The Chihuahua is remarkable in that it is considered the world\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s smallest pure breed. Chi puppies, born weighing only an ounce or two, frequently weigh less than eleven ounces when weaned and ready to go to a new home. Fitting easily in the palms of your cupped hands, but every bit a dog with intellect and moxie, the Chihuahua puppy has the most \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”Awww\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” factor.
There are so many puppies everywhere, but none to buy.
With the present interest with toy breeds and the Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s ongoing media exposure, one thing is certain: the Chihuahua will continue to be a popular breed for many years. A challenge that all popular breeds face is that really good breeders are unable (or unwilling) to keep up with the latest rise in demand for puppies.
Breeding for profit
When this happens, regardless of the breed, people will try to capitalise on the deficiency. Some people will start breeding Chihuahuas just for profit, not because they want to improve the breed\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s conformation, health, or temperament. No, they just want to make money. Herein is the difficulty. When people engage in dog breeding for profit, the dogs are considered (and treated) as livestock.
Who is a backyard breeder?
The term \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”backyard breeder\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” usually refers to people who breed a family pet to another canine. Despite their good intentions, they lack familiarity with the breed. They rarely evaluate for inherited problems and cannot return a puppy if it does not work out. The price may be modest, but this is a \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”buyer beware\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” situation.
Cash-crop breeders want to increase their profit margins, which they can achieve in a variety of ways, including:
Limiting or lowering standard veterinarian treatment for breeding. animals
Refusing to test breeding animals for genetic or hereditary disorders that could be passed down to puppies.
Breeding marginal animals (those that do not match the breed standard and may even have disqualifying flaws)
Breeding more than one breed of dog to maximise their market. Breeding their animals as frequently as feasible.
Advertising puppies as cheaply as possible, or selling to an intermediary who will do the same.
Market any possible buyer whose credit card or cheque clears.
Selling the puppies at the highest price feasible.
The Cost for the Dogs These sources for puppies, sometimes known as puppy mills, should be avoided at all costs. Breeding dogs are often kept in confined, filthy circumstances. Chihuahuas in particular suffer in these conditions. They require human company and are not physically prepared to withstand harsh temperatures.
One of the easiest ways to prevent buying a puppy from a cash-cropbreeder is to never have one mailed to you. Always visit the breeder\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s house to examine the surroundings firsthand and ask questions in person. If everything checks out (see to the reputablebreeder checklist on page 32), you can travel home with your puppy.
This means that puppies from these sources are bred improperly and raised in deplorable conditions. This has several effects, including these:
Makes puppies more sensitive to canine viral infections and increases the likelihood of inheriting genetic disorders.
Makes puppies more likely to suffer from significant worm, tick, and flea infestations.
Increases the risk of below-average conformation (with some pups not even looking like Chihuahuas or originating from mixed ancestry).
Creates an unstable spectrum of temperaments, from extremely cautious towards people to horrifically ill-tempered. (Buyers do not know what the parents\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ temperaments are or could be.)
The Best Breeders Care.
Now that you know who you should avoid while looking for a Chihuahua puppy, who should you go to? As the phrase goes, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”quality begets quality.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” In other words, pick a good breeder, and you\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ll get good puppies. For people who have not been dog enthusiasts for a substantial number of years, distinguishing between a truly experienced, honest breeder and a slick operator can be difficult—until you know what to look for and what questions to pose.
Here\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s a checklist to help you identify respectable breeders. A reputable, experienced, and honest breeder must meet the following criteria:
Be a member of the Chihuahua Club of America, a regional or local Chihuahua club, and/or an all-breed dog club. Be dedicated to improving the breed, putting health and temperament first in breeding, followed closely by conformation. Test and certify dogs for genetic illnesses prior to breeding
Raise his dogs in the home as companions—not \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’out back\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ or in a barn. Willingly provide names and phone numbers of his veterinarian, as well as past puppy buyers for you to contact. Want to know everything about you, what you do for a living, how many hours you spend at home or can spend with a dog, where you live, what your home is like, who lives with you and their ages, your experience with dogs and your reasons for wanting a Chihuahua.
Support the efforts of breed rescue.
