Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Chihuahua Breed Overview
- History of the Chihuahua Breed. Where Chihuahuas came from
- What the Chihuahua Looks Like
- How Much is the Chihuahua Puppy?
- Best Chihuahua Breeders
- Chihuahua Growth
- The Temperament of the Chihuahua
- How Long Chihuahuas Live
- Chihuahua Litter Size
- How Fast Chihuahuas Can Run
- Good Names for Chihuahuas
- How Intelligent are Chihuahuas?
- How Popular are Chihuahuas with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Chihuahuas and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Chihuahua
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Chihuahuas
- Other Things to Know About Chihuahuas
Chihuahua Breed Overview
The Chihuahua is a tiny-sized dog.
The adult Chihuahua stands 6 inches to 9 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Chihuahua belongs to the Companion Dogs group.
Dogs in the Companion Dogs group, like the Chihuahua, were bred to be companions for humans. Their main goal in life is to be with people, and they will be very sad if left to themselves for long hours day after day.
The fact that the Chihuahua belongs to the Companion Dogs group is one of the reasons why Chihuahuas have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Chihuahua is generally described as:
- Aggressive
- Alert
- Courageous
- Devoted
- Lively
- Quick
History of the Chihuahua Breed. Where Chihuahuas came from
This small dog is named after the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
Folklore and archaeological evidence, such as wooden toys, dog effigy pots, and writings, demonstrate that the breed and its ancestors held a firm, if sometimes frightening, place in Mexican culture.
They are descended from the Techichi, a native Mesoamerican dog that dates back to around 300 BC; wheeled Chihuahua-representational toys date back to 100 AD.
The Techichi was a small, mute dog that was occasionally used in Toltec religious sacrificial ceremonies.
People believed that the small canine could guide the soul to the underworld, so every Aztec family kept one.
The Techichis appear to have been sacrificed and buried with each deceased family member.
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What the Chihuahua Looks Like
The Chihuahua has an attractive, swift gait that demonstrates the breed`s self-confidence and sense of self-importance.
This spunky breed is cute and aware of it; erect, perky ears sit atop a round head with expressive eyes.
The muzzle narrows and the teeth meet in a level or scissors bite.
The neck flows gracefully into the shoulders.
Their front legs have small, dainty feet with cushioned pads, but this tiny canine has muscular hindquarters.
The tail is medium in length.
They are classified as either smooth coat or long coat.
The smooth coat variety of the breed has a soft texture, whereas the long coat, which is also soft, is either flat or curly.
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How Much is the Chihuahua Puppy?
The average price of a Chihuahua puppy is $1960. The price of a Chihuahua puppy ranges from $900 to $2500.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Chihuahua. These factors include what health records the Chihuahua puppy has, the lineage of the Chihuahua puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Chihuahua based on the many factors that determine the price of the Chihuahua puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Chihuahua puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Chihuahua breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Chihuahua Breeders
We have researched reputable Chihuahua breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Chihuahua breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Green Country Chiu2019s
Puppy Price: $1900
Piccoli Amici Chihuhuas
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
D`s Darling AKC Long Hair Chihuahuas
Puppy Price: $1200.
Sweet Bean Chihuahuas
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
HI-C Chihuahuas
Puppy Price: $1500.00
Chihuahua Growth
New Chihuahua owners need to know about the growth of their Chihuahuas. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Chihuahua will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Chihuahua early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Chihuahua puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Chihuahua at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Chihuahua
The Temperament of the Chihuahua
The temperament of the Chihuahua based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Chihuahua for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Chihuahua here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Dog Directed Fear | 85.8 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 80.6 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 74.3 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 71.8 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 67.8 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 67.5 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 65.0 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 62.7 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 55.6 percent |
| Excitability | 53.2 percent |
| Stubbornness | 53.1 percent |
| Energy Level | 50.3 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 36.7 percent |
| Prey Drive | 26.5 percent |
How Long Chihuahuas Live
The lifespan of the Chihuahua is typically from 10 to 18 years.
Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Chihuahua. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 71 pet Chihuahuas lived.
From the study, it was found that Chihuahuas have an average lifespan of 12.4 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Chihuahuas to live as long as 19.8 years.
Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Chihuahua to live long.
Chihuahuas live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
There are also dog supplements that you can give your Chihuahua to improve your Chihuahua`s quality of their life.
Click here to learn more about how to make your Chihuahua live long.
Chihuahua Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 269 different Chihuahua birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Chihuahuas can have is 3 puppies. Also, the Chihuahua can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 7 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Chihuahua will have depends on factors such as the age of the Chihuahua, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Chihuahua will have and how the litter size of the Chihuahua compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Chihuahuas Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 44 different Chihuahuas, the average speed of the Chihuahua is 16.1 mph (25.9 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Chihuahua ran in a race is 23.38 mph (37.6 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Chihuahua is 6.6 mph (10.6 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Chihuahua compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Chihuahuas
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Chihuahua ranked by popularity:
- Dog
- Charlie
- Chico
- Sy
- Jake
- Peanut
- Tucker
- Henry
- Louie
- Max
How Intelligent are Chihuahuas?
| Chihuahua | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 67 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Chihuahua has an obedience intelligence rank of 67 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Chihuahuas in the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Chihuahuas tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Standard Poodle | 2 |
| Australian Cattle Dog | 10 |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi | 11 |
| English Springer Spaniel | 13 |
| Weimaraner | 21 |
| Irish Water Spaniel | 24 |
| Welsh Springer Spaniel | 31 |
| Samoyed | 33 |
| Norwich Terrier | 38 |
| Kuvasz | 42 |
| Dachshund | 49 |
| Akita | 54 |
| Skye Terrier | 55 |
| Maltese | 59 |
| Italian Greyhound | 60 |
| Chinese Crested | 61 |
| Old English Sheepdog | 63 |
| Saint Bernard | 65 |
| Chihuahua | 67 |
| Basset Hound | 71 |
How Popular are Chihuahuas with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Chihuahua.
The popularity of the Chihuahua averaged over the years is Number 30 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Chihuahuas and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Chihuahua is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Chihuahua puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Chihuahua breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Chihuahuas for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Chihuahuas here.
How to Take Care of Chihuahua
To take good care of your Chihuahua, you need to make sure that you groom your Chihuahua regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Chihuahua regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Chihuahua`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Chihuahua daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Chihuahua.
Also, you need to feed your Chihuahua high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Chihuahua from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Chihuahua and how much food to feed the Chihuahua at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Chihuahua has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Chihuahua needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Chihuahuas
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Chihuahua.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Chihuahua:
- Chi-Poo (76 percent match with Chihuahua). Learn more about the Chi-Poo here.
- Maltese (75 percent match with Chihuahua). Learn more about the Maltese here.
- Chorkie (75 percent match with Chihuahua). Learn more about the Chorkie here.
Other Things to Know About Chihuahuas
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Chihuahua that you need to know about the Chihuahua breed: