Dog breedShih TzuA Shih Tzu in full show coatOther namesIanChrysanthemum DogOriginChinaTraitsWeight. The name comes from the Chinese language word for 'lion' because this kind of dog was bred to resemble 'the lion, as depicted in traditional oriental art'. (The Pekingese breed is also called 'lion dog' in Chinese.) The alternative name was adopted to avoid the confusion that stems from referring to the breed as a lion. Shih Tzu were nicknamed the Chrysanthemum Dog in England in the 1930s. The dog may also be called the Tibetan Lion Dog;, but whether the breed should be referred to as 'Tibetan' or 'Chinese' is a source of both historical and political contention, as the subsequent section notes.