Chihuahua (dog breed)

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Chihuahua
Chihuahua (dog breed)
Shorthair
Chihuahua (dog breed)
Long hair
FCI Standard No. 218
Origin :

Mexico

Alternative names:

Techichi, Chihuahueño

Weight:

Ideally 1.5–3 kg

Varieties :
  • short haired
  • long haired
List of domestic dogs

The Chihuahua [ tʃiˈwawa ] is an FCI recognized Mexican dog breed ( FCI Group 9, Section 6, Standard No. 218 ). He is the smallest breed of dog in the world.

origin

There are various theories about the ancestry of the Chihuahua. One of them is that it descends from the sacrificial dogs in ancient Mexico , the Techichis .

description

The Chihuahua has been considered the smallest breed of dog in the world since its discovery by Western culture around 1850. The Chihuahua has an apple or deer head and a pronounced stop with a short, sometimes slightly pointed muzzle . The large ears protruding at an angle of 45 ° are typical. Despite its small size, compact body is slightly longer than tall and stands on not too fine, well muscled and straight runs . The Chihuahua has a moderately long tail bent over its back. The standard allows all colors: from pure white to whitish with cream-colored markings, tricolor (three-colored) and others to pure black. The color blue and Merle shades with, however, are not without problems, as they can often be associated with certain diseases or deformities.

Hair variants:

  • The long-haired Chihuahua (pelo largo; poil long; long-haired) has soft hair, fringed ears, a pronounced neck collar and the tail is fully hairy. The hair is either straight or slightly wavy.
  • The short-haired Chihuahua (pelo corto; poil court; smooth-haired) has thick, soft, shiny hair that lies smoothly on the head and body.

Breeding problems

Its disproportionately large eyes and short snout are particularly noticeable, which can lead to very sensitive eyes, breathing problems and dental problems if not bred. Patellar dislocations are also common in the breed .

Although the ideal weight is between 1.5 and 3 kg, dogs between 500 g and 1.5 kg are also accepted. Specimens over 3 kg, however, are excluded from breeding and exhibition evaluation in most clubs, although there are also clubs that allow somewhat stronger animals in the interests of the Chihuahua's health. In the breed standard no information is given about the height at the withers , but at shows, the smaller dogs are usually given preference. In the recent past, this has led to the breeding of extremely small dogs (500 grams), which, however, are more prone to health problems. The subordination of these problems to the breeding goal of breeding ever smaller dogs is criticized as torture breeding from an animal welfare point of view .

Essence

The breed standard describes the Chihuahua as lively, alert, restless, and very brave.

use

Web links

Commons : Chihuahua  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ D. Caroline Coile: The Chihuahua Handbook . Barron's Educational Series, Hauppauge NY 2000, ISBN 0-7641-1521-9 , pp. 5 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  2. ^ Animal Welfare . In: Ethical eye . Council of Europe Publishing, 2006, ISBN 92-871-6016-3 , pp. 125 (English, 276 p., Limited preview in Google book search).
  3. ↑ Breed standard No. 218 of the FCI: Chihuahua (dog breed)  (PDF)