The Chihuahua Dog Breed
After covering the breed’s general appearance and temperament, the Chihuahua breed standard goes on to spell out the details of the body, from head to tail. The body in general is described as off-square, meaning that when measured from point of shoulder to point of buttocks, it’s slightly longer than the height at the shoulders. Somewhat shorter bodies are preferred in males. Why is that?
“The rationale is that the longer females have more room for puppies,” Giroux says, “but I think the portion of the standard that says, ‘somewhat shorter bodies in males preferred,’ is an unfortunate statement because length of body is not gender-specific. If you are breeding for ‘somewhat shorter backs,’ they are going to occur in females as well as males.” The term “somewhat” is unclear, as well, because it doesn’t indicate how much shorter the body should be.
The head is one of the features that makes the Chihuahua the dog it is. It has a well-rounded apple-dome skull, which is just what it sounds like. The skull is rounded in all directions, like an apple. And like an apple, it can have a soft spot. Known as a molera, a Chihuahua may have a soft spot on the skull where the bones of the skull haven’t closed completely. It’s a normal breed characteristic, although not all Chihuahuas have a molera. The absence or presence of a molera does not make a Chihuahua any more or less healthy, and the standard does not give preference one way or the other.
“The molera does not cause or suggest any health problems, although some veterinarians who aren’t familiar with the breed have mistakenly told new owners that their dog has hydrocephalus [water on the brain],” Giroux says. “In some Chihuahuas, the molera will close, either partially or completely, with time. In others, it does not.”
The only concern if your Chihuahua has a molera is that the dog may be more susceptible to brain injury or death if it falls on its head or is accidentally hit on the head with an object. In the best of all possible worlds, your Chihuahua will never be in a situation where that could occur. For that reason, a Chihuahua puppy with a large molera or several small moleras is not a good candidate for a highly active household, Bunten says.
Set well apart in the head are eyes that are full but not protruding. A Chihuahua’s eye color can be luminous dark or luminous ruby. Luminous dark eyes are just that: shiny and dark in appearance. Luminous ruby eyes, often seen in blond or white Chihuahuas, are light-colored eyes that glow red in low light. This occurs because the blood vessels in the back of the eyes are visible under the right conditions, Bunten says, but it’s not significant in any way.
Another striking feature of the Chihuahua’s head is its large, erect ears. When the dog is alert, they’re held upright, but flare to the sides at a 45-degree angle when the dog is relaxed. The ears should be naturally erect. Chihuahuas with cropped or broken-down ears — those that are tipped, creased or folded over — are disqualified from the show ring.
The Chihuahua’s head is completed with a moderately short, slightly pointed muzzle. The cheeks and jaws are lean, and the teeth may have a level bite (the front teeth of the upper and lower jaws meet edge to edge) or scissors bite (the outer sides of the lower front teeth touch the inner sides of the upper front teeth).
An overshot bite (the upper front teeth protrude beyond the lower front teeth) or undershot bite (the lower front teeth overlap or project beyond the upper front teeth when the mouth is closed), or any other distortion of the bite or jaw, is considered a serious fault.
The nose is black, although light-colored, blue or chocolate-colored Chihuahuas may have what is called a self-colored nose, meaning it’s the same shade as the dog. Blond Chihuahuas may have a pink nose.
Moving on from the head, the Chihuahua’s neck is slightly arched, gracefully sloping into lean shoulders. It has a level back, or topline, and rounded ribs, although it shouldn’t appear barrel-shaped or so chesty as to resemble a Bulldog. Muscular hindquarters are firm and sturdy. Straight forelegs support the body. Chihuahuas have small, dainty feet with toes that are well split up but not spread, meaning that you can see the divisions between the toes, but the toes aren’t splayed.
The tail is moderately long, carried in a sickle shape over the back. No self-respecting Chihuahua ever tucks its tail between its legs. A Chihuahua born with a bobtail or whose tail has been cropped cannot be shown in the dog-show ring.
More About Chihuahuas:
- Chihuahua Breeders (1)
- Chihuahua Puppies (1)
- Chihuahuas (4)
- Dog Breed Profile – Chihuahua (1)
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