Chihuahua (Teacup Chihuahua) Dog Breed Varieties

The Chihuahua comes in two different varieties; the long haired Chihuahua (sometimes known as the long coat Chihuahua) and the smooth coated Chihuahua. The smooth coat Chihuahua has a coat that is slick, glossy, and of a soft texture. A slight ruff over the neck area is ideal and dogs with a slightly heavier coat are permissible, according to the breed standard. The long hair Chihuahua possesses a longer coat, which may either lay flat against the dog or may be somewhat curly; in both styles of long haired Chihuahua, the ears should be fringed and the tail should be plume-like, with feathering at the chest, along the belly and flanks, and down the dog’s legs. A large ruff is also desired around the neck area. Also interesting to note is that the Chihuahua can be found in any color and can be either solid patterned, marked or splashed, regardless of coat.

Up until its time of development as a pure breed in the United States, the origin of the long-coated version of the Chihuahua is identical to that of the short-coated variety. The long, soft coat is thought to have been achieved by crossbreeding the Short Coat Chihuahua with other Toy breeds. The Papillon, Pomeranian, Pekingese and Yorkshire Terrier have been suggested as possible crosses.

The Chihuahua breed standard does not specify a height limit for registration but, instead, specifies that they can weigh no more than 6 pounds. Because of this, the breed’s height varies more than many other known breeds. Most show dogs will be an average of 6-10 inches tall at the top of the shoulder, though it is not uncommon for dogs to grow larger than this, particularly those who are kept as pets. Quite often, smaller specimens of the breed are sold as expensive pets, known as teacup Chihuahuas. While these dwarfs are highly sought after, one should be very wary of any breeder that advertises teacup Chihuahuas; quite often, these miniature toy Chihuahuas exhibit a large number of health problems and often live a much shorter lifespan than the standard Chihuahua‘s life span of anywhere between 8 and 18 years of age.

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