Basic Chihuahua Info by
Margery Leest-Noble
© Copyright
CHIHUAHUAS
are one of our most under-appreciated pets. In the past they lived up to their
reputation of being ferocious little ankle biters. Today’s Chihuahuas are, for
the most part, much friendlier and mild-mannered. This is due to the selective
breeding of serious Chihuahua fanciers. These people recognized the problem, and
have tried to breed that snippiness out of today’s pets. After all, no one
enjoys being bitten. Today’s Chi’s are also different in appearance from
those of yesteryear. While still remaining small, they have become thicker in
the body (cobby), and the head has become more domed (apple headed). This new
look has retained many of the Chihuahua characteristics though. The tails still
curl upward; they still have a saucy attitude that shows when they walk, and
they still have those “trademark” ears. Today’s Chihuahuas are also much
hardier from a health outlook. This selective breeding has taken the best traits
of the old look, and improved on it even more. These little ones truly are
“our best friends”.
Chihuahuas
can range in size from the very small 2 pounders (1 kilo) up to the
“more-to-love” 8 pounders (±4
kilos). There are even a few those that tip the scales over this weight. The
standard issued by the FCI and The Kennel Club (British) and AKC American Kennel
Club calls for them to be less than 6 pounds (3 kilos). This does not mean that
if your Chihuahua is over this weight that there is something wrong with him.
This is just a goal for breeders of these little imps to aim for. The very small
ones, sometimes called “Teacups”, are much more delicate that the others.
They are prone to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) when young, as well as other
medical problems, though not all suffer these problems. Also, most serious
breeders do not encourage the use of the description Teacup. They prefer to use
terms such as “undersized” or “runt” or “tinys” The preferred weight
for today’s Chihuahuas seems to be between 3-½ pounds (1.75 kilos) up to the
6 pound (3 kilos) limit. These dogs are usually stronger than the smaller ones
and less likely to be injured by everyday play with other dogs.
Chihuahuas
also come in different coat choices. There is the Smooth Coat (short hair),
which everyone readily associates with Chihuahuas; there are also Long Coats
(long hair). These can range from a very thin moderate length fur length up to a
very profuse coat. Just because a long coat is bred to a long coat does not
guarantee that all the pups will have a profuse coat. You must look back a few
generations and see what is there that may influence the planned litter.