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. 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.
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.
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 |