Shih Tzu‘s are ideal as family pets, and generally the Shih Tzu personality traits include: playful, energetic, loyal, loving, lively, outgoing and quite intelligent. These very cute, little balls of joy have no idea how tiny they really are. It is wise to be cautious though due to their small nature that they are very careful with objects, people with big dogs, or very young children who do not appropriately know how to handle and treat a Shih-tzu without it getting hurt. In my opinion male Shih-tzu make better pets, they are so sweet, loving, and devoted to their owners whole heartedly.