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A healthy adult Shih Tzu needs about 30 to 45 minutes a day, over two or three walks, which at a typical pace is roughly 0.5 to 1 miles (0.8 to 1.6 km) of walking. Shih Tzus are a lower-energy, small breed with a flat face, so heat sets the limit before stamina does. A mile costs a Shih Tzu about 19,500 paw steps, roughly 9.3 for every step of yours. Puppies follow the five-minutes-per-month rule instead, and seniors do the same total in shorter pieces.
Shih Tzu walking at a glance
| Measure | Typical adult Shih Tzu |
|---|---|
| Group | Toy, small breed, low energy |
| Height at the withers | About 10 in (25 cm) |
| Adult weight (breed standard) | 9 to 16 lb (4 to 7 kg) |
| Daily walking | 30 to 45 minutes, 2 to 3 walks |
| Daily distance band | 0.5 to 1 miles (0.8 to 1.6 km) |
| Stride at a walk | 1.0 to 1.2 ft (30 to 37 cm) |
| Paw steps per mile | About 19,500 (12,100 per km) |
| Calories per mile walked | About 7 to 9 kcal at 6 kg |
| Flat-faced | Yes: heat and breathing caution |
Height from Pawdometer's breed catalog; weight from the AKC breed standard where one exists; stride, paw steps and calories from the app's own formulas at a normal walking pace. Estimates, labeled as such in the app too.
How much to walk a Shih Tzu
A companion breed with a flat face: short walks, cool hours, and a coat that holds heat in summer. Two 15-minute walks suit most Shih Tzus.
The general rule for lower-energy dogs is 30 to 45 minutes a day split over two or three walks, kept gentle and in the cool hours. Where your own Shih Tzu sits inside the band shows up at home: restless evenings mean more, stiff mornings mean less. The full guidance by age and breed group is in How much should you walk your dog?, and the distance bands for all 50 breeds are in How far should you walk your dog? Miles per day by size.
A mile in Shih Tzu terms
A dog's walking stride is about 1.1 to 1.5 times its shoulder height, and each stride is four paw falls. For a 10-inch Shih Tzu at a normal pace that is a stride of 1.0 to 1.2 feet and about 19,500 paw steps per mile, against roughly 2,100 steps for the person holding the leash. Your own dog's height beats the typical one; the paw steps calculator takes any measurement, and how to take it is in How to measure your dog's height at the withers.
Weight and the scale
The breed standard puts an adult Shih Tzu at 9 to 16 lb (4 to 7 kg); females and small-framed dogs sit toward the lower end, and the number that matters is the one at which the ribs are easy to feel and the waist is visible, which is a body condition score of 4 or 5 out of 9. At a mid-range weight of about 6 kg, a Shih Tzu burns roughly 7 to 9 kcal per mile walked and needs around 412 kcal a day as a neutered adult, so a typical day's walking is about 1 to 2 percent of the day's energy. Walking keeps muscle on and joints moving; portions do the weight loss. The walk calorie calculator and the calorie needs calculator run the numbers for your own dog.
Fifty-nine percent of US dogs are overweight, and in the 50,787-dog lifespan study a healthy weight was worth months to years of life depending on breed. The two-minute check is in Is my dog overweight? How to check in two minutes; the evidence is in Do overweight dogs live shorter lives?.
Shih Tzu puppies and seniors
A Shih Tzu puppy gets about five minutes of leash walking per month of age per walk, up to twice a day, as a ceiling, with play and sniffing making up the rest. The month-by-month chart is in How much should you walk a puppy?. Senior Shih Tzus keep the daily total but take it in three or four walks of 10 to 20 minutes, on soft ground, with a light day whenever the morning is stiff; the routine is in How much exercise does a senior dog need?.
Heat and cold for a Shih Tzu
Heat is the Shih Tzu's limit. A flat face makes panting inefficient, so Shih Tzus can overheat on walks other dogs would not notice, sometimes from the mid-70s°F. Walk at dawn and after dark in summer, keep it short, prefer grass, and treat noisy breathing or a wide flat tongue as the signal to stop. The thresholds and the hand test for pavement are in How hot is too hot to walk a dog?.
Tracking walks for a Shih Tzu
Minutes are a guess and a mile is a measurement. A week of GPS-measured walks shows where your Shih Tzu actually sits in the band above, and paw steps from their real height show what the mile cost them. Pawdometer does both with the phone in your pocket, logs weight against the ideal, and keeps a streak with two free rest days a week.
Pawdometer. GPS-measured walks and paw steps from your Shih Tzu's real height and weight, with weight tracking against the ideal and a streak that allows rest days.
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Frequently asked questions
How much exercise does a Shih Tzu need?
About 30 to 45 minutes a day for a healthy adult, over two or three walks, which works out to roughly 0.5 to 1 miles (0.8 to 1.6 km). Puppies follow the five-minutes-per-month rule and seniors do the same total in shorter pieces.
How far should I walk a Shih Tzu?
A daily band of 0.5 to 1 miles (0.8 to 1.6 km) for an adult. Start at the bottom of the band, add about ten percent a week, and let restless evenings or stiff mornings tell you which way to adjust.
How many steps does a Shih Tzu take in a mile?
About 19,500 paw steps at a normal walking pace, from a 10-inch shoulder height and a stride of 1.1 to 1.5 times that. That is roughly 9.3 paw steps for every step of yours.
What is a healthy weight for a Shih Tzu?
The breed standard range is 9 to 16 lb (4 to 7 kg), but frame varies, so the real test is body condition: ribs easy to feel, a visible waist, a tuck from the side. Each body-condition point above 5 is about ten percent over ideal.
Can I walk a Shih Tzu in hot weather?
Carefully and briefly. Flat-faced breeds overheat on walks other dogs tolerate, sometimes from the mid-70s°F. Dawn and after dark, grass over pavement, water along, and noisy breathing means home.
Sources
- American Kennel Club, "How often should you walk your dog?". www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/how-often-should-you-walk-your-dog/
- Rover, "How much exercise does a dog need?". www.rover.com/blog/much-exercise-dog-need/
- BMC Veterinary Research, 2015: temporospatial gait parameters of walking dogs (stride ≈ 0.74 m at ≈ 1 m/s, ≈ 22 kg dogs). link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12917-015-0631-2
- American Kennel Club, breed weight chart. www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/breed-weight-chart/
- Salt C. et al., "Association between life span and body condition in neutered client-owned dogs", J. Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2019 (50,787 dogs). onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.15367
- American Kennel Club, "Hot pavement and your dog's paws". www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/dog-paws-hot-pavement/
This guide is general information from published veterinary and scientific sources, not veterinary advice. Every dog is different: for exercise, weight or feeding decisions, talk to your vet. Pawdometer never gives diet advice.