Chihuahua

CHIHUAHUA  Origin:Mexico  Particular uses: Companion and hunting dog  Life expectancy: 13 years  Male height: 16 - 20 cm.  Male weight: 1 - 3.5 kg approx.  Female height: 16 - 18 cm.  Female weight: 1 - 2.5 kg approx.  FCI-Standard: No. 218 - Group 9

Historical Summary of the Breed
The Chihuahua comes from Mexico.  More specifically, it comes from the region from which it takes its name.  It is a dog from one of the oldest and best-known canine breeds.  In the time of the Aztecs, it was considered a sacred dog and it was thought that the dog brought happiness and joy to the houses in which it lived.  For this reason, the Aztecs revered it as a divinity and worshipped it. 

The dog came to Europe at the end of the eighteenth century.  Here it was converted quite quickly into a companion dog, thanks to its intelligence and vitality, but principally to its love and dedication to its owners, which it worships.

General Appearance
The breed has a compact, short and firm body, almost square and very muscular.  Its head is rounded, a typical characteristic of the Chihuahua breed.  Its forehead bulges out over its snout.  It has a short, upturned nose, wider at the base and narrower toward the tip.

It has large, widely separated ears.  They are wide at the base, narrowing gradually until finishing in a slightly rounded point.  Its eyes are also big and round.  They are very expressive, darkly colored eyes.  It has a long tail, wide at the base, narrowing gradually until the tip.

Its paws are very small and oval, with separated toes.  Its coat is short and smooth or long and straight, or sometimes wavy with a curled tail and feathered collar.  But, no matter the coat, the rest of the aspects of the breed are identical in all.  Puppies can be born from the same litter with different coats.

Temperament and Behavior
Chihuahua dogs are intelligent, full of life and energy, with a lot of love and dedication.  In fact, they profess love to such a degree that they can even get jealous.  They are also distrustful of strangers in the house, as the chihuahua considers it his territory.  When frightened, it has the tendency to bite, and excessive barking can be a problem.

These dogs need great quantities of human contact: they need to be petted, touched, and to feel loved in general.  It is a very loyal breed of dog.  In conclusion, you could say that the Chihuahua is a lively, alert, anxious, territorial and very brave dog that loves unconditionally.