Chihuahua Information
The history of the Chihuahua dates back to the 9th century
with sketches found that look like the Chihuahua as we know
it. They were thought to have mystical powers; the Chihuahuas
were buried with the dead to ensure their entrance to heaven.
This was a religious practice to the Toltecs.
The Chihuahua was introduced into the United States in the
19th century by the AKC in 1890 known as the Texas Dog or
Arizona Dog, due to the geographical location to Chihuahua,
Mexico. In 1904 the dog was given the name Chihuahua.
This Chihuahua breed is known as the oldest & the smallest
of all breeds.
Origin: Mexico
Height: 6 - 9 inches
Color: Any color or mixture
Coat: Long or smooth Coat
Watch Dog: Very High
Guard Dog: Very Low
Life Span: Well into teen years
Activity/Exercise: Moderate
Housing: Indoors with outdoor activities
Teacups
There is no such dog as a Teacup, Pocket or Mini. They are
all Chihuahuas, some may be very small, 2lbs full grown, & they
are still Chihuahuas. Some may be up to 12 lbs full grown
and they are still Chihuahuas as long as they have the
proper registration. Chihuahuas are not categorized by
size, long or smooth coat is the only distinction within
the breed. The Teacup terminology is very misleading & not
used professionally within the clubs.
Registration/Purebreds
Registration is paramount to the breed, some breeders do
Hybrids, (please investigate this toughly) as long as your
puppy is registered with AKC, CKC &/or ACA, that means
both parents & the past 3 generations were purebreds & have
been approved by the American Kennel Club or the Continental
Kennel Club &/or the American Chihuahua Association.
We find the Chihuahua to have a fabulous loving temperament.
They want to be loved & will love & want to please
you in return. Yes they are good watch dogs & extremely
easy to travel with. They are alert & an excellent apartment,
house, RV or travel companion.
Their grooming consists of bathing, trimming their nails & possibly
having to brush their teeth.
Repetitive, few words & praise each action for verbal
training make training very easy with this breed.
These dogs do not know how small they really are, some have
no fear & some can be extremely timid. Please remember
they are lower to the ground & will try to eat what ever
they can smell & see.
Chihuahua Breed Standard
Toy
Group
General Appearance
A graceful, alert, swift-moving little dog with saucy expression,
compact, and with terrier-like qualities of temperament.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Weight - A well balanced little dog not to exceed 6 pounds.
Proportion - The body is off-square; hence, slightly longer
when measured from point of shoulder to point of buttocks,
than height at the withers. Somewhat shorter bodies are
preferred in males. Disqualification - Any dog over 6 pounds
in weight.
Head
A well rounded "apple dome" skull, with or without
molera. Expression - Saucy. Eyes - Full, but not protruding,
balanced, set well apart-luminous dark or luminous ruby.
(Light eyes in blond or white-colored dogs permissible.)
Ears - Large, erect type ears, held more upright when alert,
but flaring to the sides at a 45 degree angle when in repose,
giving breadth between the ears. Muzzle - Moderately short,
slightly pointed. Cheeks and jaws lean. Nose - Self-colored
in blond types, or black. In moles, blues, and chocolates,
they are self-colored. In blond types, pink nose permissible.
Bite - Level or scissors. Overshot or undershot bite, or
any distortion of the bite or jaw, should be penalized as
a serious fault. Disqualifications - Broken down or cropped
ears.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck - Slightly arched, gracefully sloping into lean shoulders.
Topline - Level. Body - Ribs rounded and well sprung (but
not too much "barrel-shaped"). Tail - Moderately
long, carried sickle either up or out, or in a loop over
the back, with tip just touching the back. (Never tucked
between legs.) Disqualifications - Cropped tail, bobtail.
Forequarters
Shoulders - Lean, sloping into a slightly broadening support
above straight forelegs that set well under, giving a free
play at the elbows. Shoulders should be well up, giving
balance and soundness, sloping into a level back. (Never
down or low.) This gives a chestiness, and strength of
forequarters, yet not of the "Bulldog" chest.
Feet - A small, dainty foot with toes well split up but
not spread, pads cushioned. (Neither the hare nor the cat
foot.) Pasterns - Fine.
Hindquarters
Muscular, with hocks well apart, neither out nor in, well
let down, firm and sturdy. The feet are as in front.
Coat
In the Smooth Coats, the coat should be of soft texture,
close and glossy. (Heavier coats with undercoats permissible.)
Coat placed well over body with ruff on neck preferred,
and more scanty on head and ears. Hair on tail preferred
furry. In Long Coats, the coat should be of a soft texture,
either flat or slightly curly, with undercoat preferred.
Ears - Fringed. (Heavily fringed ears may be tipped slightly
if due to the fringes and not to weak ear leather, never
down.) Tail - Full and long (as a plume). Feathering on
feet and legs, pants on hind legs and large ruff on the
neck desired and preferred. Disqualification - In Long
Coats, too thin coat that resembles bareness.
Color
Any color-Solid, marked or splashed.
Gait
The Chihuahua should move swiftly with a firm, sturdy action,
with good reach in front equal to the drive from the rear.
From the rear, the hocks remain parallel to each other,
and the foot fall of the rear legs follows directly behind
that of the forelegs. The legs, both front and rear, will
tend to converge slightly toward a central line of gravity
as speed increases. The side view shows good, strong drive
in the rear and plenty of reach in the front, with head
carried high. The topline should remain firm and the backline
level as the dog moves.
Temperament
Alert, with terrier-like qualities.
Disqualifications
Any dog over 6 pounds in weight.
Broken down or cropped ears.
Cropped tail, bobtail.
In Long Coats, too thin coat that resembles bareness.
