55 Facts About Chihuahuas That You May Not Know

Chihuahuas are charming little dogs, aren’t they? I comprehend I am definitely in love with the breed.

So I determined it would be fun to acquire together 55 facts about these exceptional little pups. Many are from our weekly newsletter but some aren’t.

I’m sure many of you know some of them but there can also be some surprises for you.

You have to in no way connect a leash to your Chihuahua’s collar due to the fact their little necks are fragile. Instead, get a harness to connect the leash on to.
Chihuahua noses can be different colorations inclusive of black, brown, grey, and pink. Sometimes they can be two tones too. (My Lucas has a darkish brown and pink two nose).
Completely white Chis are the rarest of all the colors.
Chihuahuas used to be large than the now-standard 2 to 6 pounds. It is believed they have been bred with the Chinese Crested to make them smaller.
Chihuahuas started out becoming genuinely popular as pets in the 1960s.
The common size of a Chihuahua litter is four pups.
The folks in the US first grew to become conscious of Chihuahuas when they discovered them in the Mexican country of Chihuahua round 1850. They quickly grew to be popular among the border states of Texas, Arizona, California, and New Mexico.
The Chihuahua Club of America was established in 1923.
Remember the Taco Bell dog? Her real name was once Gidget and she was once in lots of classified ads (not all for Taco Bell). She lived till 2009 and died at the age of 15.
Ever surprise why there are lengthy hair Chis and quick hair Chis? Papillons have been bred with short hair Chis to make lengthy hair Chis.
Chihuahua pups are born with floppy ears. They begin standing erect as they get older. If they aren’t up with the aid of 6 months of age, they possibly aren’t going to go up.
Chis with floppy ears are not trendy in the breed, but they can nonetheless be purebred Chihuahuas and have ears that lay down rather of stand up.
Chihuahuas come in over 30 different types and colors! That’s a lot of variety!
The Aztecs believed the early ancestors of the Chihuahua had the power to take a disease from a human and transfer it to themselves as a way of defending their proprietor and that fable is nevertheless alive and nicely today.
The historic Aztecs also thinking Chihuahuas ought to take away their sins.
Along with being referred to as the Arizona dog, Chis had been additionally known as the Texas canine in their early days in the USA.
Chihuahuas are such a loyal dog that they have been genuinely known to die of a damaged coronary heart when their owners die. Now that’s loyalty!
Chihuahuas had been used as warm packs in historic times. Maybe that’s why they continually prefer to be sitting on us.
Chihuahuas have viewed as a ”natural” canine due to the fact their coats are now not sheared or clipped, and their tails and ears are not docked.
Believe it or not, most long hair Chis shed much less than short hair Chis. Long covered Chihuahuas shed twice 12 months and in the course of that period, they can shed a lot but if you maintain them brushed, it shouldn’t get out of control. Short lined Chis shed all the time.
A legend of an Aztec princess for the duration of the time the Aztecs dominated the Mexican states that she kept over a thousand tiny puppies (believed to be the ancestors of today’s Chihuahuas) and every canine had its a personal servant. After the dog died, the servant used to be killed so she should proceed to serve the dog in death.
The dog species that at first made up the Chihuahua breed are often debated. One theory is that Fennec foxes helped to boost the breed. This is plausible. In 1980 a Fennec fox used to be efficiently bred with a Chihuahua.
Though both apple-headed and deer-headed Chihuahuas are famous today, the CCA (Chihuahua Club of America) states that the trendy of the breed is the Apple-headed Chi.
In over 100 years of the show’s history, a Chihuahua has never received Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Show.
The Chihuahua has the largest color combinations of any breed. Chihuahuas can come in just about any color combination. The coloration types are as big as you can imagine. Their hair also comes in long, short, or mid-coat. It can be wiry or silky and can be a single coat or double coat.
The Aztec Indians wiped out the Toltec kingdom at some point of the 12th century however spared their dogs which were called the Technics. They admired the puppies due to the fact their “job” used to be to guide their owner’s soul to safety in the afterlife. They kept the dogs so they could help them reach the after lifestyles when they died. Unfortunately for the dogs, when a proprietor died, he was burned and so used to be the dog.
Long-haired Chihuahuas have their very own lingo for their hair. Their tail hair is known as the Plume. The hair on their legs is referred to as Furnishings. And the hair falling from their ears is referred to as Fringe.
Did you be aware of that 2 short haired (or the right time period is easy coated) Chis can produce lengthy haired Chi puppies? Yep, they can. It has to do with the fact that all Chihuahuas have dominant and recessive genes so there is a chance to produce both lengthy and brief haired Chis from parents who are both short-haired ( or each lengthy haired).
