The small Tibetan-origin breed whose name means “lion dog” in Chinese is the Shih Tzu.
The name Shih Tzu is a Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin word for “lion.” The breed was developed to resemble the lion of traditional East Asian art, an animal associated with strength, royalty, and Buddhist symbolism. Shih Tzus are also known as Tibetan Lion Dogs and were prized as companion animals in Chinese imperial settings.
The breed’s early history is not completely settled. It is generally associated with Tibet and is often described as having relationships with the Pekingese and Lhasa Apso. Dogs related to the modern Shih Tzu reached Europe in the 1920s and 1930s; Lady Brownrigg brought dogs to England in 1928.
A common mix-up is Pekingese, which is also linked with lion-dog imagery and is sometimes called a Chinese Lion Dog. The Tibetan-origin clue points specifically to Shih Tzu, while “lion dog” explains the breed’s name rather than its formal country of origin.