Chihuahua Dogs

The Chihuahua is keEjnly intelligent, fiercely protective and inexpensive to keep. Also, being the world's tiniest dog, it is the least likely to fall foul of the landlord.

The adult Chihuahua usually takes a few weeks to reveal its true personality, keeping its new owner under careful surveillance, perhaps giving the impression that it is shy. Actually, it is weighing up which of them is to be master in the home!

Origin and history

The known genealogy of the modern-day Chihuahua begins with the Techichi, a small, long-coated, heavy-boned dog much favoured by the Toltecs, who lived in what is now Mexico as early as the ninth century. The Techichi is thought to have been indigenous to Central America, and it is possible that the ancestors of this dog, which was somewhat larger than today's Chihuahua, may have existed in Central America as early as the fifth century.

Evidence linking the Techichi to the Toltec period can be found In pictures carved on stones that are part of the Monastery of Huejotzingo, constructed by Franciscan monks around 1530. On some of these stones, which were formerly part of the pyramids at Cholula built by the Toltecs, there are sketches that approximate the modern Chihuahua. In addition, the remains of pyramids and other historical clues found in Yucatan suggest that the Techichi may have existed also at Chichen Itza.

According to K. de Blinde, a Mexican breeder and authority on Chihuahuas, the Techichi were crossed with small, hairless dogs brought from Asia to Alaska over the land bridge that once existed where the Bering Strait now runs.

The earliest specimens of today's Chihuahua were found in the state of the same name about 1850 in old ruins close to Casas Grandes. These ruins are said to be the remains of a palace built by Emperor Montezuma I.

Chihuahua Puppies

Good points

• Handy, portable size
• Good traveller
• Ideal for town dwellers
• Intensely loyal and affectionate
• Keenly intelligent
• Wonderful guard dog in miniature
• Inexpensive to keep

Take heed

• Strong willed
• Brave to the point of stupidity would fight a lion'
• Clannish-prefers the company of its own breed and owners
• Hates the cold-might grow heumaticky

Size

Weight between 2-61b (0.9-2.7kg) (under 4Ib/1.8kg preferred for show). There is no desired height in this breed's standard.

Exercise

The Chihuahua is ready, and able, to walk as far as most owners would wish, although it doesn't object to an occasional ride in a shopping basket. The fact that its exercise requirements are moderate makes this breed an ideal pet for the elderly.

Chihuahua Information

General appearance
An alert and swift-moving little dog with a saucy expression. Small, dainty and compact with a brisk, forceful action.

Colour
Any colour or mixture.

Head and skull
A well-rounded 'apple dome' skull, with or without molera; cheeks and jaws lean; nose moderately short, slightly pointed, definite stop.

Feet
Small with toes well split up, but not spread; pads cushioned. Fine pasterns (neither 'hare' nor 'cat' foot). A dainty foot with nails moderately long.

Tail
Medium length, carried up or over the back. Preferred furry, flattish in appearance, broadening slightly in the centre and tapering to a point.

Coat
There is a long-coated Chihuahua as well as the more usual smooth­ coated variety .The only difference is in the coat ,which should be long , of soft texture (never coarse or harsh to the touch), and either flat or slightly wavy (not tight and curly). There should be feathering on the feet and legs, and pants on the hind legs; a large ruff on the neck is preferred, and the tail should be long, full and plume-like.

Chihuahua Feeding & Grooming

Grooming

The Chihuahua should be groomed with a soft brush. A rub down with a velvet glove, or pad, will make the coat gleam. Nails must be clipped regularly, and the ears kept free of dirt.

Feeding

Eating habits vary: some Chihuahuas have voracious appetites, but others, particularly the smaller specimens, often go for a day without nourishment. The requirement of a very small Chihuahua should be 2-30z (57-85g) of branded dog food with a handful of puppy biscuits. And, as they have small tummies, these dogs fare best on two or three small meals rather than one large daily feed. Bigger specimens can manage up to 70z (198g) of branded dog food, or the equivalent, and a handful of dog biscuits. Uneaten food should be removed: dogs do not fancy stale food any more than we do.

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