# Shih Tzu Size



## lauren17 (Apr 14, 2009)

We got a puppy a few weeks ago, she's now about 3 months old. We were told she is a shih tzu mix possibly with yorkie but dad is unknown. She weighed 3.8 pounds at the end of February when we got her and she is now up to 6.3 lbs. I just feel like she is really big for a shih tzu/yorkie mix at this age. Our other small breed dog is about 12 lbs full grown so is the size of the average shih tzu and we got him at 12 weeks old. We remember him being so tiny when we first got him and this puppy seems huge in comparison. I'm not very familiar with how small breed puppies grow. Does 6 lbs seem about right for a 3 month old shih tzu puppy or do you think she's got something bigger mixed in there too? And what age are they usually done growing?


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

It doesn't sound TOO big. I'd expect her to be near in size to your other dog. Mia was 4 lbs at 14 weeks and topped off at 7 lbs. The toy breeds tend to grow a lot quicker than the bigger dogs.


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## lauren17 (Apr 14, 2009)

Ok thanks, I thought they grew quicker but she just seemed so big. I guess her fluffy coat makes her look bigger too. It wouldn't matter much if she ended up being a little larger than Preston but we're hoping for her to be about his size.


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## palmtree77 (Apr 5, 2011)

The AKC standard size for Shih Tzu is 9-16 pounds. 6 pounds at 3 months sounds kind of big. I think the rule of thumb is to take the weight at 12 weeks and multiply it by three, but I could be wrong. Do you have a picture of the dog you're talking about?


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## lauren17 (Apr 14, 2009)

There are pictures of her on this thread from a couple weeks ago, I don't have any more recent of her right now.

http://www.dogforums.com/dog-pictures-forum/92770-more-baby-paisley-pics.html


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## palmtree77 (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks Lauren.  She's cute and she really does look exactly like a Shih Tzu and Yorkie. A lot of times those breeds from petstores and backyard breeders have dogs that are much bigger than standard, so that may be the case.


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## lauren17 (Apr 14, 2009)

Yeah I have seen some oversized shih tzus before. I don't know anything about her parents, she was dropped off at a vet clinic so I don't have much info on her. They were told her mom was a shih tzu and they guessed she has some yorkie in her because of her color. I have a friend that thinks she's purebred shih tzu but I think her nose is a little longer and I've never seen a shih tzu her color before.


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## palmtree77 (Apr 5, 2011)

Definitely not a purebred Shih Tzu or even a poorly bred one. She looks very different. She looks more like a Lhasa than a Shih Tzu, but I could also see Yorkie/Shih Tzu.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

My Shih Tzu x Maltese were only 5 lbs. at 3 months and end up about ten pounds full grown. Remmy was 4.12 lbs at three months and weighs 11 pounds now. I would think unless it was an awfully big Yorkie that it should not be that big. The one purebred Shih Tzu I had was 6 lbs. at three months and will end up between 15-16 lbs.

It sure is cute and a really pretty color. Shih Tzu do come in black and tan but not usually with as much tan.


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## lauren17 (Apr 14, 2009)

I can finally see this thread again !



palmtree77 said:


> Definitely not a purebred Shih Tzu or even a poorly bred one. She looks very different. She looks more like a Lhasa than a Shih Tzu, but I could also see Yorkie/Shih Tzu.


I hadn't thought of Lhasa, they aren't very common though so I'm thinking she's more likely to be shih tzu. We're waiting to see what her adult coat looks like to see if that helps us determine if she has some yorkie in her but who knows she could be anything lol



Kyllobernese said:


> My Shih Tzu x Maltese were only 5 lbs. at 3 months and end up about ten pounds full grown. Remmy was 4.12 lbs at three months and weighs 11 pounds now. I would think unless it was an awfully big Yorkie that it should not be that big. The one purebred Shih Tzu I had was 6 lbs. at three months and will end up between 15-16 lbs.
> 
> It sure is cute and a really pretty color. Shih Tzu do come in black and tan but not usually with as much tan.


