Great Dane vs Shih Tzu: Which Suits Your Home?

The Shih Tzu tops out around 16 lbs and 11 inches at the shoulder -- a dog that could nearly fit inside a Great Dane's water bowl. The Dane runs 110 to 175 lbs and 28 to 34 inches, a spread of well over 150 pounds between the two. Nothing about their day-to-day care overlaps once you factor in that difference in scale.

Exercise need reads low (2/5) for the Shih Tzu and moderate (3/5) for the Dane, and in practice the Shih Tzu is happy with short strolls and indoor play. The Dane needs steadier movement but nothing extreme -- moderate activity that shouldn't turn into hard running while its joints are still developing. Neither breed asks for the multi-mile daily exercise some large or working breeds demand.

This is close to a complete reversal. The Dane needs very low (1/5) grooming on a wash-and-go coat, while the Shih Tzu's long, flowing coat demands very high (5/5) upkeep -- regular brushing and professional trims to avoid mats. Shedding runs the other direction: moderate (3/5) for the Dane against very low (1/5) for the Shih Tzu, whose coat is often marketed as hypoallergenic.

The Shih Tzu was built for small spaces -- very high (5/5) apartment suitability against the Dane's very low (1/5). Barking runs slightly higher for the Shih Tzu, moderate (3/5) versus the Dane's low (2/5), worth knowing with close neighbors. Alone tolerance also favors the Shih Tzu, moderate (3/5) to the Dane's low (2/5), though neither breed is built for long stretches home alone.

The Shih Tzu is rated high (4/5) for first-time owners; the Dane sits at low (2/5), reflecting how much a giant breed's size raises the stakes of early handling mistakes. Trainability itself is tied, moderate (3/5) for both, so the gap here is really about consequences of a training lapse rather than how trainable each dog is.

Both breeds do well with kids -- the Dane rates very high (5/5), the Shih Tzu high (4/5) -- and both score high (4/5) with other dogs and moderate (3/5) with strangers. On paper this is one of the more balanced sections in the comparison; the practical difference is more about a toddler's ability to safely interact with a 150-lb dog versus a 12-lb one than anything in the temperament data itself.

The Shih Tzu's lifespan of 10 to 16 years comfortably beats the Dane's 7 to 10. Hip dysplasia is the one condition both breeds share; beyond that the Dane faces giant-breed risks like bloat and wobbler syndrome, while the Shih Tzu's list leans toward brachycephalic airway issues, kidney disease and liver shunts tied to its flat-faced build.

The Dane costs more at every stage: $200-400 a month and $3,000-5,000 in year one, against the Shih Tzu's $120-250 monthly and $1,500-3,000 first-year range. Cost level sits at very high (5/5) for the Dane and high (4/5) for the Shih Tzu -- closer than the raw dollar figures suggest, since the Shih Tzu's grooming bills add up.