Q 01/05

The Shih Tzu is believed to have been bred from which two breeds?

A) Pekingese and Maltese

B) Pekingese and Lhasa Apso

C) Lhasa Apso and Havanese

D) Maltese and Havanese

Answer · why

B) Pekingese and Lhasa Apso

Pekingese and Lhasa Apso. The usual story has shaggy Tibetan temple dogs reaching the Chinese court as gifts and being crossed with its flat-faced pal...

Q 02/05

The name Shih Tzu is a romanisation of the Mandarin word for which animal?

A) Dragon

B) Fox

C) Lion

D) Tiger

Answer · why

C) Lion

Lion. The full Chinese name, shizi gou, means 'lion dog', after the maned beasts of temple art that palace breeders are said to have tried to copy.

Q 03/05

How do English speakers usually say the name 'Shih Tzu'?

A) SHY-zoo

B) SHIH-tuz

C) SHEET-soo

D) SHAH-tsoo

Answer · why

C) SHEET-soo

SHEET-soo. Some owners soften it to SHEED-zoo, but neither comes close to the Mandarin original, shizi, which sounds more like 'shur-dz'.

Q 04/05

In modern China the Shih Tzu is usually called the 'Xi Shi dog', after a woman legendary for what?

A) Her beauty

B) Her poetry

C) Her skill in battle

D) Her cooking

Answer · why

A) Her beauty

Her beauty. Xi Shi is counted among the Four Beauties of ancient China, and in legend her looks so distracted an enemy king that his kingdom fell.

Q 05/05

The way the hair fans out from a Shih Tzu's face like petals earned it which nickname?

A) Sunflower dog

B) Chrysanthemum dog

C) Marigold dog

D) Carnation dog

Answer · why

B) Chrysanthemum dog

Chrysanthemum dog. The hair on the muzzle grows upwards and outwards in every direction, and one kennel club's standard actually asks for a 'chrysanth...