Do Shih Tzus make nice pets?

All dogs make nice pets if they match what the owner is looking for.  What are you looking for in a dog?

We have lots of shih tzus at the salon-and they vary immensely in temperament-most are lovely sweet dogs but some are total horrors- so its very important to buy from a responsible breeder.Large numbers are bred by puppy farmers-best to go to a show breeder.And of course they have extremely high maintenance coats,they need daily grooming and/or regular trips to the salon which can work out costly.

I wanted to find out as much as i could about this breed as i find them very attractive. Are they easy to train to sit & come etc, are they a loveable dog or are they independant, do they like people or are they stand offish with people they dont know, & so on.

Any advice would be appreciated. :)

I have a friend who had 3 shitz all passed now, she was devoted to them, they were all trained well, all sat when told etc, my friends were very food orientated so training is easy in that respect in offering treats, so from my one experience of them I guess I have to say easy to train and they all loved to sit on my friends knee.  I found them quite aloof with strangers, not sure what their breed profile says but they only really stayed with my friend, I also found them to be a very yappy breed, they do need a lot of grooming as already said and yes when groomed well they look terrific, my friend used to always wipe their bums after they had been for a trip in the garden. :-D

My friend loved hers, I don't know why but they didn't appeal to me I think probably because they showed me no interest at all unless I was offering them a tit bit. That was my experience of them, I'm sure you will have many others. :-)

my mum has 2 rescued shih tzus from battersea dogs home who are brothers and she got them when they were approx 2yrs old.she now only has one of them as one died but hes 15 and recently had his teeth de-scaled,and the vet couldnt believe his age! they are very laid back and fine with all dogs and people but he did hate me doing his nails from day one,especially as he has hind and front dew claws.they both have had ulcers on thier eyes and subsequent treatment which has cleared them up.i also bought her some oster clippers after she had watched them being clipped several times and she has clipped him for the last 13 yrs.

Tricolours,in the salon we have a shih tzus with a wide range of characters-some nervous,some grouchy,some very quiet and well behaved and several which are manically friendly to everyone and everything and can't wait to get in the door.As a breed they just vary so much,a bit like any of the other most popular breeds such as Cockers and Westies,it just depends on where you get your pup and the character of the parents.As a breed I'd say most are very people orientated-I wouldn't say they're overly independent.

Thank you for your help, its just what i wanted. :)