Brain First
Shih Tzu^™

At Brain First Shih Tzu™, we love the Shih Tzu breed deeply. That is exactly why we believe breed preservation sometimes has to include honest conversations about health, structure, coat care, temperament, and long-term genetic diversity.

Some people think preservation means keeping everything exactly the same forever. We see it differently. True preservation means protecting what is beautiful about the breed while also being willing to make thoughtful, ethical, well-documented decisions for future generations.

Before beginning this Shih Tzu improvement work, we spent several decades developing a Tri-Color Silkie Yorkie line. This line is known for its signature blend of three distinct colors — white, black, and tan — along with a silky coat texture, small companion size, and carefully selected temperament.

We still remember the first time a prospective buyer asked what testing had been done. At the time, we were working with a biochemist and geneticist, and the question almost caught us off guard — not because we were avoiding testing, but because testing and selection had already been part of the work for many years.

By that point, we had spent decades watching, testing, documenting, selecting, and improving the line. We do not claim that any dog or line is "disease free," because no responsible breeder can promise that. What we can say is that, in the areas we were testing and tracking, we had reached a point where we were not finding the kind of actionable health concerns that had originally driven so much of the work.

That is one of the reasons we are so excited about the Silkie Tzu™ Development Project.

The Silkie Tzu™ is our long-term, carefully documented effort to bring selected traits from our Tri-Color Silkie Yorkie development line into a Shih Tzu improvement pathway. The goal is not to erase the Shih Tzu. The goal is to temporarily widen the gene pool, evaluate each generation honestly, and work back toward Shih Tzu type with stronger support for health, coat care, structure, temperament, and quality of life.

This will not be a quick project.

We expect this work to take at least four documented generations, and likely much longer. Each generation will be evaluated for health, temperament, coat, structure, family suitability, and Brain First developmental traits. Some dogs may continue forward in the project. Some may be wonderful companions but not part of the next breeding generation. That is part of responsible selection.

One possible benefit of the Yorkshire Terrier influence is coat manageability. Shih Tzu coats can be beautiful, but they can also be dense, high-maintenance, and prone to tangling or matting when families cannot keep up with the grooming demands. Our Tri-Color Silkie Yorkie line brings a finer, silkier coat influence that may help create a more manageable companion coat over time.

Another possible benefit is temperament balance. Yorkshire Terriers are terriers, and terriers can carry stronger hunting or chase instincts. In the Silkie Tzu™ project, we are not trying to increase prey drive. We are selecting away from that. Our goal is to soften those traits through careful selection while keeping the intelligence, alertness, confidence, and human connection that can make small companion dogs so special.

The long-term vision is simple:

• Widen the gene pool for a limited number of generations.
• Select carefully.
• Track honestly.
• Keep the best companion traits.
• Reduce avoidable weaknesses where we can.
• Then move back toward Shih Tzu type with a stronger foundation.

Our promise is transparency, not perfection.

Thoughtful outcrossing is not a magic fix. It is a tool. When paired with health testing, genetic awareness, temperament evaluation, structure review, coat assessment, and honest recordkeeping, it may help support healthier future companion lines.

At Brain First Shih Tzu™, we believe the future of ethical companion breeding belongs to people who are willing to look at the whole dog — not just color, cuteness, tradition, or paperwork.