Which country does the Shih Tzu dog come from?

A Shih Tzu (literally meaning "lion dog"), is a toy dog breed, weighing from 4 to 7.25 kilograms (9–16 lb) when fully grown. The breed originated on the Tibetan Plateau and was developed in China.

There are various theories of the origins of today's breed. Theories relate that it stemmed from a cross between the Pekingese and Lhasa Apso, a Tibetan dog given by the Dalai Lama to Chinese emperors near the end of the 17th century. Dogs during ancient times were selectively bred and seen in Chinese paintings. The dogs were favorites of the Chinese royals and so prized that, for years, the Chinese refused to sell, trade, or give any away.

The first dogs of the breed were imported into Europe (England and Norway) in 1930 and were classified by the Kennel Club as "Apsos". The first European standard for the breed was written in England in 1935 by the Shih Tzu Club, and the dogs were categorized again as Shih Tzu. The breed spread throughout Europe and was brought to the United States after World War II, when returning members of the U.S. military brought back dogs from Europe and Asia, in the mid-1950s.