Breed Profile – Chihuahua

General Information

The Chihuahua is the world's smallest dog, but it makes a spirited pet for any size home. The breed is alert and graceful with a rounded skull and large, flaring ears. Smooth coats are soft and come in any color. The long coat may be flat or slightly curly; with a ruff on the neck and a full, plumed tail.

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Physical Characteristics

The American and British standards are quite similar. The Mexican/FCI standard is more detailed. For example, not excusing problems commonly associated with dwarfing, it specifies that a deformity, deficiency or lack of harmony is to be faulted. Temperament is described because, unlike behavior that is influenced by environment, schooling or the like, each breed has an inherited personality. Under General Appearance Britain’s Kennel Club standard is brief: "Small, dainty, compact." When viewed in profile, the body should show marked forechest. This does not mean a protruding sternum that can indicate serious abnormalities, but just a nice well-developed forechest. The front legs are set well under the dog so you can’t see his chest from the side, meaning that the shoulders are too straight and too far forward. Good shoulders are important so that he can jump, bounce, change directions instantly (to catch that bug!) and, in all ways, be a superb little athlete.

The ribs should be well sprung but not so much as to make him appear overdone or cloddy. He needs plenty of room for his big heart and well-developed lungs. The rib cage should also be long enough to protect the internal organs. The underline should not rise before the seventh or eighth rib, at which point the profile should begin to show a slight tuck-up. Shallow, sausage-shaped bodies are extremely undesirable.

The hindquarters should be muscular with strong, well-defined tendons. The back leg has grooves in which the tendon fits and acts as a pulley to flex and extend the leg. If the grooves are too shallow or the tendon too thin, it can slip out of the groove, causing lameness. The joint and pulley design is as susceptible to injury as is the fine-tuned muscular knee of a football player. Therefore, never pull on the back legs and try to discourage jumping about in an upright position, particularly in the young dog.

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Health & Training

Nutrition:

This is not to forgive a faulty mouth but to simply point out that a little carnivore that existed on vegetation, birds and eggs, lizards and insects did not require the teeth of a Bull Terrier. Soft, easy-to-chew food for the older dog may be required but, if you are uncertain, try tossing your Chihuahua a raw chicken wing and see how well he handles it!

Excercise

The Chihuahua should be a superb athlete. When you step into the yard, he should be off like a shot, exploring and marking his territory. He is quite capable of keeping up with you on the longest walks.

Training

To train a Chihuahua to "go out" in obedience work is a challenge. He doesn't want to go away from you and he doesn't understand why you want him to do so. It takes patience and several days work before an already well-schooled obedience champion finally understands that in order to be obedient, he is to run away from you!

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Health disorders

Chihuahuas require expert veterinary attention in areas such as birthing and dental care. They are also prone to some genetic problems, often neurological ones, such as epilepsy and seizure disorders.

Like other toy breeds, Chihuahuas are sometimes prone to the painful disease, hydrocephalus. It is often diagnosed by the puppy having an abnormally large head during the 1^st several months of life, but other symptoms are more noticeable (larger head for its body size). Chihuahua puppies exhibiting hydrocephalus tend to have patchy skull plates rather than a solid bone and typically are lethargic and do not grow at the same pace as their siblings. A true case of hydrocephalus can be diagnosed by a veterinarian, though the prognosis is grim.

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