Although this breed looks nothing similar to wolves and other wild canids, the Shih Tzu is genetically one of the domestic breeds most closely related to wolves. It is thought that this companion breed originated in China around 800 BC.
Are Shih Tzus related to Wolfs?
So yes, a Shih Tzu is a wolf. In fact, genetically it is more similar to a wolf than any other dog breed. However, it isn't the closest related to wolves, because there is no such thing. It's just that its breeding has kept more of the wolf DNA than any other dog.
Which dog is most related to a wolf?
Some of them may surprise you! According to a DNA study of 85 domestic dog breeds performed by members of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published by National Geographic, the Shiba Inu and chow chow are the two breeds most closely related to wolves.
Do Shih Tzus have wolf DNA?
DNA analysis shows today's Shih Tzu breed is in the group of “ancient” breeds indicating “close genetic relationship to wolves”.
What are Shih Tzus related to?
People commonly associate the Shih Tzu with China, but they actually came from China's western neighbor, Tibet, which was a sovereign nation until the 1950s. Tibet probably sent dogs to the Chinese royalty as gifts. The Chinese then bred them with Pekingese or Pugs to create the modern-day Shih Tzu.
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