The Chihuahua Dog Breed

The origin of the Chihuahua dog breed is not very clear. However, it is thought that the ancestor of this small dog is the techichi, an ancient breed that lived in the Tula region and whose history seems to date back to the time of the Toltec civilisation between the 10th and 13th centuries.

In the religion of the ancient people of Central America, these little dogs acted as guides to the afterlife for the souls of the dead and were therefore sacrificed. It was in fact the natives of the region of the same name in Mexico who captured and trained them. Unfortunately, writings from the 1500s have come down to us where there is mention of small dogs that the Aztecs sold as food.

The Chihuahua is considered to be the smallest dog breed in the world and, just think, bears the name of the largest state in the Republic of Mexico: ‘Chihuahua’. In fact, the first breeding farms of this breed were established in Mexico. Its original name is Chihuahua toy and Chihuahueno and it exists with both long and short hair.

According to other researchers, the Chihuahua is a dog born from a series of crosses with the Chinese dog and it was the Chinese who imported it to America, where it is one of the most widespread breeds. In Europe, however, the first examples of this breed arrived at the end of the 1800s.

It is predominantly a companion dog, but is also an excellent watchdog, not in terms of defence due to its small size, but it can display unpredictable courage, is always alert and attentive, wary of strangers and able to signal suspicious noises or an unknown person.

Character of the Chihuahua dog breed

The Chihuahua has a very strong character and temperament in spite of its size. It is very fond of cuddles and can be affectionate, but is only particularly attached to its owner. With the other members of the family he can be affectionate, but all his love he reserves for his master, who becomes his leader, is devoted, faithful and follows him everywhere in all circumstances.

He is very good at being spoilt, in fact he is capable of finding every stratagem to achieve this. He is not a very docile dog, is very jealous of his possessions, and must be accustomed to understand that he is not the pack leader, but his master, and often tends to overrule masters who are too uncertain or insecure. He must be educated and socialised perfectly from puppyhood, without falling into the temptation of humanising him too much. However, it is easy to handle, once it has understood who the leader is, it is habitual and attentive.

He is playful and cheerful but does not get along too well with small children, towards whom he is wary. On the other hand, it is a good playmate for slightly older children, who must, however, consider the dog's fragility in the various games. He gets along well with other dogs of his breed, even males, and if he is used to them from an early age, also with cats and dogs of other species. He very much enjoys the company of other dogs, as they form small, well-hieraracterised packs.

He is ideal as a house dog, adapts immediately, is not too demanding and likes to be comfortable and warm; in fact, it is not difficult to find him under blankets or pillows, where he creates a small space where he is quiet and feels safe. He does, however, need to run and move around outdoors, so a couple of daily walks are indicated. If you work outside and have to leave him alone for a few hours, the Chihuahua is the right dog because he copes well with loneliness. However, a little company from another dog or cat would make him very happy.

Appearance of the Chihuahua dog breed

The Chihuahua is the smallest dog in the world and is decidedly petite; its height ranges from 16 to 22 centimetres and weight from 1 to 3 kilograms. Its physique is well-proportioned, robust and compact. The female is generally longer than the male. The tail forms a circle or semicircle pointing towards the lumbar region.

The skull is round, apple-shaped, the eyes are large and protruding with a very sweet and thoughtful expression. Their colour is always dark. The ears are straight and open, large, with a low hanging and rounded tips.

There are two types of Chihuahuas, short-haired and long-haired. The coat is smooth, silky, short, long. The colours and shades can be many: fawn, white, cream, black, silver, sand, brown, steel blue, with or without patches. The most common are black and white, chocolate, silver grey.

Health and care of the Chihuahua dog breed

Normal-sized Chihuahuas are usually strong and robust. Unfortunately, a certain type of selection has too often been favoured, which has brought with it various health problems. Efforts have been made to make dogs smaller and smaller, to oversize their eyes and to make their muzzles shorter.

The result is that this breed has eye problems, respiratory and dental problems. Furthermore, smaller specimens can hardly fight off infections and diseases in general. Furthermore, great care must be taken with viral diseases, which cause diarrhoea and vomiting and can be very dangerous for such small dogs.

The Chihuahua suffers both heat and cold. As far as the cold is concerned, it is sufficient to cover the dog with a coat for walks in winter. For heat, this breed may show rather major problems in too hot and humid environments due to the morphology of its respiratory system, which is too short to effectively cool the air entering its lungs.

It has a life expectancy of 16 - 17 years.

As for the care of the coat, whether short or long, it is sufficient to brush it once a week to keep it tidy. A bath only when it is actually needed.

A lot of care must be taken with the diet, it must be balanced and controlled and it is a good idea to avoid giving this small dog, samples of our food or snacks. For him it can be the equivalent of a meal. Dry food of good quality is preferable.