The Chihuahua
is regarded as the smallest pedigree dog
in the world and carries the name of the
largest state of the Mexican Republic (Chihuahua).
One assumes that these dogs used to live
in the wild and, at the time of the Toltec
civilization, were captured and domesticated
by the natives. Representations of a Toy
dog called « Techichi » which
lived in Tula, were used as decorations
on town architecture. These statues are
very similar to the present day Chihuahua.
GENERAL
APPEARANCE
This dog has a compact body. Of great importance
is the fact that his skull is apple-shaped
and that he carries his moderately long
tail very high, either curved or forming
the shape of a semicircle with the tip pointing
towards the loin region.
IMPORTANT
PROPORTIONS
Length of body slightly greater than height
at withers. Desired, however, is an almost
square body, especially in males. In bitches,
because of the function of reproduction,
a slightly longer body is permitted.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT
Quick, alert, lively and very courageous.
HEAD
Skull
Well
rounded apple head ( a characteristic
of the breed) preferably without a
fontanel although a small one is allowed.
Stop
Well marked,
deep and broad as the forehead is
rounded above the set-on of muzzle.
Nose
Any colour permitted.
Moderately short, pointing slightly
upwards.
Muzzle
Short, straight
seen from side, broad at set-on, tapering
towards the tip.
Lips
Lean and close
fitting.
Cheeks
Only slightly
developed, very clean.
Jaw / Teeth
Scissor or pincer
bite. Overshot, undershot, as well
as any other anomaly in position of
upper or lower jaw must be strictly
penalized.
Eyes
Large, roundish
in shape, very expressive, not protruding,
perfectly dark. Light eyes permissible,
but not desired.
Ears
Large, upright,
widely open, broad at set-on, gradually
tapering towards their slightly rounded
tip. In repose inclined laterally
forming an angle of 45°.
NECK
Upper
profile
slightly arched.
Length
Medium
length
Shape
Thicker
in dogs than in bitches
Skin
Without
dewlap. In the long-haired variety,
the presence of a neck-ruff with longer
hair is highly desirable.
BODY - compact and well
built
Topline
Level
Whiters
Only
slightly marked
Back
Short
and firm
Loin
Strongly
muscled
Croup
Broad
and strong; almost flat or slightly
sloping
Chest
Ribcage
broad and deep, ribs well sprung.
Seen from front, roomy but not exaggerated.
Seen from side, reaching to elbows.
Not barrel shaped
Underline
and belly
Formed
by a clearly tucked up belly. Slack
belly is permitted but not desired
TAIL
Set
on high, flat in appearance, of moderate
length; broad at root, tapering gradually
towards the tip. Tail carriage is
an important characteristic of the
breed : when the dog is moving it
is carried either high in a curve
or in a semicircle with tip towards
the loin region, which gives balance
to the body, it should never be carried
between the hindlegs nor curled below
the backline. The hair on the tail
depends on the variety and is in harmony
with the body coat. In the long haired
variety, the tail coat forms a plume.
Tail is pendant in repose and forms
a slight hook.
LIMBS
Forequarters
Forelegs
straight and of good length; seen
from the front, they form a straight
line with the elbows. Seen from the
side, they are upright.
Shoulders
Clean
and moderately muscled. Good angulation
between shoulder-blade and upper arm
Elbows
Firm
and fitting close to body which ensures
free movement.
Pasterns
Slightly
sloping, strong and flexible
Forefeet
Very small and oval with
toes well apart but not splayed (neither
hare- nor cat-foot). Nails particularly
well arched and moderately long. Pads
well developed and very elastic. Dewclaws
are not desirable.
Hindquarters
Hindlegs
well muscled with long bones, vertical
and parallel to each other with good
angulation at hip, knee and hock joints,
in harmony with angulation of forequarters.
Hocks
Short
with well developed Achilles’
tendons; seen from rear, they are
well apart straight and vertical.
Hindfeet
Very
small and oval with toes well apart
but not splayed (neither hare- nor
cat-foot). Nails particularly well
arched and moderately long. Pads well
developed and very elastic. Dewclaws
are not desirable.
Gait
/ Movement
Steps
are long, springy, energetic and active
with good reach and drive. Seen from
rear, hind legs should move almost
parallel to each other, so that the
foot prints of the hind feet fit directly
into those of the front feet. With
increasing speed, the limbs show a
tendency to converge towards the centre
point of gravity (single track). Movement
remains free and springy without visible
effort, head raised and back firm.
Skin
Smooth
and elastic all over body
COAT
Hair
In
this breed there are two varieties
of coat
Short
haired
Coat
is short, lying close all over body.
If there is an undercoat, the hair
is somewhat longer; sparse coat on
throat and belly permissible; slightly
longer on neck and tail, short on
face and ears. Coat is glossy and
its texture is soft. Hairless dogs
are not tolerated.
Long
Haired
Coat
should be fine and silky, smooth or
slightly wavy. Not too thick undercoat
desired. Coat is longer, forming feathering
on ears, neck, rear of front and hind
legs, on feet and on tail. Dogs with
long billowing coat will not be accepted.
Color
All
colors in all possible shades and
combinations are admitted, except
merle colour.
WEIGHT
In
this breed only the weight is taken
into consideration, not the height.
Ideal weight : between 1.5 and 3 kg.
However, dogs between 500 gr and 1.5
kg are accepted. Subjects weighing
less than 500 gr and more than 3 kg
shall be disqualified.
FAULTS
Any
departure from the foregoing points
should be considered a fault and the
seriousness with which the fault should
be regarded should be in exact proportion
to its degree.
-
Missing teeth
-
Double teeth (persistence
of temporary teeth)
-
Deformed jaws
-
Pointed ears
-
Short neck
-
Long body
-
Roach or hollow back
(Lordosis or Kyphosis)
-
Steep croup
-
Narrow chest, flat ribcage
-
Tail: incorrect set-on,
short or twisted
-
Short limbs
-
Out at elbow
-
Too close behind
SEVERE FAULTS
-
Narrow skull
-
Eyes small, deep set
or protruding
-
Long muzzle
-
Under or overshot mouth
-
Patella luxation
-
Unstable stiffles
ELIMINATING FAULTS
-
Aggressive
or overly shy
-
Deer type dogs (dogs
with an atypical or extreme stylized
structure: refined head, long neck,
slender body, long limbs)
-
Dogs with a large fontanel
-
Drop ear or short ear
-
Deformed jaws
-
Extremely long body
-
Absence of tail
-
In the long-haired variety:
dogs with very long, fine and billowing
coat
-
In the smooth-haired
variety: bald patch (alopecia)
-
Merle color
-
Subjects weighing less
than 500 gr and more than 3 kg
Any
dog clearly showing physical or behavioural
abnormalities shall be disqualified.
N.B.
: Male animals should have two apparently
normal testicles fully descended into
the scrotum.