Chihuahua Breed Standard
toy_group
Breed Standard
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.
\tab
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
|
|
