CHIHUAHUA INFORMATION

The Chihuahua takes its name from the Mexican state abutting west Texas and New Mexico, but likely came from the ancient Techichi dogs of the Toltecs crossed with hairless dogs from the Orient. Historians describe the Techichi as a heavy-boned small dog with a long coat indigenous to Central America and definitely connected to the Toltec civilization near present-day Mexico City. The Techichi was larger than the modern Chihuahua and was mute.

The Aztecs conquered the Toltecs and adopted the little dogs as sacred icons of the upper classes, used in religious ceremonies to expiate sins and as guides for the spirits of the dead. Somewhere along the way, breed historian K. deBlinde* concluded, the Techichi was crossed with an Oriental hairless breed that made its way to the New World via the Bering Strait land bridge and the smaller, smooth-coated, vocal Chihuahua of today was born.

The breed was discovered in Chihuahua State in the 1850s and quickly became popular. It was first registered with the American Kennel Club in 1904.

With its big eyes, big ears, and bigger-than-life attitude, the Chihuahua is the epitome of cocky canine in a petite package.

In other words, this pint-sized pet is master of his universe and fears nothing, characteristics that make him a most suitable pet for some people and the worst possible choice for others. But a sudden spurt of popularity as the Taco Bell dog has brought notoriety, and demand for the tough and intelligent dogs has increased.

The Chihuahua has always been popular as a pet for elderly owners and apartment dwellers, so in an era when many breed registrations are declining, the number of Chihuahuas registered annually has increased from 29,860 in 1991 to 38,926 in 1997, an average increase of 1133 registered dogs per year and an overall increase of 30.4 percent. The number is hardly equivalent to the registrations of Labrador Retrievers, the breed with a lock on the number one slot for the past several years, but it has been enough to move the Chihuahua from 16th in popularity to 12th.

CHIHUAHUA BREED STANDARD

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.

Colors
The AKC Chihuahua standard lists under color: "Any color-Solid, marked or splashed". This allows for all colors from solid blacks to solid whites, spotted, or a variety of other colors and patterns. A few examples are Fawn, Red, Cream, Chocolate, Blue, and Black. However the UK Kennel Club decided in May 2007 not to register puppies with Merle coloration due to the health risks associated with the gene responsible, and in December of that year formally amended the Breed Standard to say "Any colour or mixture of colours but never merle (dapple)." Other countries' Kennel Clubs such as Canada and Australia have also disqualified Merle and a similar change is pending by the AKC.

Patterns, all with or without white markings, include:

• Sable
• Irish spotting
• Piebald spotting
• Extreme white spotting
• Brindle
• Masks
• Merle
• Tan points

Classifying Chihuahua colors can be complicated due to the large number of possibilities. Examples would be a blue brindle or a chocolate and tan. Colors and patterns can combine and affect each other, resulting in a very high degree of variation. That said, the classic Chihuahua color remains fawn. No color or pattern is considered more valuable than the others. Although blue is considered rare, it is all just a matter of personal preference. Merle coloration is a sort of speckled or dappled effect, and often also affects the eye color of the dog. While the merle appearance is much admired by some, the gene that causes it can also cause blindness and deafness, so to discourage breeding for this color they cannot be registered or shown in some countries.

Size
Although such terms as "teacup," "pocket size," "tiny toy," "miniature," and "standard" have been used to describe different-sized Chihuahuas, the Chihuahua Club of America issued a statement stressing that these descriptions are misleading.

"Unfortunately, the additional adjectives used to describe the size differences and physical appearances are many and have been misused for so long they now seem legitimate. Teacup, Pocket Size, Tiny Toy, Miniature or Standard - are just a few of the many tags and labels that have been attached to this breed over the years. The Chihuahua Club of America is concerned that these terms may be used to entice prospective buyers into thinking that puppies described in this way are of greater monetary value. They are not and the use of these terms is incorrect and misleading."

The Very small size dog called the tea cup in fact suffers from Hydrocephalus (Water head), where the blockage of CSF outflow in the ventricles or in the subarachnoid space over the brain. The dome of the head is larger in size and the eyes are also squint showing outwards. This is caused by the incorrect pressure on the brain. The dome of the head is normally larger than the normal Chihuahua. They normally have a tendency of having seizures. Many breeders do not know of this. It is commonly found in the Chuhuahua,Toy Pom and very small breeds of dogs.

The Chihuahua Club of America and the American Kennel Club only recognize two types of Chihuahuas: the Long-haired and the Short-haired Chihuahua.

Health
Because of his short nose, the Chihuahua tends to wheeze and snore.
Their prominent eyes are susceptible to corneal dryness and secondary
glaucoma. Prone to slipped stifle, gum problems, colds, stress, and
rheumatism. Don't let them lick or eat toxic products, fertilizer or chocolate.
Feed lightly as they tend to gain weight.

The Chihuahua hates the cold and may shiver a lot. It will tolerate and
even appreciate a warm sweater on cooler days. They are good little dogs
for apartment life.

Exercise
Although it is tempting to carry these dainty creatures about, they will
keep fitter if taken for walks. A body harness is safer than a collar. Don't
think that just because they are small they should be confined to a small
space.

REFERENCE LINKS

Chihuahua-Wikipedia

Chihuahua-AKC

Dog Owner's Guide-The Chihuahua

Chihuahuas: What's Good About 'Em, What's Bad About 'Em

Training Chihuahuas

USEFUL LINKS

Canine Pregnancy Calander