Of course, a breeder may be the most experienced and recognised. individual in the dog world, but if you don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t find him approachable, friendly, and willing to openly and joyfully discuss the breed with you (and answer all of your questions as if none of them are \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”dumb\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”), you won\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t be able to tap into his vast knowledge. You\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ll be too terrified to ask him for help when you need it most. You should work with a quality breeder that you respect and find easy to communicate with, and who you can rely on for the rest of your Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s life.
Finding a Reputable and Knowledgeable Breeder
Knowing what makes a great breeder is one thing, but locating one is another. Some good breeders occasionally advertise litters in newspapers, but the majority do not. Newspaper advertising attracts a diverse variety of potential puppy purchasers, and many breeders simply do not want to have to sort through all of the improper owners—and those who pretend to be someone they are not—in order to locate the ideal pet owners.
Magazine ads
If a reputable breeder wishes to advertise, he will frequently publish an advertisement in the CCA\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s magazine in order to attract serious Chihuahua enthusiasts. The advertisement normally includes the sire and dam\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s entire names (with all titles), accomplishments (such as Best of Breed or Best in Group honours), and a two- to three-generation pedigree. Contact information will be provided to reserve a puppy from the litter, which will need a prepayment (often a percentage of the puppy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s price).
Web Sites
The Internet provides a less expensive approach to market current show ring triumphs and upcoming litters. Many reputable breeders have embraced the electronic age and use their websites to keep Chihuahua fans up to speed on their kennels\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ accomplishments. Unfortunately, an equal number of websites serve as fronts for puppy mills, farms, or puppy brokers. Someone unfamiliar with the breed may find it difficult to identify the difference.
If a website is managed by someone who is not a quality breeder, you
Credit cards will be accepted, and puppies will be transported anywhere, often without any touch between buyer and seller. Look for phrases like \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”tiny\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” or \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”teacup.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” Another hint is the use of pet names (such as Sam or Pancho), as well as the lack of registered names and pedigrees.
The only way to fully see through the smoke that certain \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”breeders\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” throw up for the public is to phone and speak with them. Ask them direct questions and see what they say. Visit the breeder at his house. Some red signs include the breeder wanting to meet you someplace other than his home, or allowing you to come into his home but not allowing you to see any of the dogs. Request referrals and make the time to call these individuals. Also, before working with a breeder, call the American Kennel Club and enquire whether the breeder with whom you are working has received any fines or penalties. Though the AKC cannot control every puppy registry, they do respond to complaints and will prohibit offending breeders from registering dogs for up to 10 years. It never hurts to check. In this scenario, no news is good news, but it is not a guarantee of greatness in any way.
Never leave your Chihuahua unsupervised outside; she could get into mischief!
Your Best Resources
Aside from the CCA\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s club publication, the best way to start your quest for a reliable breeder is to phone the CCA\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s breeder reference service. This will connect you with various local breeders. There is no assurance that any of these breeders will have puppies available or in the near future; however, they will be able to recommend additional breeders they trust and respect. Eventually, you will come into contact with someone you enjoy working with and who has the quality puppies you are looking for.
Dog Shows
There are always dog shows. Aside from being entertaining and a valuable learning experience for those new to the world of conformation, a dog show may be an excellent opportunity to meet local breeders in person, as well as talk to Chihuahua enthusiasts and owners. You will be able to learn a lot about the breed and possibly locate a breeder whose dogs you enjoy as much as the breeder.
When looking for a reliable breeder, be patient, and resist the temptation to buy a puppy at a flea market or ask, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”How much is that puppy in the window?\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” Taking the effort to discover a reputable breeder who breeds quality dogs will more than make up for any time lost in the search.
One of the best areas to talk to Chihuahua fans at a dog show is really rather distant from the ring itself. People who spend a lot of their weekends travelling to dog shows to handle or watch their dogs being handled can be found in the \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”RV Camp\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”—an affectionate term for the acres of parking lot or grassy fields where dog-show exhibitors can park their cars. Most folks in this region are calm and eager to discuss their dogs.
Other Reliable Sources
Additional options for Chihuahua contacts include a local Chihuahua Club\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s reference person or a local all-breed kennel club. National, regional, and local Chihuahua rescues can also provide referrals to reputable breeders. These folks know better than anybody else who stands behind the dogs they breed and who does not. Also, don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t forget to consult your own veterinarian. No one is in a better position to learn about Chihuahua breeders that prioritise the health of their dogs and offspring in their breeding plans.
When is the ideal time to speak with people at a dog show?