Yeah I would think that if she were part yorkie that she would be on the smaller side but I guess if the mother was an oversized shih tzu she may end up pretty big. I'll just have to wait and see what she looks like here in a few months. I love her color, the shih tzu standard does say they come in any color but I've never seen one quite like her which makes me really think she's mixed.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

They usually stop growing at about a year old. Plus maybe 2 lbs more after a year.

But Shih Tzus are also "big" small dogs. They can be up to 16 lbs and I've often see 20 lb ones.


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## wentouch (Aug 22, 2010)

I think small dogs grow quite quickly in the first few months. Our pomchi was around a 1 lb when we first got him at 8 week. It's now at 15 weeks and he is about 3 times the weight at about 3 to 5 lbs. He is much bigger then when we first got him.


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

She could also be shih tzu/silky terrier. Silkies aren't as common as yorkies, at least around here, but I still know a few people who own them. They usually weigh 8-11 pounds.

If it helps, Casper weighed 4.4 pounds when I got him (nine weeks old), and he's now fully grown, 18lbs at one year old.


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## Jare (Aug 12, 2009)

My father must have a mutant Shih Tzu...
His is named Toby, hes in no way overweight, and he must weigh at least 23 pounds. I know nothing about Tzus, So this is interesting! 

Is it possible for a pure bred shih to get that big? They got him from the shelter, and the people who surrendered him apparently had papers and yadda yadda yadda, which they weren't interested in, and he doesn't LOOK mixed...I must inform my dad is has a GIANT Shih LOL


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Jare said:


> My father must have a mutant Shih Tzu...
> His is named Toby, hes in no way overweight, and he must weigh at least 23 pounds. I know nothing about Tzus, So this is interesting!
> 
> Is it possible for a pure bred shih to get that big? They got him from the shelter, and the people who surrendered him apparently had papers and yadda yadda yadda, which they weren't interested in, and he doesn't LOOK mixed...I must inform my dad is has a GIANT Shih LOL


Yes it's possible and happens a lot with certain toy dogs I find. There are some 20 lb Paps as well that are purebred even though usually if they're at the standard's height they shouldn't be bigger than 10 lbs.


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

Mine will be 4 months on the 17th and she's about 6lbs. now. Took her to the dog park last weekend and there was a lady with two tzus that were between 20-25lbs. They didn't look overweight either.


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## lauren17 (Apr 14, 2009)

Wow I've seen some big shih tzus but I didn't think 20-25 lbs was so common! We are hoping she is more like 15 lbs full grown but who knows. How tall are these 20 lb tzus generally? 

I'll be getting some new pictures of her tomorrow sometime.


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

They were around the size of adult Beagles but with shorter legs.


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## lauren17 (Apr 14, 2009)

ok, we get a lot of different sizes of shih tzus in for grooming where I work but the majority are smaller sized dogs so I was really expecting this pup to be smaller when full grown especially since she looks part yorkie. I guess she might be quite a bit bigger than Preston but thats ok and she does have very short legs with a long body like a tzu. Preston is a leggier dog and I always think of him as a larger sized toy breed but she might be changing that lol


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

Well, there's always the chance her growth might slow down. When I was a kid my mom always thought I would be really tall because I have bigger feet than her and my older sister. Alas, my feet stayed big and I'm not tall, just one inch taller than my sister.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

They're actually pretty short for being so heavy. I think it's because of their shorter legs.

The ones I've seen run no more than maybe 12 inches and are 20 lbs compared to Nia who is 10.5 inches and 6.5 lbs.


Also, some online pages have been saying for small dogs, the weight will double from 3 months old, triple from 2 months old. It's probably not accurate at all but it gives you an idea that they stop growing considerably after 3-4 months old.

Nia was 4 lbs at 4 months old and full grown, she's only 6.5 lbs on a good day.


