Chihuahuas Corner

Chihuahuas

Chihuahuas, named after the Mexican state of Chihuahua is the smallest breed of dog in the world.

The breed has a historical connotation of being sacred to the Pre-Columbian Indians. The most valued dogs weighed around 1.3 kg. The Chihuahua is an economical and popular companion dog. The dog was brought to the Mexican state by Chinese travellers. It was introduced in Europe in the nineteenth century. The average life expectancy of a Chihuahua is about 15 years.

Some of the best words to describe the ideal characteristics of a Chihuahua are courageous, proud and enterprising. Chihuahua display traits of intense loyalty, and also require gentle, effective, positive training. Chihuahuas are prone to adopt quickly to Small Dog Syndrome, thereby making it essential for the owner to enforce the attitude of the pack leader. Failure to do so, will result in a Chihuahua to be very aggressive, suspicious of people besides the owner, and unsafe for children.

Chihuahuas are very swift walkers, as facilitated by their size, but there exists a misconception that they do not require walking as a separate activity, due to the amount of running around they normally do about indoors.  It is therefore vital to note that, an exercise of walking besides providing the needed adequate physical outlet, also provides mental stimulation and squashes the migration instinct that all dogs possess. 

The Chihuahua appears to have an apple shaped head dominated by large eyes.  The trademark physical features of the Chihuahuas are their ears which are pointy and stand erect.  The body is stout in nature tapering to a sickle shaped tail. The legs of the dog are firm and straight in appearance.  The coat of the dog can be of two types, short-haired and long-haired type.  The color of the coat varies from fawn, sand, chestnut, silver and steel blue, but any color is accepted, including black & tan and bi-color. The ideal height of the dog is 6-9 inches (15-23 cm.) and the weight around 2-6 pounds (1-3 kg.)

One of the factors that a Chihuahua is intolerant about is cold weather. They tend to shiver when the temperature drops and accessories are available (sweaters) to keep them warm during the cold weather. This makes them most suitable for an apartment life.

The Chihuahuas could be considered as delicate creatures due to some of the problems arising as a result of their physical characters. The short nose of the dog leads to snoring and wheezing. The huge eyes are prone to drying of the cornea and also instances of secondary glaucoma. Chihuahuas have a tendency to gain weight easily, and are susceptible to gum problems, stifle, rheumatism, cold and stress. For these reasons, it is advisable to not feed them chocolate, not allowing them to come in contact with fertilizer or other toxic products.

The coat of the Chihuahua can be gently brushed or occasionally to be wiped with a damp cloth. In the case of the long-haired breed, the coat is to be brushed everyday with a soft bristle brush. When providing a Chihuahua with a bath, it is very important to ensure that no water enters the ears.