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this information was obtained from the
american kennel club.
- 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.
- Disqualifications — 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, blue, 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.
- Disqualification — Broken down or cropped ears.
- Neck, Topline, Body
- Neck — Slightly arched, gracefully sloping into lean shoulder.
- 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.)
- Disqualification — Cropped tail, bobtail.
- Forequarters
- Shoulders — Lean, sloping into a slightly broadening support above
straight forelegs that set well under, giving a freeplay 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 catfoot.)
- Pastern — 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 glassy. (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 neck desired and preferred.
- Disqualification — too thin of 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 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.
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