AKC- Chihuahua Breed
Standard
Toy Group
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
