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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. |
Smooth Coat |
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.
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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. |
Long Coat |
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
©American
Kennel Club
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