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## MerryMaeFlower (Jun 8, 2012)

I am curious to know what the adult weight of your shih-tzu mix puppy is. I have a shih-tzu mix and he is 5.3lbs at 11 weeks old. I wonder if he will be HUGE? I hope not! I like to carry my dog everywhere. LOL


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## spanielorbust (Jan 3, 2009)

Jare said:


> My father must have a mutant Shih Tzu...
> His is named Toby, hes in no way overweight, and he must weigh at least 23 pounds. I know nothing about Tzus, So this is interesting!
> 
> Is it possible for a pure bred shih to get that big? They got him from the shelter, and the people who surrendered him apparently had papers and yadda yadda yadda, which they weren't interested in, and he doesn't LOOK mixed...I must inform my dad is has a GIANT Shih LOL


Small breed dogs, when NOT selected specifically to fit in a size range, tend to drift upwards in size. I've seen lots of pet bred small breeds much larger than standards suggest they might grow. Even the best breeders often end out with a large pup or two in their litters.

As Michiyo-Fir was mentioning heights and weights, I have a dog that is 12 inches tall and twelve pounds and another that is 12 inches tall and 18 pounds. They are both a fit weight for their height - one just has a lot more bone than the other with paws almost double the size of the former. Its also REALLY hard to gauge a final weight on a pup. My dog that ended out at 12 pounds was larger, at four months, than my friends that grew to be 17 pounds. 

Keep in mind that bone makes a huge difference in the final weights of dogs and the eastern based breeds - Shih Tzus, Tibetan Spaniels and Terriers, Lhasa Apsos, Pekingese and Pugs all tend to be heavier boned. Some pups end out having more than others, as can be predicted, and end out overweight for the standard. 

SOB


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## MerryMaeFlower (Jun 8, 2012)

spanielorbust said:


> Small breed dogs, when NOT selected specifically to fit in a size range, tend to drift upwards in size. I've seen lots of pet bred small breeds much larger than standards suggest they might grow. Even the best breeders often end out with a large pup or two in their litters.
> 
> As Michiyo-Fir was mentioning heights and weights, I have a dog that is 12 inches tall and twelve pounds and another that is 12 inches tall and 18 pounds. They are both a fit weight for their height - one just has a lot more bone than the other with paws almost double the size of the former. Its also REALLY hard to gauge a final weight on a pup. My dog that ended out at 12 pounds was larger, at four months, than my friends that grew to be 17 pounds.
> 
> ...


Ah, thank you for the information! My experience with small breeds has been the "lighter" breeds such as yorkies, poms, and my Japanese Chin. I have never had a Shih Tzu mix before. He's also part Havanese, but he looks more Shih Tzu as he gets older. Thank you again!


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## Galathiel (Apr 11, 2012)

My shih tzu is quite sturdy and strong ... weighs in around 13.6 usually. For the person that likes to carry their dog around .. mine does NOT like to be carried, but only endures it. He thinks he's the size of a German Shepherd (he has way more attitude than most of the German Shepherds I've had) and likes his four paws on the ground.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

I think height and weight differences are interesting. Here's 19 pound Sydney with her 26 pound Shih-Tzu pal. You can see Sydney is actually a little taller. I actually prefer the bigger Shih-Tzus like this one. He's a really nice size.


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## lauren17 (Apr 14, 2009)

I haven't weighed her in awhile but I'd say she's around the 12-15 lb range and about 13 inches tall at the shoulder. She ended up being slightly larger than our other dog who is 12 lbs and 12 inches tall. She is leggier and longer than the other dog who is a maltese, pekenese, toy poodle mix even though she weighs about the same as him. I wouldn't be surprised if she got a little stockier as she gets older. She is on the large size for a shih tzu but not unusually large at all. My mom was hoping she'd be more yorkie sized since thats what she is mixed with but I think her size is perfect. She can be held if needed although she's much too hyper to be carried around everywhere and she's not so small that she seems fragile like a lot of yorkies I see. 

This is her at one year old. She hasn't gotten any bigger since then. I'll have to get some pictures of her when I shave her again so you can see the size better without all the hair.










And compared to our other dog. She is fluffier than him here and sitting a little closer to the camera so its not the best example. She is quite a bit taller than Preston though and although he looks like a maltese he is bigger than one so he's not a tiny dog.










And a naked picture of them lol


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## spanielorbust (Jan 3, 2009)

Thanks for the update!

SOB


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## lauren17 (Apr 14, 2009)

Just another update: She just went to the vet and her weight was 15.25 and she's right where she needs to be. She's now a year and a half so I'd say she is done growing.


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