Known as the world’s smallest dog, the Chihuahua nonetheless has big ideas. A perpetual favorite of advertisers, celebrities and families, this mighty mite is one of the world’s most beloved breeds. Yet surprisingly little is known about his background.
The Chihuahua probably descends either from the ancient Central and South American Techichi or maybe from Chinese dogs brought to Central America by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1600s — or most likely, a combination of both.
A fanciful tale is that the Chihuahua was the result of feral Techichis bred with prairie dogs! Um … no!
In 1850, three tiny dogs were spotted in Chihuahua, Mexico, by a dog fancier. They remained rare, with most people doubting the existence of such a minuscule dog, even though several more were found along the Mexican border.
The little dogs were usually named after where they were found, so there were Arizona Dogs, California Dogs, and so on. But because most were from the Mexican state of Chihuahua, they became known as Chihuahuas.
In Mexico the breed is called the Chihuahueno.
In the 1890s, Mexico’s president presented the celebrated soprano, Madame Adelina Patti, with a Chihuahua hidden in a bouquet of flowers. Patti toured North America with her Chihuahua, Bonito, proving to all that the tiny dogs really did exist — and perhaps setting the stage for celebrities and their famous lap dogs!
Also in the late 1800s, a troupe of trick Chihuahuas toured the country.
The AKC recognized the breed in 1904. The first registered Chihuahua was a smooth coat named Midget. Four more were registered that year.
The Chihuahua is in the AKC Toy group.
More exposure came when Xavier Cugat, “The Rumba King,” made his Chihuahuas his trademark, appearing with them in movies and in his weekly television show. His best known dog was Pepito, who was even the subject of a book: Pepito the Little Dancing Dog: The Story of Xavier Cugat’s Chihuahua.
By 1964, the Chihuahua was the third most popular breed in America. One of the most popular advertising dogs of all time is the Taco Bell Chihuahua.
The Chihuahua is one breed with two varieties — smooth and long coat — which means that they compete in separate classes at dog shows but the varieties can be interbred. The smooth variety has always been the more popular. The smooth coat results when a dog has one or two dominant genes for short hair. Two recessive genes are needed to produce a long coat.
The Chihuahua comes in one of the largest selections of color of any breed.
Chihuahuas that weigh more than six pounds can’t be shown in AKC conformation shows, but can still compete in other events. The smallest Chihuahua on record was a 4-inch-tall, 1 1/2 pound dog named Boo Boo.
It is typical for young Chihuahuas to have a molera, or open fontanel, which is a soft spot on the top of the head where the skull bones have not knitted together. In some Chihuahuas, the spot gets smaller and even disappears with age; in others, it remains and care must be taken not to let anything hit the soft spot. Of course, you should take care that no Chihuahua gets hit in the head!
Despite being America’s most popular toy dog in history, no Chihuahua has ever won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, and only one has won the Toy group!
Chihuahuas have been featured in movies such as Legally Blonde and Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
Chihuahuas are a favorite with celebrities. Owners include Paris Hilton, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Paula Abdul, Billie Holiday, Jayne Mansfield, George Lopez, Brian Littrell, Hilary Duff, Britney Spears and the Osbournes.
The Chihuahua is currently the 18th most popular AKC breed, dropping from ninth most popular a decade ago.
Do you own a Chihuahua? Have you spent time with one? Let’s hear what you think about this fascinating breed in the comments! And if you have a favorite breed you’d like us to write about, let us know that, too!
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- Get to Know the Great Dane, a Little Dog in a Huge Body
- Get to Know the Bulldog: Part Gargoyle, Part Clown
- Get to Know the Bloodhound, the Famous Tracking Dog
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About the author: Caroline Coile is the author of 34 dog books, including the top-selling Barron’s Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds. She has written for various publications and is currently a columnist for AKC Family Dog. She shares her home with three naughty Salukis and one Jack Russell Terrier.
7 thoughts on “Get to Know the Chihuahua: Mighty Mite from Mexico”
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I have a Chi Mix mutt and she is a great dog. Too much prey drive and doesn’t take all dogs or people. She can also be stubborn at times and takes way too much time sniffing on our walks but other than that she is “perfect”. She is a great watchdog.
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My little Chihuahua is the love of my life. They are very sweet and loving dogs but can be very protective and make excellent watchdogs. It’s our quite simply a whole lot of dogs in a tiny package.
I have a very sweet and affectionate Chihuahua named Spot. He is my world! He is my constant companion and helps me in so many ways. As a diabetic keeping track of my blood sugar levels is vital. Spot alerts to me high and lows in my sugars. He is very handy when it comes to removing my socks. I am disabled. He is Service trained. Unfortunately people never believe that a small dog can be a Service Dog!
My daughter has a Chihuahua that I took care of last month. What a cutie. Lulus was affectionate, sweet and very attentive. I love to watch her burrow under her blanket and go to sleep. She did the same thing in my bed at night.
Surprisingly she did not bark and get fussy unless we came upon a large dog. Then she would flip out. She was abandoned so I don’t know what she had to go thru and why she doesn’t bark like other Chihuahuas.
I am the proud owner of two brother chihuahuas. I have never had so much fun with a dog than these two guys. Amazing breed and two very loving and amazing pups