Tight Nostrils? or Stenotic Nares

As with many other brachycephalic tight nostrils are very VERY common in the Shih Tzu breed.  Tight nostrils and Stenotic Nares (pinched nostrils) are NOT the same thing. Tight Nostrils usually are noticed when the puppy is teething and may not go away until the adult teeth have fully come in (even up to a year old).  This can come and go as the everything is swollen and plugging their tiny noses during this time, but as long as they are active and eating and drinking normally it is of little concern.  Never have surgery done on a puppy that just simply has tight nostrils as it will eventually go away.  Some dogs will have tighter nostrils than others and some will snore and snort more than others during their entire life, but tight nostrils to the point that they can't breath through their noses and cause health concerns is not common. You can help them alleviate the discomfort by massaging the sinus cavity, gums and between their eyes while teething. 
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Stenotic Nares on the other hand are completely different and is usually present at birth but does not go away as the dog grows..  From the time the baby is born he has difficulty breathing through his nose and struggles with nursing from early on due to the inability to breath and eat at the same time. This may likely need to be corrected with surgery, but will depend on the severity of the condition. Talk to your vet about it, since you don't want to be doing an unnecessary surgery if your dog is still having the adult canine teeth come in, and could possible still be teething! For further information on this condition please check this website.  They have an excellent article on stenotic nares. 

For more information on surgical procedure to correct Stenotic Nares visit the website of Dr. Stephen Birchard.