Shih Tzu Colors

We created this web page to help new breeders and new puppy buyers have a better knowledge of the colors of the Shih Tzu's. All to often someone will tell us that they have a chocolate Shih Tzu when in fact it is a gold or we will get an email from someone showing us pictures of a puppy from their litter and acquiring what color the pup will be as an adult. I know when we first started out breeding Shih Tzu's learning all the different colors can be confusing so maybe this page can help others out! We also want to assist puppy buyers to know what they are buying.

Black/White

Gold/White

Solid Red

Solid Gold

Solid Black

Solid White

Red Brindle

Solid Brindle

Black/white, gold/white, solid gold, solid red, solid black, solid white, red brindle and solid brindle

The colors shown above are probably the easiest colors to describe. ALL these colors have the black pigmentation. This just means that the pads of their paws, their lips and their noses are all black. Occasionally, a Shih Tzu's lips can be pink and black, but this generally turns black as they grow up. I would like to also mention that each color can come in different shades, just like our hair color. We get some reds that are very bold and vibrant, others are more darker red and can have black tipping. The same goes for golds. Sometime as a newborn pup, a gold and a red can look very similar. As for gold/white Shih Tzu's, for the majority of the time their coloring does fade a bit. If they were a dark gold/white as a puppy, they might be a light gold/white as an adult.

Solid Blue 3 days old

Solid Blue, 6 weeks old

12 week old

Handsome Smurf, 2 years old

Solid Blue

Blue Shih Tzu's are again, easy to distinguish. ALL blues will have a blue pigment to their skin, their lips, their pads of their feet and their nose. They will never have a black nose or black pads. By the time a pup is between 2 to 3 weeks old, the color of their nose will determine whether he/she is a true blue. Blues come in many shades, which can range from an almost silverish look to a light charcoal. Here is the tricky part, their coat may be of any color and still in fact be a solid blue. One must look at the skin pigmentation. If the skin is blue, then the pup is a blue, not a black. It's all about the skin and nose color.

Liver/White

Liver/White

Solid Liver, 10 weeks old

Oliver, solid liver

Solid Liver and Liver/White

Liver/white and solid liver are the hardest to distinguish as newborns, in our opinion. A liver or liver/white newborn will generally have a plumish colored nose. So you think you may have a liver, this may or may not be the case. We have had several pups in the past that we believed to be liver and within their first week of life their nose had turned solid black. The easiest way to tell a liver from a gold or gold/white is by the color of their fur. Solid liver and liver/whites tend to have a reddish hue to them (this is not always the case though). Also, a true liver and/or liver/white Shih Tzu will never have any black hair on them whatsoever.You will know for certain if the puppy is a liver by the time he/she turns 2 1/2 to 3 weeks old. A true liver and liver/white will have the liver pigmentation. The liver nose like the pups shown above, liver pads on their feet and either copper or green eyes.

Solid Chocolate (milk chocolate)

Solid Chocolate (Non fading deep dark chocolate)

Solid Chocolate

Solid Chocolate (or as some breeders refer to them as solid liver) can come in different shades. There is the deep dark chocolate and there are lighter versions of chocolate as well (like shown above). We have come across ads that claim to have "milk chocolate" Shih Tzu's and they turn out to be solid gold! A solid chocolate of any shade MUST have a liver colored nose and either copper or green eyes! If the pup has a solid black nose, then the puppy is a gold colored Shih Tzu.

There are many other colors of Shih Tzu's that I have not discussed such a lavendar, dobie marked and etc but I don't feel it would be right to write about a color that we have never gotten or owned before. My suggestion is to do alot of research on your preferred color on the internet or talk to a breeder that has your desired color. A good breeder is always willing to talk to you about their dogs. Our primary goal is to inform you as much as possible about what your puppy will look like and be like as an adult so that you are not disapointed later on because it is not fair to you or the pup if you are misinformed.


We hope this helps!


**All the pictures pictured above are of our Shih Tzu's and our previous puppies**

Page Updated: Saturday November 27th, 2010