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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.
Head
A well rounded "apple
dome" skull, with or without molera.
Expression - Saucy. |
Smooth
Coat |
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.
Hindquarters
Muscular, with
hocks well apart, neither out nor in,
well let down, firm and sturdy. The feet
are as in front. |
Long Coat |
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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