| One of America's favorites in the Toy Group is the | | | | chance as far as defending itself. Care must be taken |
| Chihuahua, (pronounced sha-wa-wa). At maturity the | | | | that they are not put in situations where they can not |
| Chihuahua may be only 5 inches tall and the standard | | | | fend for themselves. Small children need to be |
| requires that they be under six pounds. There have | | | | watched, the Chihuahua has fragile bones and |
| been adult Chihuahuas that weigh only about one and | | | | especially when they are puppies these bones can be |
| half pounds. This tiny dog is reputed to be the smallest | | | | broken easily. Furthermore the Chihuahua has a soft |
| dog in the canine world. There are two varieties, the | | | | spot in the skull in the center of the head. This is |
| long coat and the smooth coat and except for the | | | | recognized in the standard and is unique to the breed. |
| difference in the length of the coat they are the same | | | | If the dog is injured in this soft spot it can of course |
| breed and there is no distinction between the two in | | | | cause grave problems which could lead to its |
| their standard. A smooth coat has exactly that, a sleek | | | | death.The Chihuahua is a lively and intelligent dog with |
| and shiny close fitting coat with a well furred tail. The | | | | great affection for its owner. It becomes very bonded |
| long coat has fringes of longer hair around the ears | | | | and will usually not let its master out of its sight. They |
| and neck and feathering on the legs, tail and the | | | | are a dog that fits well into a pocket bag and often |
| breech or "pants" on the rear legs. All colors are | | | | can go with the owner wherever the owner goes. Like |
| permissible. The Chihuahua should have a "domed | | | | a cat, it can be easily trained to paper or a litter box in |
| head", rounded skull and large eyes, very expressive. | | | | the house which makes it much easier to deal with |
| The ears are erect and in proportion to the head.The | | | | when traveling. It is a bossy little breed, not having any |
| Chihuahua is believed to be of Mexican origin and may | | | | idea that it is not a big dog. The Chihuahua is a noisy |
| have been originally bred by the Aztec Indians. They | | | | watchdog and often will snap if not socialized as a |
| are named after a Mexican state and first gained | | | | puppy. One of the problems is that many owners do |
| popularity in Mexico.With a dog this small health can be | | | | not treat this dog as they would a larger breed and |
| a major concern. First of all, although they get along | | | | often it is not trained to behave but rather is coddled |
| well with most other dogs, they believe they are bigger | | | | and carried around and never learns proper manners |
| than they actually are. If they are housed with larger | | | | when greeting strangers. A well trained Chihuahua is a |
| dogs and jealousy occurs, the little dog will not stand a | | | | delightful dog and a loving companion. |