Chihuahua

chihuahua

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Shaped like a compact dog. Of great importance is the fact that its skull is shaped like an apple and that its tail is moderately long, very high, curved or forming a semicircle with the tip directed towards the lumbar region.

Personality: Active, alert and agile.

Energy Level : Very Active. This dog is active and energetic, and needs daily exercise.

Good with children: Yes.

Good with other dogs: With supervision.

Grooming: Seasonal.

Life Expectancy : 12-18 years old.

Bark level: High.

HISTORICAL SUMMARY

The Chihuahua is considered the smallest purebred dog in the world and its name comes from the largest province of the Mexican Republic (Chihuahua). Some say that this dog lived in the wild, at the time of the “Toltec” civilization, where it was captured and domesticated by its inhabitants. Illustrations of a miniature dog (toy), called “Techichi”, who lived in Tula, were used as decoration in their architectures. These little figurines are very similar to the Chihuahuas of today.

Country of Origin: Mexico.

BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT: Fast, alert, full of life and very brave.

HEAD:

CRANIAL REGION

Skull: Well rounded, apple-shaped (a characteristic of the breed).

Stop: Very marked, deep and wide, as the forehead is high in relation to the muzzle.

FACIAL REGION

Nose: Moderately short and pointing slightly upwards; any color is allowed.

Muzzle: Short; seen in profile, it maintains a straight line, being wider at its insertion and tapering towards the tip.

Lips: Dry and adherent.

Cheeks: Little developed, very dry.

Jaws and Teeth: Scissor or pincer bite (pincer-shaped). Superior or inferior prognathism, as well as any anomaly in the maxillary or mandibular position must be severely penalized.

Eyes: Large and round, very expressive, never prominent and completely dark. Light eyes are allowed, but not desired.

Ears: Large, erect, without folds and quite open; wide at the insertion, tapering gradually towards their slightly rounded tips. At rest, inclined laterally at a 45° angle.

NECK

Upper profile: Slightly arched.

Length: Medium.

Shape: Thicker in males than in females.

Skin: No dewlap. In the long-haired variety, the presence of a longer-haired mane is highly desired.

BODY: Compact and well built.

Top line: Straight.

Withers: Slightly marked.

Back: Short and firm. Loin: Strongly muscled.

Croup: Broad and strong; almost flat or slightly sloping.

Chest: Wide and deep rib cage, ribs well sprung. Seen from the front, wide, but without exaggeration; seen in profile, reaching the elbows. Never barrel-shaped.

Bottom line: Formed by a ventral retraction, which should be well delineated. Loose belly is allowed, but not desired.

TAIL: Moderately long, set on high, wide at the root, tapering gradually to the tip; it is flat in appearance. Tail carriage is an important characteristic of the breed; in movement, it is carried high, in a curve or in a semicircle, with the tip directed towards the loin, giving balance to the body; never carried between the legs or curled below the backline. The hair of the tail must be in harmony with the hair of the body, according to the variety. In the longhaired variety, the coat forms a plume; at rest, the tail hangs and forms a slight hook.

MEMBERS

General Appearance: Seen from the front, appear in a straight line with the elbows; seen in profile, they are well-appointed.

Shoulders: Dry, moderately muscular.

Arms: With a good angulation at the scapulohumeral joint.

Elbows: Firm and adherent to the body, allowing freedom of movement.

Forearm: Strong and of good length.

Pasterns: Slightly oblique, strong and flexible.

Feet: Very small and oval, with toes well apart, but not spread (neither hare's feet, nor cat's feet); nails are particularly curved and moderately long. Cushions well developed and very elastic. Ergos are undesirable.

HINDQUARTERS

General appearance: Well muscled with long bones, well set and parallel to each other with good angulation between the hip, knee and hock joints, in harmony with the angulations of the forelegs.

Metatarsals: Hocks short, with well-developed tendons. Viewed from behind, they are separate, straight and vertical.

GAIT/MOVEMENT: Has a long, flexible stride, firm and active, with good reach and drive. Viewed from behind, the hindquarters should be kept almost parallel to each other, placing the feet of the hind limbs in the footprints of the forelegs. With increasing speed, the limbs tend to converge towards a center line of gravity. They show great elasticity and freedom, without any effort, with the head always high and the back firm.

SKIN: Smooth and elastic over the entire body surface.

COAT

Fur: 1. Short Hair: Short and snug over the entire body; slightly longer when it has an undercoat; scanty hair on the throat and abdomen is permitted; slightly longer on the neck and tail, shorter on the head and ears. The coat is shiny and its texture is soft. Unfurled specimens are not accepted.

2. Longhair: The hair should be fine and silky, smooth or slightly wavy. The undercoat should not be too dense. The coat is longer, forming fringes on the ears, neck, back of the fore and hind limbs, on the feet and on the tail. Long and wavy haired specimens are not accepted.

COLOR: All colors, in all shades and combinations, are accepted, except merle.

SIZE: Height should not be taken into account in this breed, only weight.

WEIGHT: Ideal: Between 1.5 and 3 kg. Dogs between 500g and 1.5kg are tolerated. Copies weighing less than 500g and over 3 kg will be disqualified.

FAULTS

Any deviation from this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well-being of the dog.

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS

• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.

• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.

• Atypical dogs.

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