The Shih Tzu standard gives 9 to 16 pounds and asks for a muzzle “square, short”. The Bichon Frise standard gives inches only, 9½ to 11½ preferred, and no weight at all. Both coats need a groomer. Only one of the two is on VCA’s brachycephalic list.
What each standard actually specifies
These two get shown side by side because they look like the same kind of dog: small, heavily coated. The standards do not read alike. One is a weight-and-height document; the other is a height document with a careful section on coat and nothing on pounds.
| Bichon Frise | Shih Tzu | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight in the standard | None anywhere in it | 9 to 16 lb |
| Height in the standard | 9½ to 11½ in preferred, never over 12 nor under 9 | 9 to 10½ in ideal, never under 8 nor over 11 |
| Non-standard weight sources | VCA 10 to 16 lb; PetMD 12 to 18 lb, “just under 1 foot tall” | Not needed; the standard gives a weight |
| Coat | Soft undercoat under a coarser curling outer coat that springs back when patted; scissored to the natural outline | “Luxurious, double-coated, dense, long, and flowing” |
| Muzzle | No short muzzle described | “Square, short” |
| On VCA’s brachycephalic list | No | Yes |
Size: one weight clause, one height document
The Shih Tzu standard gives both figures: 9 to 16 pounds, and 9 to 10½ inches ideal with a floor and ceiling of 8 and 11. That is more than most small-breed standards here manage.
The Bichon Frise standard gives primary preference to 9½ to 11½ inches, never over 12 nor under 9, and contains no weight clause at all. So any Bichon weight quoted anywhere, including here, is not breed-standard data. VCA puts adult Bichons at 10 to 16 pounds. PetMD gives 12 to 18 pounds and “just under 1 foot tall”, quoted as written. The two do not agree, and that is the honest state of the information.
Read together, the standards describe dogs of similar height, with only the Shih Tzu carrying a weight from its own breed club. Neither figure predicts a puppy: small breeds finish growing earlier than large ones, but nobody can read an adult weight off a photograph. Judge condition by feeling the ribs and looking for a waist, not by the scale.
Coat and grooming: the same budget, different work
The Bichon standard is precise about texture: a soft undercoat under a coarser curling outer coat that springs back when patted, scissored to the natural outline rather than clipped short. Scissoring is skilled work — a standing appointment, not a tidy-up.
The Shih Tzu coat is “luxurious, double-coated, dense, long, and flowing”. Left long it is a daily-brush coat; the length is what mats. Both dogs carry an undercoat, and neither should be shaved down for summer — the undercoat is part of how a dog regulates temperature. Brushing it out is what helps in July, not clippers.
So the grooming budget is much the same either way, but the work differs: curl scissored to an outline, or length combed out. Low-shedding is a grooming description, not a health one.
Temperament, as the standards phrase it
The Shih Tzu standard describes a dog “outgoing, happy, affectionate, friendly and trusting towards all”. The Bichon standard’s memorable passages are about coat and outline rather than character, so we will not put words in it. A standard describes a breed, not the puppy in front of you, and individual dogs vary.
The muzzle, and a Georgia summer
This is the decision point, and it is not cosmetic. The Shih Tzu standard asks for a muzzle “square, short”, and VCA names the breed among brachycephalic, short-muzzled breeds. Signs in those breeds are often worse in hot or humid weather, which is most of a Lawrenceville summer. Dogs cool themselves mainly by panting, so a shorter airway means less cooling in the same heat. The Bichon is not on that list.
In practice, on the Shih Tzu side especially: air conditioning as a given rather than a luxury, shade and water outdoors, walks at either end of the day instead of the middle, and a harness rather than a neck collar, since tracheal collapse is associated with toy breeds. We will not tell you how any individual dog breathes. Only a veterinarian examining that dog can assess its airway, and that conversation is worth having early rather than on the first hot afternoon.
Which one suits you
- Do you want a weight clause from the breed’s own standard, or are veterinary figures that disagree acceptable?
- Is a short muzzle something you can manage through Georgia heat, year after year?
- Would you rather have a coat scissored to an outline, or a long one combed out?
- Is your summer routine already built around air conditioning, shade and early walks?
Coat texture settles in your hands in seconds, the best argument for visiting. See available puppies by breed for what is in the Lawrenceville showroom now, the Shih Tzu size chart for that standard in detail, or Shih Tzu mixes if a cross is on your list.
Common questions
Which is bigger, a Bichon Frise or a Shih Tzu?
By height they are close: Bichon 9½ to 11½ inches preferred, Shih Tzu 9 to 10½ ideal. By weight only the Shih Tzu has a breed-standard figure, 9 to 16 pounds. The Bichon weights in circulation are veterinary, and the two sources disagree.
Can a Shih Tzu live in Georgia heat?
Plenty do, with the household built around it: air conditioning, shade, water, walks at either end of the day. VCA names the breed among brachycephalic ones and notes signs are often worse in hot or humid weather. Only a veterinarian examining your dog can judge its airway.
Should either coat be shaved for summer?
No. Both carry an undercoat, and the undercoat is part of how the dog regulates temperature. Brushing it out is the useful move, and a groomer who knows the breed will say the same.
Come and meet them both
Every puppy here is health-checked by our on-staff veterinarian, raised in our family home nursery, and waiting to say hello.
1848 Old Norcross Rd, Lawrenceville, GA 30044
Mon–Sat 12:00–7:00 PM • Sun 2:00–6:00 PM
