Chihuahua - Description of the Breed and Character of the Dog

In this article you will learn a lot about Chihuahua dogs: what their nature is, how to train and maintain them, how to care for them, even the history of their appearance as a breed.

Story

It is believed that Chihuahuas were bred in the Middle Ages by the Mexican Toltec people. All fairly well-off representatives of that people, including the priests, were quite popular with small mute long-haired dogs - leakies. This breed was sacred in the Toltec religion, so while the owner was alive, his dog was always an obligatory participant in every religious rite or celebration. However, none of these dogs did not survive the owner for a long time, since they were sacrificed no less mandatory, after which they were mummified. This was done so that leakage was a kind of posthumous charm for the owner: she took away his sins, protected from punishment, and generally guarded a person on the way to the last refuge. At various times in Mexico, many burials of these dogs were found, and even more - of their images in various places: on temple walls, in tombs, as well as on vessels.

The most famous of all the finds are probably stone paintings in the Montezuma palace, found by one archaeologist in Chihuahua - a fairly large state in Mexico. It is for this reason that the breed of small dogs turned out to be known throughout the world under a similar name, and in Russia - under a slightly different, but also consonant.

Little Savior
Tiny size does not always mean lack of opportunities. Chihuahuas just have a great hearing, and they are very observant, so these dogs are great at helping deaf and just hard of hearing people. For example, the dog Willum is one of the oldest such helpers. It is not the first decade that he has been regularly reporting Christina Vika about various events, such as phone calls.

Huge woes
Once the Toltecs were ruthlessly expelled from their Mexican possessions by other Indians - the Aztecs and Mayans, who immediately became the new owners for the Techichi. Of course, the crumbs were still honored, but the price of them increased, and quite strongly. In addition to the fact that they were still sacrificed, dogs also became a variety of dishes. Moreover, in the Middle Ages another nightmare awaited them.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, conquistadors from Spain marched through Mexican territory in a bloody war. As a result of it, the Europeans completely defeated the Indians, while putting the little leaky dogs on the brink of extinction. Hungry Europeans found them edible. However, the dog population was very lucky: some of them found their salvation in the jungle. After that, they avoided people for a long time.

Reasons for universal love of chihuahua
More than one hundred years passed before a man discovered these small dogs. This happened towards the end of the nineteenth century. Moreover, by pure chance: they were suddenly found in the nearby forests by the inhabitants of Mexico. Entrepreneurs began to earn a lot of money in trading these small dogs: the crumbs were simply snapped up by the Americans. It is not surprising that very soon, in 1884, an exhibition of dogs was held, where such a small pet from a dog breed was officially exhibited.

A little more time passed, and this lovely breed appeared in a secular chronicle. The Mexican president, who was admired by Adeline Patti's vocal abilities, wanted to give her an expensive present.The singer received from him a magnificent floral bouquet, where an amazing doggie was hidden. The woman was simply indescribable delight, and a little later they found out about her new dog in Europe.

Rare suit
A dog of the Chihuahua breed can have any color. However, the rarest, and therefore expensive - silver-gray, a little cast blue. This color is really quite rare. But not useful for the dog: it is impossible to vaccinate. If you try to do this, the gene responsible for this color can cause severe pathologies. On the other hand, this coloring is the most profitable for the breeder: blue Chihuahua puppies cheaper than $ 10,000 simply do not exist by definition.

From America - to Russia!
For the first time among all Chihuahuas, a smooth-haired Midget was recorded. At the very beginning of the twentieth century, in 1904, he ended up in the American Stud Book. Eleven years after this breed was officially recognized by the Americans. And in 1907, Chihuahuas appeared in Britain. However, official requirements appeared a little later.

These adorable little dogs were extremely popular at any European dog show. But in Russia they appeared only in the middle of the twentieth century. Nikita Khrushchev received from Cuban politician Fidel Castro two small dogs of different sexes, which he, without thinking twice, called Masha and Mishka. It was this pair of chihuahuas who became the founders of the Russian population of the breed.

Heredity

Chihuahuas so dear to the hearts of dog lovers have very little in common with the leak that the Mexican Indians worshiped. The differences are in the shape of the skull, in the length of the coat, and also in the presence of voice. According to scientists, all this was involuntarily provided by the European invaders, protecting their ships from rodents with the help of Chinese hairless dogs. It was the mixing of this breed with the leak that gave birth to the Chihuahua. The head of the latter acquired some resemblance to an apple, and the sharp snout of a leak in Chihuahua was shorter. Moreover, smooth-haired representatives of this breed began to meet.

Breed requirements

A sufficiently large role in the formation of the breed was played by the breeders. In an effort to make the Chihuahuas more charming, they crossed them with other tiny dogs.

That is how, by crossing Chihuahuas with various other breeds, the breeders made them universal pocket pets. Different puppies from the same litter may well be different in color, coat length, disposition. Moreover, a smooth-haired female chihuahua may well be chubby by babies with lush silky hairs. Thanks to this diversity, anyone can choose the best pet for themselves. Which is also good, it does not interfere with the dog’s show career. Here, if only the mass was in the range from half a kilogram to three kilograms. Best of all - from one and a half to two and a half kilograms. And the best growth for a Chihuahua is from 15 to 23 centimeters.

Dog in a cup
Although the Chihuahua is a miniature breed, but too tiny can not be bought in any case. Of course, there are so small dogs that they can easily be thrust into a cup, and the breeders sell them exorbitantly, posing as unique copies, but this is a hoax. In fact, these are just either malnourished or simply sick dogs, and from exhaustion they are prone to large bouquets of various unpleasant diseases.

Chihuahua character

According to most dog lovers, long-haired representatives of this breed are most kind and calm. However, there are people who consider the shorter-haired Chihuahuas to be more affectionate, and the long-haired - to be more willful. Naturally, all this is nothing more than myths, but even they contain some rational grain.

