*SHIMA HISTORY
  
THE HISTORY OF THE SHIMA
All Shima's started from
The Sweet Shima's Down line.
We purchased our fist Shima's in 1996. At that time, they were not registered or numbered. So I went to work.
Fifteen years ago, a husband and wife team, Judy and James Christensen, had a little accident, and to their amazement, the most beautiful, healthy, joyous puppies were born.
Judy and Jim were older and very ill at the time, and because
I was so hooked on the cross, they made me promise
to propAgate this beautiful new breed.
First, I registered all of Judy & Jim's dogs, and then I was able to register
the down line, (Which we still have in our stock today).
 
All TRUE SHIMA'S, ARE OUT OF THIS
ORIGINAL STOCK!
 
Since the year 2004, with the help of other breeders, we have been able to breed Shima to Shima. We were excited beyond belief.
Shima's are very loyal, great family pets. Protective, intelligent, and they are playful for many years.
Children of all ages are able to enjoy this delightful breed.
We found by breeding, two commonly inbreed breeds, the Maltese and the Shih-tzu, that there was a profound effect on their imperfections.
These imperfections, had been created, by the practice of
down line breeding.
Due to our vigilance and proper breeding practices,
these imperfections are now, virtually non-existent.
So the game was on.
What did we like best in the two breeds?
And what would be our goals in creating a healthy,
beautiful, companion breed of dogs?
Our Goals:
Hair:
Human hair would work out great, no shedding, no allergic reaction by the more sensitive pet owners. Managing tangling, grooming, and the length that the hair would grow, became our objectives.
 Texture of the hair became a priority, losing the harsher coats and creating a lush silky easy to manage coat.
The Shima’s hair is not like a Shih-tzu, nor is it like a Maltese; it has a way of its own. Shima’s hair is Softer, and fluffier, then either of these two breeds.
Color of Hair:
We like color, the more the better, there are now Reds, Browns, Grays, Silvers, Black, Blue, White, Golden, Creams, Brindles, and any combination
of these, some even having up to 5 different colors on one coat.
 
We are also working on the Solid colors, with Black masks.
They come in red, and chocolate, also brown and white.
Brindles are now commonplace here at Sweet Shimas.com
Shima's are chameleon in that they change colors every winter and summer, depending on the length of their hair.
If you let the hair grow out, it will drape to the floor.
 
We have one dog, that received his first tangle after he was 8 months old. But when the snow came, I could not keep him out of it, so he did get some tangles.
Choo Choo Twain is now in our breeding line up, his coat
should give us a boost in the quality of their hair.
Soft Teeth
We needed strong healthy teeth that would last our Shima's a lifetime. We have constant vigilance in this regard.
In regards to the canine teeth, we bombarded our Veterinarian with every question under the sun.
We now have 9-year-old Shima's with all of their teeth still intact. Under bites was a real problem from the Shih-tzu line.
So every breeder, is carefully examined though out its development,
in order, that the under bite would be long gone in the Shima's history.
***In the fight for strong healthy teeth, we are succeeding!
No more snorting:
The Shih-tzu had a common problem with the nasal passages being much to small,
which caused havoc for the poor dears.
When they would get excited, that snorting would rear its ugly head.
In some cases this would cause the dog in question, to even loose consciousness.
This is from the restriction of the air passage to the brain.
*** This snorting is no longer a problem with the Shima's.
We now find relatively few Shima's that have any problems of this kind.
We are very careful, not to breed this snorting,
back into our precious Shima's.
Adoring Manner:
Shima's have a very calm manner.
They are playful, joyous, loyal, and a bundle of joy to children of all ages.
Traveling with these delightful dogs is a rich experience.
Many of our Shima's are sold as companions to the elderly,
and to the world travelers, because of their eager to please
personalities.
These Shims are not a yappy, hyper breed of dog, quite the contrary. Oh you can be sure they will bark when an intruder is present, but they quickly calm down, when their owner's just whispers HUSH to them.
***They love to travel, and the feedback I mostly receive, is how they go everywhere that their owners go.
Even into restaurants. (some peoples kids)
Shima's are just wonderful.
Each puppy takes on his or her owner's likes and dislikes. Mine eat
string beans, oranges, blackberries and carrots.
SMILE!
Larger Eyes:
We are also trying to develop the larger eyes. Not as big as the Shih-tzu's eyes are, (Shih-tzu's are 1/2 Pekingese, so that is where they get their large eyes from.) but not as small, as the Maltese's eyes can be.
Everyone Loves A Wide Eyed Puppy!
Body Length:
On the coupling, we have been breeding in the longer coupling.
This is not just a matter of personal preference.
The short couplers have a much harder time delivering their puppies.
Leg Height:
We have been working on the shorter legs of the Shih-tzu's,
as opposed to the long lanky legs of the Maltese.
Stronger Bones:
The Maltese have very frail bones, and we made the decision that
the Shimas needed stronger bones.
As we are working to bring the breed into teacup and toy size,
it is important to us, that the tiny dogs have a larger, stronger, bone structure.
Shima's Weight:
We use 6-8 LB females and 2-3 LB males.
We only bread the 6-8 LB females, because whelping is hard on the tiny girls, and I am not willing to take a chance with their lives.
The Shima's size will usually run anywhere from 2-8 LB full grown.
We can usually tell by the time the puppies are 8 weeks old,
just about how much they will weigh in one year.
The Shima females, are usually fully grown, between the ages of
8-12 months.
A male will come in to his maturity around 8 months old,
but some of the tinier males can take up to one year to mature.
Well: have I given you enough information yet?
 
 
 
I would love to hear from you, so feel free to call or e-mail me.
Just follow this link.
 THANK YOU! (With all of our hearts!)
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