The following are the times not to chat to an owner at a dog show: 1) shortly before the owner enters the ring; 2) during a class in which the owner or breeder has a dog being handled; and 3) any time the individual is intensely focused on what is going on in the ring. Wait till a more relaxed period before approaching an owner.
Health tests and certifications.
The Chihuahua is frequently regarded as a relatively healthy breed. This may have been true prior to the recent spike in popularity, and it remains true for many well-bred Chihuahua lineages. Today, the average Chihuahua suffers from as least as many hereditary diseases and chronic ailments as most other breeds.
Conscientious breeders are attempting to reduce the number of dogs suffering from diseases, particularly those that have been shown to be hereditary. They test for these diseases and only breed dogs that have been certified as free of them. All other canines have been altered so that they cannot perpetuate significant health problems in the breed.
Luxating patellas, elbow and hip dysplasia, numerous eye problems, and heart disease are all ailments that may be tested for and that the Chihuahua is more likely to develop than the general dog population. The Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) maintains records of test results for luxating patellas, elbow and hip dysplasia, and heart problems. The Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) keeps records on eye illnesses. (Dogs must be tested for CERF once a year, and just one test result is necessary for OFA if the dog is 24 months or older.)
Not all diseases have tests to establish whether a dog has the disease or is carrying it. A diligent breeder would watch the occurrence of these diseases in his lines, as well as those that harm the Chihuahua but have no indication that they are genetic. This category includes diseases or disorders such as epilepsy and a collapsed trachea.
Contracts & Health Guarantees
Almost all breeders, with the exception of backyard breeders, have some form of contract with their puppy buyers that includes a health guarantee. If you engage with a respectable breeder and purchase a pet-quality dog or one that will not be shown, the breeder\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s contract will require that the puppy be altered and never be bred again.
The breeder can accomplish this in a variety of ways. He can postpone the puppy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s registration until you send proof that you\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ve changed the puppy (a notice from your veterinarian), or he can grant you a limited registration for your puppy. A limited registration is exactly that: limited. If the dog is ever bred, the AKC will not permit registration of the puppies. Most people want to acquire AKC-registered puppies, therefore breeding the Chihuahua is out.
Another technique that breeders can take is to ensure that the puppy is altered before picking her up. According to the most recent study, there are no concerns connected with modifying male puppies as young as seven weeks; however, female puppies should not be spayed until they are twelve weeks old. All of this is subject to the puppy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s current health and vigour.
If a breeder uses a registry other than the AKC, the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC—not to be confused with the Continental Kennel Club), or the FCI (an international registry), the puppies will most likely be ineligible for AKC registration. Keep an eye out. You are not dealing with a quality breeder, and you may not even be dealing with a purebred Chihuahua.
The health contract is intended to safeguard you. It ensures that the The puppy does not have any major diseases at the time of selling. You have between 24 and 72 hours to confirm this with your veterinarian. If your puppy tests positive for a dreaded disease or has a major pre-existing ailment, you usually have the option of returning the puppy and receiving your money back, or exchanging the sick puppy for a healthy one.
Some breeders go even further, ensuring that their offspring are free of inherited disorders. This may or may not be restricted in time. Very few breeders even provide buyers the option of returning the puppy and obtaining another if the Chihuahua develops a genetic ailment at any point in her life.
The Puppy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s Parents
You\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ve located a breeder you believe you\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ll enjoy and plan to visit a litter of puppies. What should you be searching for? One of the best predictors of a puppy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s temperament is the temperament of its parents. Temperament is around 60% inherited, thus puppies are born with a predisposition to be relaxed, apprehensive, shy, or aggressive. The remaining 40 percent is due to the environment. In other words, how well a puppy fulfils its genetic potential is determined by how you raise it.
Nature and Nurture
If a shy puppy is raised with an experienced owner who works on the pup\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s socialisation skills, is committed to building the dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s self-confidence, and is generally experienced in bringing shy dogs out of their shells, the puppy may develop into a fairly friendly dog. On the other hand, if a pup born predisposed to be outgoing and social is raised incorrectly, he or she may become terribly afraid or irritated and snippy.
