Breeds / Toy
Chihuahua puppies
Charming, graceful and sassy, the Chihuahua is a balanced little dog of terrier like demeanour, gay and spirited but neither snappy nor withdrawn.
The facts
- Size class Toy
- Country of origin Mexico
- Adult weight Up to 2.7 kg
- Adult weight in pounds Up to 6 lb
- Adult height 13 to 20 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Short to medium smooth
- Shedding Low
- Typical lifespan 14 to 16 years
- Good with children Not recommended
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
About the Chihuahua
The Chihuahua descends from the small companion dogs of pre-Columbian Mexico and takes their name from the state where nineteenth century visitors first bought them. They are the smallest breed on most lists, up to 2.7 kg and 13 to 20 cm tall, with an apple or deer shaped head, enormous erect ears and eyes to match. Coats come smooth or long. What they lack in size they make up for in opinion: bold, alert, vocal, and fixed on one or two chosen people.
Exercise is easy, mostly indoor play and short slow walks, and they feel the cold badly. Grooming is a weekly brush, monthly nails and real attention to teeth, which crowd in a small jaw. The AKC scores them 1 out of 5 with children, so households with small children need close supervision and steady socialisation, and they may simply be the wrong choice. Let them walk on their own four feet, and hold them to the same standards of behaviour you would expect from a larger dog.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Chihuahua puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A toy breed puppy at eight weeks is small enough to be genuinely fragile. They can be hurt by a jump off a sofa and by being stepped on, and toy breeds are prone to low blood sugar, so they need frequent small meals rather than two big ones. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Patellar luxation, graded by a veterinary orthopaedic exam
- Cardiac disease, detected on a veterinary cardiac examination and echocardiography
- Eye disease, screened by an annual ophthalmologist eye examination
Your Chihuahua puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Toy for a Chihuahua.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the Up to 2.7 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Kit sizes: crate 18 inch (18 x 12 x 14 in, 46 x 30 x 36 cm) for an adult of up to 2.7 kg; chew toys made for small breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.
Buying guides for this
Other toy breeds
More on the Chihuahua
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.
Sources
- akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
- fci.be for country of origin
- Health notes from Chihuahua breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/chihuahua/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Photo: Lilly M, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.