Home Page Health Small Dog Breeds Chihuahua The Chihuahua is the Smallest Dog of All The origin of the chihuahua is shrouded in some mystery, because there seems to be no other breed of
dog from which it is descended. There are several theories but none of them can be
reliably substantiated. The American Kennel Club mentions the possibilty that he originated from the
Fennec Fox, a very small animal with big eyes and ears, which could explain the tiny frame, luminous eyes and large
ears on the breed today. There seems little doubt, however, that first records of this little dog were found in Mexico and his name comes from the State of Chihuahua, in the north of the country, near the border with Texas and Arizona. The Chihuahua stands from 6 to 10 inches tall, at the shoulder and weighs 2 to 8 pounds. Both the American and English Kennel Clubs have a breed standard that says the dog should not weigh more than six pounds. Both clubs only recognize two varieties of Chihuahua: the long-coat, and the smooth-coat, also referred to as short-haired. They are genetically the same breed. The coat can be any color, from solid to spotted black, white, red, cream, chocolate or tan.
There is only partial similarity between the top 20 most popular dogs in the two countries. Only ten of the top twenty breeds are common to both countries but the labrador retriever is by far the most popular dog on both sides of the Atlantic. Being so small. the Chihuahua can get all the exercise he needs from running about the house and playing games. He will tire too easily to be taken for long walks and should always be on a leash, because he will confront other dogs, however large they are. This seems to be a common trait with smaller dogs, especially the terriers, as they don't seem to realise how small they are. Grooming The ChihuahuaSmooth coated Chihuahuas need very little grooming due to their short hair. Long coats need occasional brushing but still require minimal grooming. However, both varieties are medium shedders, so you may prefer to give them a quick daily brushing, so you can collect the loose hair and dispose of it before it gets on your carpets and furnishings. Training The ChihuahuaThe Chihuahua is not very intelligent and he not easy to train. He is ranked joint 67th, out of 79 groups and has only "fair working/obedience intelligence and understanding of new commands". This, allied to a stubborn streak, means you will need a lot of patience and firmness when training him. He is very difficult to housebreak. The Chihuahua's TemperamentThe Chihuahua is an affectionate, gentle and protective dog with his family but he is not sociable with strangers. For this reason, he is an excellent watchdog, because he will bark furiously when anyone approaches. He usually becomes very attached to one member of the family in particular, and if he does not get lots of attention, affection and petting he can become jealous and possessive of that person. Very often that person is the wife. We have all seen situations on television (usually with Cesar Milan) where the wife is sat on the sofa, with the dog in her arms and the chihuahua won't even let the husband sit on the same piece of furniture, with very aggressive barking and snarling. This sort of situation is intolerable. The fact that the wife is cuddling him while he does this, may have a lot to do with it. The chihuahua is not tolerant of small children, unless they are very calm and gentle with him and understand how small and fragile he is. If he is teased or handled roughly then he may snap and bite. However, he is the 13th most popular dog in the United States, so there must be plenty of happy, contented chihuahua owners out there! Need To Learn More?
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The Chihuahua is a very popular dog in America, being 13th out of 157
breeds recognized by the 