The Chihuahua is one of the world\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s most popular breeds, and with good reason. The Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s portable size, spunky nature, two coatlengths, and broad range in colouration and markings, combined with the breed\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s amazing ability to completely fascinate her \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”humans,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” have made it a popular pet for ages.
Ancient Beginnings.
Chihuahuas are considered to have originated in the ninth century, before the Mayan civilisation. The progenitors of the Chihuahua are mentioned in the stories, artefacts, and artwork of Mexico, as well as the ancient civilisations of Central and South America. The Cholula pyramids have items (predating 1530) depicting a dog that is quite similar to the present Chihuahua. Relics from the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula provide further visual evidence that a Chihuahua-like dog existed in the fifth century. One of the ancient breeds thought to have played a significant role in the development of today\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s Chihuahua was the Techichi—a longhaired, small breed that was raised by the Toltecs, possibly as early as the ninth century, and lived with the Aztecs until the fourteenth century. The Techichi was not as diminutive as today\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s Chihuahua; rather, it was stronger and heavier boned.
Small companion dogs were historically a luxury reserved for royalty and people of high social status who could afford to possess a dog just for companionship. Working-class individuals may still own dogs as friends, but their dogs must also have a useful skill (such as herding animals or hauling produce-laden carts) in order to earn their keep.
The crossing of the Techichi with a much smaller, potentially hairless dog may have resulted in a more closely related dog to today\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s Chihuahua. The origin of the hairless dog is debated. Some historians believe it arrived from Asia and over the land bridge (now the Bering Strait) into North America. Others allude to records and artefacts that indicate little, hairless dogs being sacrificed alongside the Techichi by the Toltecs.
Are Chihuahuas part fox?
The Chihuahua has a striking similarity to a little desert species known as Fennecus zerda, or Fennec fox. The Fennec fox is similar to the Chihuahua in that it has luminous eyes, huge upright ears, short feet, and prefers to live in packs of ten to twelve. In 1980, the Fennec fox was successfully bred with Chihuahuas, an interspecies cross that had previously been deemed impossible.
Another theory is that the Techichi was bred with a little shorthaired dog, rather than a hairless dog. Small dogs like these were common among numerous Indian tribes, including those in the Southwest United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. The Maltese may perhaps have been involved. The most persuasive evidence for this is the molera, a soft region or cranial gap in the skull that does not completely close as the pups age. This physical characteristic is shared by both the Maltese and the Chihuahua, indicating a common progenitor.
Sacred Canine
Progenitors of the Chihuahua (whether the longhaired Techichi or the dog of earlier art that more nearly resembles today\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s little Chihuahua) performed a dual purpose in the Toltec and Aztec cultures. Not only were these little dogs popular pets, but they also had high religious value. The colour yellow has always been connected with death among the Toltecs and, later, the Aztecs. Little dogs with golden-fawn coats were highly treasured since they were supposed to be extremely helpful in supporting the departed owners. A small yellow dog would be sacrificed so that she might wait for her master in the hereafter. Only the yellow dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s companionship would allow the master to complete the treacherous voyage, which entailed navigating across broad, dangerous rivers to the Toltec and Aztec views of heaven.
Montezuma II, the last of the Aztec kings, did not want to take any chances that he would not make it to Mictlan, the kingdom of the dead, after his death. It is said that the emperor had hundreds of Chihuahuas inside his palace. Probably many, if not all. —were the yellow-fawn dogs with extraordinary abilities in the afterlife.
However, yellow dogs were not the only cherished colour of dog. Some historians believe that red Chihuahua-like dogs played an important role in religious events. Red represented temptation, and canines of this colour were supposed to be capable of taking on the sins of the departed. Unfortunately for the dog, this meant that it would be burned in the deceased\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s funeral pyre.
Latin America\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s Pet
The arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the early 1500s is usually credited with spreading the Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s popularity north to northern Mexico and south to South America. According to this hypothesis, the Spaniards not only carried these dogs with them when they invaded and pillaged, but they also returned Chihuahua-like canines to Europe. Some dog historians dispute this theory. According to these academics, the most likely outcome of the Spaniards\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ exploration and presence was the near extinction of all domestic dogs in existence at the time. When the conquistadors arrived, they enslaved the Aztec people. The Aztecs, like many other ancient civilisations, reared dogs not only for sacred purposes and as pets, but also for sustenance.