It is quite difficult to imagine the evil of such a funny and vulnerable animal, but the Chihuahua really is not the easiest one. The reason for this is their heredity: the ancestors of this breed for a long time were forced to hide in the jungle. And they needed extreme caution and attentiveness in order to survive. Therefore, modern owners of Chihuahuas should always be prepared for a wide variety of surprises.

A chihuahua can quite bark loudly, and at the same time it is quite difficult to calm her down. Even representatives of this breed are afraid of strangers, they do not like restless children. If such a dog is too much to scare - it will involuntarily make a puddle. In other words, the Chihuahua is not too loving with strangers, treating them extremely nervous, wary and cautious.

But among those whom the dog knows well enough, it becomes extremely affectionate and sociable, and the energy just boils, so you can watch it for hours. Loving to talk with a chihuahua with energy that beats over the edge, he will tumble and grunt all over the apartment.

However, a chihuahua, regardless of character, has a wonderful instinct for the mood of the owner. If you are busy knitting, preparing dinner, or anything else, the dog will simply lie somewhere where you can be watched. Well, as soon as you again pay attention to the dog - and a huge storm of emotions is guaranteed.

I want Taco Bell!
A significant contribution to the piggy bank of the emergence of the popularity of Chihuahuas was made by the dog Gidget. In the second half of the 90s, he took part in the filming of a commercial for the Taco Bell restaurant. As soon as the dog appeared on the screen in the costume of a bandit, and said in Spanish “I want Taco Bell”, he immediately conquered all Americans.

How to train

To minimize the manifestations of a hot-tempered character in a Chihuahua, it is necessary to start raising it as soon as possible. It is strictly forbidden to take puppies who have not reached three months from birth. Too early a child torn away from relatives, growing up, will easily become a selfish dog who will never find a common language with either a person or a dog. There is another danger here: such a dog is not so rarely at risk of life when it barks at large dogs that can cripple it, or even kill it.

Another Chihuahua needs to be socialized in time. To do this, you should gradually introduce the dog to people, as well as to those of the relatives who will not show aggression towards it. If the dog begins to bark for no reason - this must be stopped immediately. Punishment for misconduct is necessary immediately after the chihuahua commits them, otherwise he may not understand why he is being punished. And, finally, a chihuahua puppy can never be beaten with anything: it will definitely stop trusting you from this, starting to be afraid.

A bit of everything
As for the rest, keeping a dog of this breed is not such a troublesome thing. For some time, the Chihuahua's energy hits over the edge, but it ends pretty quickly. After that, the doggie climbs under the bedspread and falls asleep, snoring sweetly at the same time. The chihuahua snores due to the special structure of the skull: in a dog of this breed, its muzzle abruptly passes to the forehead.

Chihuahua is a breed of clean and unpretentious. Also, its representatives are not voracious: the daily ration of such a doggie by mass is only 5-8% of its body weight. This breed does not like long walks, and it is quite possible to train it to cope with the need for a cat tray. Chihuahua does not smell like other dog breeds. In a word, a lover of measured life should like this doggie.

How to care and keep a chihuahua

Chihuahuas should be handled carefully - their bones are not durable.For a representative of this breed, communication with small children is completely contraindicated: they inadvertently inflict injury on the animal, for which it is enough to simply push the animal from the sofa.

Chihuahuas have the most vulnerable neck. So it is recommended to use a special leash for miniature dogs: it is attached under the legs, behind the body.

Chihuahua is contraindicated in cold and drafts. Due to the rapid metabolism, the dog easily freezes, begins to tremble, and then it colds. So long walks with such a dog are not recommended. And on weather with a temperature of one degree of heat or lower, the dog needs a warm suit for them.

Heat is also dangerous for them. Chihuahuas love sunbathing, but they never bother with control over the duration of their stay in the sun. So they can easily overheat, right up to heat stroke.

Dental care
Chihuahua owners often encounter dental problems with their pets. The milk teeth of these dogs often do not fall out, therefore the help of a doctor is simply necessary. Otherwise, the bite of the puppy can seriously deteriorate. Therefore, when the time is right, you should look with the puppy to the veterinarian.

Power Features
Even for the survival of the chihuahua requires a serious approach to its nutrition. Any dog ​​of this breed has a very thin neck, because of which it is quite capable of choking on even the smallest fish bone. And bone fragments will certainly hurt her stomach. So such a small dog can’t be fed with such dishes at all. The only exception is bone with cartilage and meat residues, especially when the dog's teeth are cut. But here you need to be careful not to give the chihuahua a tubular bone.

Everything salty harms the Chihuahua's kidneys, overloading them, from sweets it begins to severe tear, fried and fatty harms the liver and can cause obesity, to which this breed is prone.

Therefore, any chihuahua is strictly contraindicated in everything that a person is. It can only be fed with special feeds. For example, ready-made dry food, including vitamins and macronutrients. Chihuahuas have a rather big passion for gnawing dry granules, and thanks to solid nutrition they can clean tartar from the enamel of sharp teeth.

Decorative dogs: conclusion

It is the Chihuahua that is the most popular of all decorative breeds. They play the role of not only sofa dogs, but also fashionable female jewelry. They have, including some Hollywood movie stars.

The chihuahua breed is truly stellar, which since 2004 in Britain alone has raised its price by as much as three times, and yet sales have also grown to incredible levels. After all, the number of people who want such a dog, despite a large increase in prices, has not fallen at all. To some people, a chihuahua seems like just a little toy. However, anyone who wants to buy such a “toy” is simply obliged to know: it has an ardent character, fragile body that needs careful care, and also a kind heart, which only a truly loving owner will possess.

Video: Chihuahua dog breed