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Why then did we choose to specialize in the
Shorkie breed.
Well, besides being several pounds of love and
fun,and possibly the cutest puppies you will eve
set eyes on a Shorkie is the best combination of
a Shih Tzu and a Yorkie (Yorkshire Terrier). It
is still considered a Designer breed because the
purebred Shi Tzu and the purebred Yorkie are
intentionally mated to each other to create a
new breed, the Shorkie. The breed does have a
parent club, the Shorkie Club of America (SCA),
which I founded with the goal of eventually
achieving purebred recognition for the Shorkie.
The SCA has established breed standards
dedicated to protecting the health and
well-being of the Shorkie, and all SCA members
are committed to upholding these standards. We
will outline these more specifically later on in
this book.
The Shorkie is an adorable, loveable, loyal dog
that has just now begun gaining the attention of
dog owners and breeders all around the world.
The Shorkie is also referred to by some as the
Shorkie Tzu. The SCA is using its best efforts
to develop the Shorkie as one of the finest of
companion lap dogs. Shorkies are full of life
and endless puppy kisses and cuddles, and they
are skilled at being able to fully capture your
heart. They are not hyper dogs, and they have an
inquisitive nature. They exhibit goofy,
clown-like behavior that instantly can turn a
bad day into a great day with a simple innocent
look or tilt of the head. They often look like
they are hanging on each human word and
understand everything their humans say.
For these very reasons, the popularity of the
Shorkie breed has recently skyrocketed. No
matter what a family’s lifestyle is, the Shorkie
has proven able to fit in and therefore is the
perfect dog for all families looking for a
companion. Shorkies are highly intelligent and
loyal and have a high trainability factor. Their
gentle nature allows them to be easily trained
as therapy dogs. Their size makes them perfect
travel companions, and where allowed, they make
wonderful dogs to take into the workplace as
well. If bred correctly, they are a very hardy
breed that loves the outdoors as well as
indoors. Because they are compact little dogs,
they require minimal exercise, and they can
thrive in a small apartment setting as well as a
home with outdoor space. They are content to
spend most of their day lying around indoors –
and as such, they make excellent city dogs and
wonderful cuddle pillows for the couch and bed.
Instead of a big, fluffy bear rug for your
floor, you’ll have what appears to be a doggie
rug!
Here is some info on the Shih tzu breed
One of the strongest characteristics of the Shih
Tzu is his personality. The Shih Tzu is a
friendly, non-aggressive dog that is a good
companion for children as well as other breeds
of dogs. Shih Tzus are known for their
fun-loving play, romping around in a house, an
apartment or in the countryside. The breed
standard for the weight of a Shih Tzu is between
nine and 16 pounds. I have always liked my dogs
around nine pounds, the low end of the standard.
But keep in mind, as with everything in nature,
there is no way to completely ensure genetics
and puppy parents must understand that no
breeder can guarantee size. The come in a large
variety of colors. This is a color chart below
is what is listed with the AKC.
Black
Black & White
Blue
Blue & White
Brindle
Brindle & White
Gold
Gold & White
Liver
Liver & White
Red
Red & White
Silver
Silver & White
Black Gold & Silver
Black Gold & White
Black White & Silver
Silver Gold & White
White
Shih Tzus are great warning dogs, and very alert
though they do have a lap dog personality. It is
not a breed that is high strung or demanding,
and it can easily become accustomed to any
lifestyle. Shih Tzus are born with an air of
confident arrogance that sets them apart from
many other dogs. They have a sturdy carriage and
present themselves with dignity and high
self-esteem. This self-confidence can be
witnessed in many ways, including through their
tail, which is prominently displayed curled
around their back. Serious faults of the breeder
are listed by the AKC as
It is believed that the ancestors of the current
day Shih Tzu breed originated in Tibet with its
early beginnings dating as far back in time as
2000 B.C. Shih Tzus were associated with
Buddhism in that they were bred by Buddhist
monks and were considered “holy dogs.” Shih Tzu
means “lion dog” in Chinese. This moniker was
fitting as the Chinese tended to trim the dog’s
hair to look like a lion. This lion dog hair
style is the hallmark of the Shih Tzu breed.
Throughout the centuries, they were brought from
Tibet to China, most often to the homes of
Chinese royalty. The stunning and graceful Shih
Tzu was considered a gift of honor to bring to
the Chinese imperial court, prompting the Shih
Tzu to become a common sight in the royal
Chinese palaces.
