I dont think they are a mean breed of dog. my mom had a Shih when i was growing up and he didnt have a mean bone in his body. however,, the breed does have a strange smell to them. i remeber my mom bathing her dog a lot and he still had a weird smell to him. would start to skin again less then a week later. the vet said its known in the breed to have a smell to them because of their skin oils.