What You Want To See
Without a question, it is ideal to begin with the best genetics available. As previously stated, the easiest method to achieve this is to inspect the breeder\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s adult Chis. Keep in mind that Chihuahuas are not particularly extroverted. This is not a breed that warms up the moment a stranger walks in the door. The Chihuahua, on the other hand, will not retreat to another room with her tail tucked between her knees, nor will she come leaping for your jugular with teeth bared. You are looking for a well-balanced Chi. If the dog stays with her owner but does not appear afraid, apprehensive, or aggressive, she is likely to have a balanced temperament. If she rapidly warms up to you and desires love, you have the added benefit of congeniality.
Do not be frightened if the breeder only has the female dog on his grounds. This should not be considered suspicious or a red flag of any kind. Quality breeders frequently recruit male dogs from different lineages to enhance their own breeding. Artificial insemination is becoming more frequent, which means that the stud dog could be thousands of kilometres away.
The rest of the gang
You\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ll want to view the remainder of the litter. With Chihuahuas, this might be as few as two puppies or as many as five. Even if many of these puppies have already been spoken for, it is still vital to see how they interact with one another. Observing the puppies during playfulness reveals a lot about their genuine temperaments. Keep in mind that how a puppy plays on any given day at any given time can vary, which is why it is ideal to observe the litter two or three times before selecting a puppy. One day, a puppy may appear sluggish and dull because she has just eaten and is ready to sleep. The next time you see the litter, this same pup may be ricocheting off the walls, tackling her littermates, and being mouthy. She just awoke.
When you watch the puppies play, you will notice that one is bossier than the others. This puppy is fine; you\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’d rather have a bold Chihuahua than a shy violet. You don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t want a puppy that acts like a bully. This is the one who is continuously bothering the other puppies and can\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t seem to figure out when enough is enough. Be advised that she is likely to have the same attitude towards you.
It is human instinct to want to embrace and nurture the most timid puppy, but this is not a good idea. As previously said, timid puppies might be among the most difficult and demanding to develop into calm, less worried adult dogs. It is possible, but it will take hard work and experience. The greatest puppies appear to have figured out that playing with other puppies is fun. These puppies know when enough is enough, but they\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’re always up for fun. Fortunately, this type of puppy typically comprises the majority of the litter—or should. If you find a litter and they are all very shy, avoid them all. This is another symptom of bad breeding and/or breeding techniques (for example, a breeder who has not spent any time socialising the pups with humans).
Chihuahua puppies are very energetic and enjoy outdoor games.
Finding the Perfect Puppy
After observing the puppies as a group, it\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s time to inspect them individually. It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. You\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’re looking for any symptoms of sickness or infection. You\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ll want to ensure that the puppy you fall in love with is a healthy and happy companion for years to come.
What To Look For
Examine the puppy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s coat while she is being held. Is it smooth? Full? Are there indicators of hair loss? Examine the puppy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s skin. It should be soft and pliable, with no wounds, gashes, sores, flea symptoms (such as tiny dark flea filth stains) or tick bites. You should also search for evidence of discharge from the puppy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s orifices. You should not notice any material there, clear or not. How does the puppy appear overall?The puppy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s eyes, ears, and legs should be symmetrical. She should move without showing any signs of pain or limping.
How old do Chihuahua puppies have to be before I can take them home?
It depends. Because toy breeds take longer to wean and hence rely on their mothers for a longer period of time, many breeders will keep their puppies until they reach twelve weeks old. Exceptionally little puppies, those who aren\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t eating enough (and may be susceptible to hypoglycemia), or any puppy that is simply not thriving yet, should be held for a longer period of time by the breeder.
When a Puppy Picks You
Once you\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ve finished handling the puppies, take an objective look at them. Which puppy keeps coming back to you? When given the choice, a puppy will often choose the owner she prefers. If you are fortunate enough to have a puppy choose you, and that dog is for sale, you have most certainly discovered a canine companion for the next decade or two. Matches in which the dog makes the decision are almost usually made in canine heaven.
When examining Chihuahua puppies, proceed with caution. They can break bones when dropped only a few feet. Also, many pups have amolera, which is an open part of the skull on their heads. This requires extremely careful handling; your breeder can explain what it is and show you if any of the pups have it. It is not considered a fault; it is simply something to be aware of.
Take your time.
Don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t be concerned if you aren\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t impressed by any of the puppies you see or if no one in particular is interested in them. Wait. You don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t want to settle for a puppy when you have a breed like the Chihuahua that lives for so long. Take the time to choose a great breeder and a high-quality puppy that you\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ll adore—and then get ready for an amazing connection.