The Shih Tzu is a friendly lap dog that was used as a companion for Chinese Royalty. This dog makes a great family dog with it's unconditional love, devotion and adaptability.

The dog is also known to be sweet, playful and trustworthy. Perfect for supervised play with children. The Shih Tzu can be a good dog for children of all ages, when the dog is properly socialised. But of course, dog and child play should always be supervised by a responsible adult.

They require moderate grooming. Most families find it easiest to get the dog groomed with a "puppy clip" or shorter coat for less maintenance. However, only the natural coat is acceptable for show. This is the long, flowing, floor-length hair, requiring moderate, daily grooming. The coat is hypoallergenic, with minimal-moderate shedding.

However, this breed ranks lowest on 'Stanley Coren's: The Intelligence of Dogs' scale. This means that they have less intellect for obedience and working exercises and therefore probably would take longer to learn and be harder to train.

But it depends what traits are most important to you in a family dog. Sometimes the pleasant temperament and delightfully social personality of this companion dog is more important than what the dog can mentally achieve.