How big will my Shih Tzu Get??? General Chat

Discussion in 'Shih Tzu' started by ChokDee, Aug 17, 2019.

  1. ChokDee

    ChokDee New Member

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    How big will my Shih Tzu Get???

    My wife got a Shih Tzu at 7 weeks old, tiny little thing, but it just kept getting bigger. At one-year old he seems like a medium sized dog, approaching 7kgs and with long legs.

    Is this normal? How big will he get?

    Here are some pictures of his growth for reference:

    There are quite a lot of Shih Tzu's around, I see a few when taking ChokDee for a walk, and he is bigger than all of them (much longer legs), and likes loads of exercise, is an excellent athlete, exceedingly fast and loves jumping high and non-stop playing... I didn't expect a Shih Tzu to be like a Jack Russell Terrier!

    Thanks for your reply.
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  3. Malka

    Malka Member

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    ChokDee likes this.
    ChokDee is very cute but as adult male Shih Tzu's can weigh anywhere between 4.5 - 8 kg and at a year is possibly fully grown in size as small dogs tend to mature earlier than large breeds - he could stay at the same size or maybe weigh even more. You say he is very active and with muscle weighing more than fat, who knows. A lot depends on physical activity and the food he eats. Does it worry you that he is now bigger than you expected when you got him, and did you see both his sire and dam at the time? Average weight and size is only a medium weight between smallest/lightest and larger/heavier of any breed

    I once had a litter of five Griffons - no question about their parentage or pedigree, but they all ended up different sizes - almost like a ladder in size although I now have no records of their weight.

    But I currently have a Dachshund/Minpin cross [dam being a standard Dachshund and sire a small MinPin], who weighed 6kg at 6 months and now at four years and 3 months weighs 6.7kg, nearly the most she has ever weighed, although her weight does fluctuate at around 6+kg. She has grown in size but still looks small for her weight. On a few occasions she has had to stay with someone who has a male Shih Tzu and he is much bigger than she is.

    There is no average weight for a crossbreed like her, but then there is really no average for a 100% purebred. Like the littler of Griffons.
  4. Chris B

    Chris B Member

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    Are the others you see females at all?

    Females are smaller than males and, by the way, your little lad is gorgeous.
  5. ChokDee

    ChokDee New Member

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    Good info, thanks.

    His size is fine for me, I just think the wife bought him as a lap dog, so we have to exercise him a lot more than she thought; he obviously needs walks every day. I never knew anything about the breed, as I had agreed, I thought, with the wife not to get a dog, but clearly they have a lot more about them than I thought; quite smart, very active, very emotionally errm, I'm not sure how to say it, "involving"?

    The wife saw his dam, and she was also long-legged - apparently ChokDee is about his mother's size now.

    That's very possible, I agree. The others I see have much shorter legs, so I'm wondering of there's two distinct types of Shih Tzus: short-legged and long-legged?
  6. ChokDee

    ChokDee New Member

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    Malka likes this.
    This video makes me laugh, the wife took it when ChokDee followed her onto the roof to put the washing out - he gets close to the edge, so I asked the wife not to take him on the roof because I worry he may slip when he's close to the edge...

    He is funny and fast:



    When we take him to a park where he can stretch his legs out, he's quicker than Jack Russells my parents owned - he extends his legs like a greyhound when he has some space... :)

    Just as I type this, he has dropped his favourite ball at my feet, so I guess it's playtime.
  7. Chris B

    Chris B Member

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    Isn't he to die for? Such a cheeky, mischievous little man and obviously very well loved
  8. Malka

    Malka Member

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    I am still laughing having watched that video repeatedly. ChokDee is absolutely gorgeous, adorable, cute [and I want him]. He seems such a happy little guy.:007:

    Difficult for me to tell as I do not know the breed, and difficult when there is really not enough to compare his size with, in either the pictures or that wonderful video, but from the way he chases about I would not think he should gain much more weight now at his age, providing what you feed him. He certainly gets enough exercise and I love the way he scampers about.

    Just love him and please keep us up to date with how he gets on. :)
  9. ChokDee

    ChokDee New Member

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    He does has a lot of personality and is very sweet/gentle. Thanks for the kind words.

    He is a nice size now, if he stays the same or gets a little bit bigger that'll be ok.

    Where we live, in an apartment, there are very few places to take him out and let him off the leash. In the local university there's a little hidden area that I took him for the first time today, I was a bit cautious as he has never been there before - but, he was well behaved and enjoyed it, so I'll take him there often.

    It was very hot today, so he was only running at half pace, lots of panting... Thanks for your kind words.

  10. Malka

    Malka Member

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    Wow - look at him go! :D

    I think he really enjoyed that outing! :)
  11. Chris B

    Chris B Member

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    ChokDee likes this.
    Doing exactly as he should when off lead. Having fun, but keeping tabs on where you are
  12. ChokDee

    ChokDee New Member

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    When he was younger, if let of the lead he would go crazy and run in the opposite direction thinking it was a game; and this made me worried...

    We both learnt. I would not chase after him, instead be stern and expect him to come back. &, he, the little monster, would recognise a distance between us then come back close and check everything was ok.

    I don't have experience with dogs, so I was unsure at first, but actually he is really good.

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