A Chihuahua’s resting heartbeat is between 100-140 coronary heart beats a minute. A human’s resting heart rate is between 60-100 beats a minute.
Despite their bravado, Chihuahuas are the smallest canine breed in the world.
Chihuahuas are the last snob. They usually do no longer like different dogs but if there are other Chihuahuas around, they will hang out with them and snub any other breed of canine nearby. I marvel if it’s because they are just extra at ease with puppies their personal size.
Chihuahuas can range from 1 to 10 pounds. But the popular for the breed is between 2 to 6 pounds.
Chihuahuas are one of the most lengthy lived breeds out there. Their live span averages from 12-15 years but some have been recognized to live properly over 20!
Chihuahuas are a descendant of the Techichi dog. The Techichi canine didn’t bark at all and used to be regarded mute. Other breeds of puppies that are thinking to make up a Chihuahuas descendants are the Perro Chihuahueno, Maltese Pocket Dog, the Papillon, and the Chinese Crested.
In the 1800’s it was rumored that Chihuahuas were absolutely a cross between a rodent and a dog!
Did you know Marilyn Monroe owned a Chihuahua? She did! But the important points about this Chi are tough to find. No one looks to take into account what gender it was or the identity of the dog. Although a reader told me that she examines that the dog’s title was once Maf after listening to Frank Sinatra talking about the Mafia.
Other stars to own Chihuahuas are Reese Witherspoon, George Lopez, Rosie O’Donnell, Mickey Rourke, Madonna, Brian Littrell, Jennifer Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Paula Abdul, Kimberly Stewart, Britney Spears, Sharon Osborne, Katherine McPhee, Anne Heche, Hillary Duff, Christina Rici, Alyssa Milano, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Paris Hilton.
Just like human babies, Chihuahua pups have a gentle spot on their heads referred to as a Molera that normally closes up after a year. Sometimes they will have that tender spot all their life.
Considering their body measurement in relation to their Genius size, Chihuahuas have very large brains.
It’s virtually handy to overfeed your Chihuahua and they in all likelihood don’t need as a good deal meal as you are feeding them. Most Chihuahuas don’t want greater than half a cup of meals for the complete day.
The biggest recorded littler of domestic dogs born to a Chihuahua was once 10 puppies. That’s a lot of pups for a Chi mama!
The Toltec and Aztec Indian tribes in Mexico viewed Chihuahuas to be sacred. Unfortunately for the bad Chihuahuas though, that meant they had been sometimes used as sacrifices in nonsecular ceremonies.
In 1904, a Chi named Midget used to be the first Chihuahua to be registered with the AKC. He used to be owned through H. Raynor of El Paso Texas.
Despite being prone to chills and shivering due to being cold, many healthful people Chihuahuas enjoy enjoying in the snow. This is ok as lengthy as the Chihuahua only stays out about two 20 minutes in above freezing temperatures and is kept on a leash or supervised in a safe, enclosed area.
Some say that Christopher Columbus believed this breed was mute when he first got here throughout them. The statistics are just a little bit different. Historians agree that he must have been surprised through his discovery of the Chihuahua; a dog by no means beforehand considered by using the Europeans. However, he didn’t make a written file that the puppies had been mute. He ought to have come across a Chi that was once a bit shy, and he did make a observe in his journal that the breed regarded as an alternative quiet.
A famous urban legend says that chihuahuas can cure asthma. (Not true, I still have asthma. Lucas you aren’t doing your job!)
Chihuahuas first appeared in paintings 300 BC.
Chihuahuas should usually be supervised when outside. Because of their small size, they have been acknowledged to be swooped up by means of eagles and hawks, attacked via wolves, coyotes, and even alligators.
There are many stories about unscrupulous ‘puppy’ agents having sold rats to naive customers, passing them off as Chihuahua puppies. There is at least one documented case from Brazil in which a person paid $487 for a rat after being advised it was once a Chihuahua.
Since this breed is so tiny, a miniature teacup Chihuahua is a redundant term. They are ‘teacup’ sized’ even though this terminology is an advertising term and now not a legit canine classification.
Chihuahuas have extra Cesarean sections than any different breed due to the newborns’ extremely giant head in relation to their body and the slim width of two most Chi females.
Female Chis shed greater than males. They specifically shed even extra if they have no longer been spayed due to the fact of the hormones. They will additionally shed greater than normal after turning in pups.
There is some trust that Chihuahuas can also have some roots in the Mediterranean and became mounted on the island of Malta. A small dog similar to a chihuahua lived there that had a Molera (soft spot on the head). Chis are the only breed with that trait.
Chihuahuas are the 2d most euthanized breed in shelters. Pitbulls are the first.
Chihuahuas can love anyone in their household but they usually bond very strongly with one person.