During the early 20th century, there were times
of upheaval in China. The prized Shih Tzu breed
went from being primarily in Chinese palaces to
being with commoners. This affected the quality
of breeding and many derivations from show dog
standards surfaced. However, all was not lost as
the Shih Tzu was still highly valued and sparked
the interest of influential foreigners such as a
Mrs. Brownrig of England and a Miss Hutchins of
Ireland, both of whom were captivated by the
Shih Tzu breed. These two women brought the Shih
Tzu breed to England and Ireland, respectively,
around 1930. Their love for the breed made them
intent on breeding them into show dogs once
again. Denmark, Norway and Sweden also
introduced the Shih Tzu breed into their
countries in the 1930s. Finland, Australia,
France and Germany took a keen interest in Shih
Tzus in the 1950s. The Netherlands jumped on the
Shih Tzu band wagon in the 1960s.
The first known Shih Tzu imported to the United
States occurred in 1938. It wasn’t until 1955
that the American Kennel Club (AKC) accepted the
status of the Shih Tzu. However, the Shih Tzu
was placed in the Club’s miscellaneous class
which allowed the Shih Tzu to compete only for
obedience titles, not conformation championship
points. In 1963, the American Shih Tzu Club was
created, and finally after much hard work, the
Shih Tzu was officially recognized on March 16,
1969 by the American Kennel Club. The first
official United States dog competition was a
roaring success for the Shih Tzu as indeed it
placed in the competition.
Here is some history on the Yorkie breed
The Yorkshire Terrier has a rich history and is
a breed which is known around the world. The
Yorkie’s ancestry is not completely known, but
probably emerged from various terrier breeds.
Just as we do today, in the early days, when
people relocated to new areas, they brought
their dogs with them. It is thought that the
Scots migrating to England for work, brought
with them a variety of small terriers, and these
small terriers (not Scottish Terriers) were
eventually bred with various breeds of English
terriers that had been brought to England at
previous times. It is believed that the
Yorkshire Terrier resulted from breeding a
mixture of these varieties together. Early
Yorkies were not the beloved pets that they are
today – they were originally found in northern
England where people gathered for work – and
like their humans, they also had a job. The job
of the early Yorkie was to hunt and kill rats
and other vermin that were found in the
workplace and along the streets!
Early breeding of Yorkies was done mostly
according to the size and physical
characteristics needed for the Yorkie to
effectively do his job. What many people don’t
realize is that those early Yorkies were much
bigger than what we know as a Yorkie today.
Whereas today’s Yorkie usually weighs between
four and seven pounds, early Yorkies averaged in
the 30-pound range – and I bet you didn’t know
about that! Certainly this is quite a difference
from the small dogs we know and love today and
clearly demonstrates how breeds can evolve. In
the early 1870s, the Yorkie was introduced in
the United States and the breed history took
another turn for the better. The Yorkie began to
be in high demand and then found its way into
various dog shows, eventually becoming
recognized by the American Kennel Club. Today
the Yorkie is one of the most popular breeds of
dogs in the entire world.
They come in different colors and are listed by
the AKC as follows:
Black & Gold
Black & Tan
Blue & Gold
Blue & Tan
Markings
Description
Parti-Color
Gold
It is quite interesting to look at Yorkie
pictures from the early days, and some of the
images from the early 1930s may surprise you.
You will notice quite a few differences between
now and then. However, you will also find many
similarities that continue to be part of the
Yorkie breed today. It was over a period of
several decades that the various other breeds of
dogs making up Yorkies were weeded out and that
the Yorkie became full-bred. Breeders were very
careful to breed for the traits they really
wanted to continue in the puppies, with the
eventual result being the emergence of today’s
Yorkie. Importantly, rather than having a focus
only on size, today’s reputable Yorkie breeders
base their breeding programs on the overall
health of the dogs with the goal being to
eliminate through responsible breeding as many
health concerns as possible.
You have likely seen many a Yorkie in movies,
commercials and other forms of advertising. They
definitely get the attention of those around
them. Unlike some other small breeds (e.g., Toy
Poodle, Pomeranian), Yorkies seem to recognize
the limitations of their size, and they are
almost never aggressive. In fact, Yorkie
personalities are great! One minute they might
be docile lap dogs, and the next they are
feisty, full of life and endlessly playful.
Finding the proper Yorkie breeder is imperative.
By nature, Yorkies are not supposed to be yappy,
aggressive dogs. Of course they may bark at a
stranger, but once introduced to him, they are
loving and sweet, gentle dogs. Remember, folks,
temperament is bred just like good physical
traits. Yorkies are wonderful little dogs which
continue to pique the interest of people from
all walks of life – they have become such a part
of our history that people simply want to have
them around.
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