CHIHUAHUA - AKC BREED STANDARD
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Toy Group
General Appearance
A graceful, alert, swift-moving little dog with saucy expression, compact, and with
terrier-like qualities of temperament.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Weight-A well balanced little dog not to exceed 6 pounds. Proportion-The body is
off-square; hence, slightly longer when measured from point of shoulder to point of
buttocks, than height at the withers. Somewhat shorter bodies are preferred in males.
Disqualification-Any dog over 6 pounds in weight.
Head
A well rounded "apple dome" skull, with or without molera. Expression-Saucy.
Eyes-Full, but not protruding, balanced, set well apart-luminous dark or luminous
ruby. (Light eyes in blond or white-colored dogs permissible.) Ears-Large, erect type
ears, held more upright when alert, but flaring to the sides at a 45 degree angle when
in repose, giving breadth between the ears. Muzzle-Moderately short, slightly pointed.
Cheeks and jaws lean. Nose-Self-colored in blond types, or black. In moles, blues,
and chocolates, they are self-colored. In blond types, pink nose permissible.
Bite-Level or scissors. Overshot or undershot bite, or any distortion of the bite or jaw,
should be penalized as a serious fault. Disqualifications-Broken down or cropped
ears.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck-Slightly arched, gracefully sloping into lean shoulders. Topline-Level.
Body-Ribs rounded and well sprung (but not too much "barrel-shaped").
Tail-Moderately long, carried sickle either up or out, or in a loop over the back, with
tip just touching the back. (Never tucked between legs.) Disqualifications- Cropped
tail, bobtail.
Forequarters
Shoulders- Lean, sloping into a slightly broadening support above straight forelegs
that set well under, giving a free play at the elbows. Shoulders should be well up,
giving balance and soundness, sloping into a level back. (Never down or low.) This
gives a chestiness, and strength of forequarters, yet not of the "Bulldog" chest.
Feet-A small, dainty foot with toes well split up but not spread, pads cushioned.
(Neither the hare nor the cat foot.) Pasterns-Fine.
Hindquarters- Muscular, with hocks well apart, neither out nor in, well let down, firm
and sturdy. The feet are as in front.
Coat
In the Smooth Coats, the coat should be of soft texture, close and glossy. (Heavier
coats with undercoats permissible.) Coat placed well over body with ruff on neck
preferred, and more scanty on head and ears. Hair on tail preferred furry. In Long
Coats, the coat should be of a soft texture, either flat or slightly curly, with undercoat
preferred. Ears-Fringed. (Heavily fringed ears may be tipped slightly if due to the
fringes and not to weak ear leather, never down.) Tail-Full and long (as a plume).
Feathering on feet and legs, pants on hind legs and large ruff on the neck desired
and preferred. Disqualification-In Long Coats, too thin coat that resembles bareness.
Color
Any color-Solid, marked or splashed.
Gait
The Chihuahua should move swiftly with a firm, sturdy action, with good reach in front
equal to the drive from the rear. From the rear, the hocks remain parallel to each
other, and the foot fall of the rear legs follows directly behind that of the forelegs. The
legs, both front and rear, will tend to converge slightly toward a central line of gravity
as speed increases. The side view shows good, strong drive in the rear and plenty of
reach in the front, with head carried high. The topline should remain firm and the
backline level as the dog moves.
Temperament
Alert, with terrier-like qualities.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Any dog over 6 pounds in weight.
Broken down or cropped ears.
Cropped tail, bobtail.
In Long Coats, too thin coat that resembles bareness.
Approved September 11, 1990
Effective October 30, 1990
What are "Faults"?
Faults are not medical problems. They are slight distortions from the ideal. While they
may prevent your Chihuahuas ability to win points at dog shows, they do not detract
from the dog itself or keep it from being a good pet. However,Overshot or undershot
bite, or any distortion of the bite or jaw, are serious faults. They can cause problems
with the teeth later on in life. Faults are not "Disqualifications"-these are things that
would disqualify your dog from the show ring. Disqualifications are; Broken down or
cropped ears,Cropped tail, bobtail, too thin coat that resembles bareness (In Long
Coats),Any dog over 6 pounds in weight. A Chihuahua born without a tail or who had
its tail cropped (cut off)won't be able to show . It is not natural or normal for
Chihuahuas to be born without their tails. It is a serious mutation as their tails are an
intricate part of their "makeup". In other words, part of what makes them a
"Chihuahua". Dogs also use their tails to show emotion and for balance. Some dogs
are shown ,win and accumulate all the necessary "points" for a Champion title before
they are a year old....before serious faults can show up. Look at your Pups parents
before you buy. Breedings should be based on a combination of appearance and
ancestry. Outcrossing can be a useful to bring in traits that you do not have in your
breeding stock, you should choose a mate that corrects your dog's faults but
compliments your dog's good traits.
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