The standard calls the breed a palace pet of noble Chinese ancestry. Ideal height at the withers is 9 to 10½ inches, not less than 8 nor more than 11. Ideal weight is 9 to 16 pounds. The standard says to look well beyond the hair, because grooming can create an outline the bone does not have.

The head is round, broad, and wide between the eyes. The eyes are large, round, and not prominent, set well apart and looking straight ahead. They are very dark, lighter only on liver-pigmented and blue-pigmented dogs. The ears are large, set slightly below the crown, and heavily coated. The skull is domed, and the stop is definite. A narrow head and close-set eyes are faults.

A muzzle about an inch long

The muzzle is square, short, and unwrinkled, with good cushioning, set no lower than the bottom eye rim and never downturned. Ideally it is no longer than 1 inch from the tip of the nose to the stop. The front is flat. The lower lip and chin do not protrude and never recede. Nostrils are broad, wide, and open. Nose, lips, and eye rims are black on all colors, liver on liver-pigmented dogs, and blue on blue-pigmented dogs. The bite is undershot, on a broad jaw. Teeth and tongue should not show when the mouth is closed. An overshot bite is a fault, and so is pink on the nose, lips, or eye rims.

Every color, and the coat is tied up

The coat is luxurious, double, dense, long, and flowing. Hair on top of the head is tied up. A sparse coat, a single coat, a curly coat, and excessive trimming are faults. All colors and markings are permissible and considered equally.

The Lhasa, the Maltese, and the Yorkie

Lhasa Apsos are not a separate breed in the PetMatch pool. The AKC standard, approved August 13, 2019 and effective October 1, 2019, calls the Lhasa a small, sturdy, rectangular dog. The coat is a heavy double coat, parted in the middle from head to tail, straight and hard, not woolly or silky. The eyes are dark brown and almond shaped. The ears are pendant, set slightly above eye level. The skull is narrow, not domed or apple-shaped, with a moderate stop. The muzzle is a straight foreface about one-third the length of the head, and a square muzzle is objectionable. A Shih Tzu skull is domed and broad, the eye is large and round, and the muzzle is square and ideally about an inch.

The white drop-eared toy already in the pool is the Maltese. The Maltese twin finder covers that face, and the Maltese pool holds 225 dogs, separate from these 141. The AKC standard, approved March 10, 1964, calls the Maltese a toy dog in a mantle of long, silky white hair. The coat is single, with no undercoat. The skull is slightly rounded, the muzzle is of medium length and tapered, and the ears are low-set drop ears. Color is pure white. Light tan or lemon on the ears is allowed, though not preferred. Weight is under 7 pounds, with 4 to 6 preferred. A Shih Tzu coat is double and every color is correct.

The topknot in this crop also belongs to the Yorkshire Terrier. PetMatch lists 314 dogs in the Yorkshire Terrier pool. The AKC standard, approved July 10, 2007 and effective October 1, 2007, calls the Yorkshire a long-haired toy terrier whose blue and tan coat is parted from the base of the skull to the end of the tail. The head is small and rather flat. The ears are small, V-shaped, and carried erect. The bite is scissors or level, neither undershot nor overshot. The fall is tied with one bow or parted and tied with two. Weight must not exceed 7 pounds. Any solid color or combination other than the described blue and tan is a disqualification, as is any white marking larger than a 1-inch spot on the forechest. A Shih Tzu ear hangs below a domed skull.

When the twin is a mix

Mixed-breed dogs are the largest group on PetMatch, at 10,185. A mix that kept the domed skull, the short square muzzle, and a long double coat can place ahead of the registered Shih Tzus. The model is matching the face in the photo.

A photo that shows the stop

Shoot head-on at eye level in open shade, mouth closed, with the topknot tied so both eyes, the definite stop, and the flat front of the muzzle stay in the frame. The standard says to look beyond the hair, because a fringe can present a head the skull does not have.