Under the Coat Is Where a Shih Tzu Is Sexed
A young Shih Tzu is sexed by anatomy hidden beneath a surprising amount of hair for so small a puppy. Settle the puppy on its back, fully supported on your lap, and part the belly coat along the midline with your fingertips. A male Shih Tzu has a small raised prepuce on the centre of the belly, well forward of the hind legs. A female's mid-belly, once the hair is parted, is smooth skin with no bump.
Look at the rear for the female's confirming sign. Shih Tzu puppies carry coat at the rear too, so part it gently: directly beneath the anus, close enough that the two openings nearly touch, sits the vulva. A male has only the anus in that rear view. With the hair moved aside, the male's forward belly bump and the female's close rear pairing are distinct and dependable.
Shih Tzu Looks That Say Nothing About Sex
This breed defeats appearance-based guessing completely. Male Shih Tzu puppies have the same long, flowing coat, the same round face and the same large dark eyes as females, and a topknot or bow is purely the owner's styling — plenty of males wear their hair up to keep it from their eyes. A glamorous puppy is not a female puppy.
Size is a weak guide too. Shih Tzu puppies are small in both sexes, and a sturdy female can outweigh a finer-boned male from the same litter without it meaning anything. Temperament overlaps entirely at this age: males and females alike trot after people, claim laps, play with toys and squat to urinate.
A Careful Technique for a Small, Hairy Puppy
Choose a warm, quiet moment and keep the Shih Tzu puppy against your body for security, because tiny puppies chill and squirm when held away from warmth. Use the edge of your hand to sweep the long belly hair to each side, and work in bright light — the structures you are looking for are small, and shadow from the coat hides them easily.
If the breeder keeps the belly and rear trimmed short on young puppies, as many do for hygiene, use that window: the anatomy will be far easier to read before the coat grows back. Ask the breeder to demonstrate with a littermate of the opposite sex if one is available; in this breed, seeing the contrast once is worth repeated solo attempts through a sea of hair.
Getting a Shih Tzu's Sex Confirmed
Ask the breeder or a veterinarian to confirm whenever the coat defeats you or the two views seem to disagree. A veterinarian confirms sex routinely during the first puppy examination. Raise it at that visit if a male's testicles are not both apparent as he matures, or if you notice redness, discharge or matting with irritation around the rear — the long coat can hide a problem there that is obvious in a short-coated breed.
A sex recorded wrongly at purchase tends to be repeated by everyone until a professional corrects it.
Recording the Result for Your Shih Tzu
Write the confirmed sex down with the markings that separate this puppy from its littermates — the distribution of colour over the face and body and the breeder's collar colour — because Shih Tzu coats can change shade noticeably as the adult coat comes in, and early notes anchor which puppy was which. Photograph the markings on the same day for the same reason.
A record that survives coat changes is the point of KinsLe Pet Pass, which holds your Shih Tzu's confirmed sex, identity and your contact details together on one verified ID card.