The Chihuahua: A Royal History
No commentsAfter first being discovered in the 1850s in Mexico, the Chihuahua was first registered with the American Kennel Club in 1904. The breed is named after the Mexican state Chihuahua in which they were found, a region that borders Texas and New Mexico. However, this isn’t where the breed originally came from. Rather the breed comes from the ancient Techichi breed of dog that belonged to the Toltec Civilization near Mexico City.
By the time the Chihuahua breed was discovered in the United States in the 1850s it had been crossed with a hairless breed from the Orient, which led to the modern breed we see today. The Chihuahua was discovered in the Chihuahua state of Mexico, which is located near Texas and New Mexico, this is also where the name for the breed comes from. The breed was then added to the American Kennel Club in 1904.
Officially the American Kennel Club describes the Chihuahua breed as graceful, alert and agile with a compact and terrier like quality. Although every dog of this breed has its own unique personality some Chihuahuas can be terrier like to the extreme and be very grumpy, haughty or even nasty if they are provoke. However, more often then not the Chihuahua is a dog with curiosity, intelligence and loyalty that makes them a wonderful companion.
The Chihuahua still may not be a suitable pet for households with small or noisy children due to the chance that they can be clannish at times and occasionally a dog may be suspicious of people other than their owner.
The Chihuahua will often become attached to just one or two individuals and want to be pampered. The Chihuahua is also idea for those living in apartments or on a limited income. You should always observe the temperament of your Chihuahua before determining if it is the right breed for you.
Despite the Chihuahuas small size, they often aren’t aware of it. Many times a Chihuahua will be much bolder than other dogs that are three times or more their size. Because of their fierce loyalty to only one or two individuals the breed will often become highly protective of their owners. It is because of this nature that they are often wary of strangers or any new guests that are introduced to the household that the Chihuahua considers it’s personal domain.
For Chihuahuas human contact is a must, as they will need a lot of general attention, touching and petting. Without enough attention the breed will resort to various attention getting tricks, such as being mischievous.
While some find this makes their dog a bit too needy, you will gain a lot of loyalty from your Chihuahua in exchange for love, affection and care.
Saturday, May 31st, 2008 at 2:16 pm and is filed under Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
