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.
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
Permission
obtained for reprint.
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