Another hypothesis is that Spaniards brought black-and-tan terrier-type dogs with them, which interbred with Tolchichi to produce today\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s Chihuahua. Though one would expect only the minimal necessary to be onboard the Spanish galleons, which were already loaded with troops, horses, and supplies, a rat-killing terrier could have been useful on ships known for rodent infestations.
Dogs reared for consumption were, of course, raised like livestock—usually greater in size, neutered, and fed maize. The Aztecs saw no reason to consume their smaller dogs, which wouldn\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t have made much of a meal anyhow. Under the terrible enslavement of the Spaniards, the Aztecs were no longer able to raise these tiny dogs only as a luxury and holy item. Faced with famine, the Aztecs may have turned to their adored, smaller canines for survival.
During food shortages, the Spanish conquistadors were also likely to eat dogs. Army of conquistadors (whose horses required grain and depleted this source of food) are attributed with not only wiping out entire native civilisations from Florida through Mexico and into Central America, but also raiding Indian tribes\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ camps and killing thousands of domestic dogs, whether they were raised as working dogs, a source of food, or religious and luxury items.
The Dog from Chihuahua
From the 1500s to the early 1800s, there are few artefacts to record the Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s presence. However, the small dogs began to appear in northwestern Mexico, specifically in Chihuahua, Mexico—the country\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s largest state (occupying 12.5% of Mexico\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s land mass), which borders Texas and New Mexico. During the years when records of the little dog of Mexico were scarce, numerous other cultures and their canines could have influenced the development of the diminutive Chihuahua of today. In addition to the arrival of Spaniards (from the 1600s to the early 1800s), the area was home to more than 200 different Indian tribes (including Apaches, who lived in the 1500s and 1600s), as well as Chinese railway workers and German settlers in the 1800s, when Mexico was briefly part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
In the late 1800s, enterprising Mexicans began selling little dogs (longhaired, shorthaired, and no-haired) to American tourists in border markets. It seemed only logical that the popular dog would be named \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”Chihuahua,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” after the Mexican state where it was first introduced. In fact, all kinds were once referred to as Chihuahuas; however, the hairless variant was later identified as a distinct breed and is now known as the Mexican Hairless. As for the Chihuahua, canine historians soon found how common Chihuahua-like dogs were throughout Mexico and further south—a finding that came too late for anyone looking to modify the breed\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s name.
Generalissimo Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (1794-1896), Mexico\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s ruthless five-time president, reputedly had a huge number of little golden-fawn dogs who fought beside him. Following the military defeat that granted Texas independence in 1836, a pack of
Little yellow dogs were reportedly discovered in his camp. Perhaps the general, too, feared death and desired the company of these dogs to assure a safe journey into the afterlife.
Recognition in North America.
Chihuahuas are one of the oldest registered breeds in the United States, although they were sluggish to gain popularity as pets. Midget, the first Chihuahua, was registered in 1904 with the American Kennel Club (AKC) registry. Ten years later, registrations increased to thirty canines every year. The Chihuahua peaked in popularity in 1964, when it ranked as the twelfth most popular breed. Of course, the Chihuahua has evolved much since the days of Midget, and even since the Chihuahuas of the 1960s, not only in popularity and numbers, but also in appearance. Historically, the Chihuahua was considerably leggier, with a more pointed head and larger, erect ears than the Chi of today (think Taco Belldog). Nowadays, the breed is more compact, with a considerably shorter muzzle, a rounder head, and larger, rounder eyes.
Chihuahuas are extremely social dogs who enjoy people and attention!
Both conformation styles can be found in the Chihuahua world today. The leggier, older breed variety is commonly known to as a deer Chihuahua. The Chihuahua that closely follows the Chihuahua Club of America\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s (CCA) breed standard is known as the apple-ordome-headed Chihuahua.
