The American Kennel Club ranks the Shih Tzu 20th out of 197 on its list of most popular breeds, and for good reason! These «loving, playful, outgoing pups» pack a lot of personality into their little bodies. They weigh between 9 and 16 pounds and are only about 10 inches tall on average. This makes them suitable for living in most environments, including the smallest of apartments.
The average life expectancy of these pups is 10 to 18 years, this means that your dog can have a commitment of almost two decades. So before you bring one into your home, make sure it’s a responsibility you want to take on.
How fast does a Shih Tzu grow?
The growth rate of dogs is rarely linear. It is not usually the same every month. Shih Tzu puppies will fill out more quickly from birth to two weeks of age.
So its growth rate will be moderately fast for two to eight weeks. From two to four months, they will gain weight at a slower rate.
When do Shih Tzu puppies reach adult size?
Shih Tzu puppies stop growing around ten months of age. Like other smaller breeds, this is much shorter than the large or giant breeds, which can continue to grow for up to eighteen months or longer.
Of course, every pup is different, and you may find one that is a late developer! We have discussed when shih tzu puppies can eat solid food in our other article.
There are many methods to predict your puppy’s adult weight, and none are 100% reliable. One method is to multiply his weight (in pounds) at 8 weeks by 3 and add 2 pounds. Another suggests that at one month of age, your pup should be 10% of its adult weight, and by 4 months, it should be half its adult weight. In reality, a puppy’s growth is not linear, and each dog’s exact weight will be different. A sample growth chart for small, medium and large Shih Tzus can be found below:
Health and Grooming Needs
Shedding Level 2/5
The Shih Tzus have a glossy coat, but are not known to shed excessively. Shedding is most noticeable when washing and grooming your Shih Tzu puppy.
Imperial Shih Tzu Sizes
In addition to normal breed Shih Tzus, there are special breed Shih Tzus, such as the Imperial Shih Tzu, which are also known by other names, such as miniature, munchkin, tiny teacup, tiny imperial, Chinese imperial, and others that are bred to be smaller than the AKC (American Kennel Club) breed standard. The standard set by the AKC is 9 to 16 pounds (4 kg to 7 kg) for the Shih Tzu.
The smaller Shih Tzus do not actually represent a separate designation within the current Shih Tzu breed; however, they weigh less than the AKC standard. They are informally known as Imperial Shih Tzus.