The Chihuahua Breed Standard
The standard for any dog breed specifies the characteristics that the breed should ideally possess. These are the characteristics that professional breeders strive for, and they encompass both temperament and appearance. Conformation refers to how closely the dogs resemble the ideal. Dogs that conform very closely to the breed standard—in both appearance and temperament—might be considered \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”show quality.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” A fine dog with a pleasant temperament that does not conform as closely to the breed standard would be considered \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”pet quality.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” Pet quality dogs are not inferior dogs; for example, they may be a nonstandard colour or have slightly too-large ears. A pet quality Chihuahua may only weigh a little more than 6 pounds, which is enough variation from the breed standard to disqualify him from the show ring but not enough to jeopardise his reputation as a terrific companion. The American Kennel Club\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s official breed standard for the Chihuahua (available on their website, www.akc.org) is as follows:
Breed Standard
General appearance: A sleek, alert, fast-moving tiny dog with a cheeky look, petite size, and disposition similar to a terrier.
Size, proportion, and substance:
Weight—A well-balanced tiny dog weighing no more than 6 pounds. Proportion—The body is off-square, meaning it is somewhat longer from shoulder to buttocks than at the withers. Males with somewhat shorter bodies are desired. Any dog weighing more than 6 pounds is disqualified.
Head:
A well-rounded \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”apple-dome\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” head with or without molera; expression—saucy. Eyes—full but not projecting, balanced, properly spaced, luminous dark or luminous ruby. (Light eyes in blond or white-colored dogs are acceptable.) Ears—Large, erect ears held more upright when alert, but flaring to the sides at a 45-degree angle when in repose, providing breadth between the ears. Muzzle—moderately short and slightly pointed. The cheeks and jaws lean. Nose—Self-colored in blond or black. Moles, blues, and chocolates are self-colored. Pink noses are acceptable in blond types. Bite: Level or scissors. An overshot or undershot bite, as well as any distortion of the bite or jaw, should be considered a significant problem. Disqualification: Broken or clipped ears.
Neck, Topline, and Body:
Neck is slightly arched, gracefully descending into slim shoulders. Topline is level. Body: Ribs are rounded and well sprung (but not excessively \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”barrel-shaped\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”). Tail—moderately long, held sharply up or out, or in a loop over the back, with the tip barely touching the back. (Never tuck between legs). Disqualifications: cropped tail, bobtail.
Forequarters:
Shoulders—Lean, sloping into a slightly expanding support above straight forelegs that set low, allowing for easy elbow movement. Shoulders should be high, providing balance and soundness, sloping into a level back (never low or down). This causes achestiness and forequarter strength, but not the \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”Bulldog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” chest. Feet—A little, dainty foot with well-spaced but not splayed toes and cushioned pads (not the hare or cat foot). Pasterns —Fine.
Hindquarters:
Muscular, with well-spaced hocks, neither out nor in, well let down, firm, and strong. The feet are positioned as seen in the front.
Coat:
Smooth coats should be silky, close, and shiny. (Heavier coats with undercoats are permitted.) Coat should be worn well over the body, with a ruff on the neck and more sparse on the head and ears. Hair on the tail is preferentially hairy. Long coats should have a soft texture, either flat or somewhat curled, and an undercoat is recommended. Ears—Fringed. (Heavily fringed ears may be tipped slightly if due to fringes rather than weak ear leather, but never down.) Tail—Full and long (as a plume). Feathered feet and legs, trousers on the hind legs and a huge ruff around the neck are desirable and preferred. Disqualification—In Long Coats, the coat is too thin and approaches bareness.
Colour:
Any color—solid, marked, or splattered.
Gait:
The Chihuahua should move quickly with a firm, sturdy motion and a nice reach in front that matches the drive from behind. From behind,
The hocks remain parallel to each other, and the rearlegs\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ footfall is precisely behind that of the forelegs. As speed rises, the front and rear legs will converge slightly towards a central line of gravity. The side view indicates solid, strong drive in the rear and lots of reach in the front, with the head carried high. As the dog advances, the topline should stay firm and the backline level.
Temperament:
Alert, with terrier-like characteristics.
Disqualifications:
Any dog that weighs more than 6 pounds and has broken down or cropped ears. Bobtail, or cropped tail. In Long Coats, the garment is too thin and approaches bareness.
Approved September 11, 1990. Effective October 30, 1990. Reprinted with permission from the Chihuahua Club of America.
Being famous is not a good thing.
The Chihuahua has seen various eras of popularity. The first such time occurred in the 1930s, when Latin American music experienced a simultaneous surge, particularly that of the Rumba Kings. Xavier Cugat, a rumba bandleader who subsequently hosted his own television show, was known for keeping his Chihuahuas in his shirt pockets. Movie stars were drawn to the breed\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s peculiarity. Lupe Velez, a Latin American actress, owned a tiny Chihuahua named King. Velez fed her Chihuahua using an eyedropper, perhaps because she enjoyed the drama.
The second phase of enormous popularity began almost thirty years later, in the 1960s, and lasted nearly a decade into the 1970s. In fact, the Chihuahua peaked in AKC rankings (based on registrations) in 1964. At now, the Chihuahua is the tenth most popular breed in the United States. However, given the Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s present popularity among celebrities and the breed\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s extensive visibility, the Chihuahua might easily break this record and climb the AKC\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s top ten rankings in the first decade of the twenty-first century.
Which celebrities have Chihuahuas?
The Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s appeal among female celebrities appears to have reached the point where the small dog is almost regarded a necessary fashion piece among the Beverly Hills crowd. Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, and Christina Ricci are just a few female celebrities who are routinely spotted with their Chis.
Because Chis are such a popular breed, nice ones are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Reputable Chihuahua breeders that produce exceptional dogs (those with good temperaments, health, and conformation) just cannot keep up with today\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s growing demand. Chihuahuas. They do not wish to meet this demand.
Many, if not most. —Chi puppies are purchased on impulsively without considering the breed\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s needs. What was the result? Hundreds of Chihuahuas are abandoned off in shelters, picked up as stray dogs by animal control authorities, and surrendered to breed rescue organisations.
The Chihuahua has also drawn an unpleasant undercurrent of human people. Rescuers in specific sections of the country have reported horrific instances of Chis being tortured, tormented, and killed—sometimes in a ritualistic or sacrificial way. These examples are not only brutal and cruel, but they also indicate a probable increase in the number of criminally abusive individuals.
With demand significantly exceeding supply, every unscrupulous individual eager in capitalising on the surplus demand has entered the Chipicture. As a result, there are Chihuahua puppies for sale all over the place; nevertheless, very few of these puppies will fulfil the standards of the discerning pet owner looking for a healthy, well-balanced companion.
Chi’s Strengths and Challenges
Chihuahuas have a variety of unique and delightful characteristics that make them ideal companions for many people. However, they can have attributes and characteristics that make them difficult to train and care for. When deciding to add a Chihuahua to your family, make sure you are both aware of the breed\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s qualities and potential difficulties, and that you are prepared to cope with them.
Strengths
Chihuahuas did not become popular solely because of their appearance. The breed is popular among dog owners for a variety of excellent reasons, including:
Small size.
Various coat lengths
Colours include solid, brindle, and spotted. It is lightweight and portable, and it can be transported in the cabin.
Long lifespan (14-18 years) Adaptability
Ease of exercise Watchdog abilities Playfulness
Challenges
The Chihuahua, like any other dog breed, faces unique obstacles. Many of these challenges are caused by poor breeding and may be avoided by finding a quality breeder (they are marked with an asterisk on the list below). Others may have the potential to Every member of the breed:
Extremely poor health*Aggressive or anxious behavior*Difficult to housetrainIndependent/difficult to train Unsuitable for tiny children
Requires coat maintenance (longhaired variant) Delicate/prone to injury.
Yappy
Even small doses of dangerous plants, foods, or substances can be fatal.
Many animals see it as prey.
Is This the Dog for you?
The Chihuahua can make a great pet in the appropriate environment with the correct owner. In fact, the Chi\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s modest stature allows it to quickly adapt to a variety of lifestyles. This breed can be equally at ease living with an elderly couple in a high-rise apartment or growing up with a large family in a sprawling suburban home. The secret to owning a Chihuahua is with the owner. Owners must understand that, despite its toy-like size and look, the Chihuahua is 100% dog. The second step is to recognise that, as a dog, the Chihuahua requires special needs such as socialisation, training, exercise, correct diet, preventive veterinary treatment, and companionship. If you are ready and able to provide the Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s basic but crucial needs, the Chihuahua can be a good, long-lasting companion.