The Chihuahua breed has a long and distinguished history as a dog. The
breed originally came from the ancient Techichi breed of dog that
belong to the Toltec Civilization near Mexico City. This ancient breed
of dog was larger than today’s modern breed and was also mute. The
breed became a sacred icon of the upper class members of society and as
a religious symbol when they were used in ceremonies to help guide dead
spirits after the Aztec empire conquered the Toltecs.
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.
However, the Chihuahua breed may not be good for households with small
or noisy children and households with a lot of people since they can be
clannish at times and will be suspicious of other people besides the
owners. In general it is best to consider the temperament of the
individual Chihuahua before you can decide if this breed of dog is the
right pet for you and your household.
Often Chihuahuas aren’t aware of their small stature and you can
typically see them acting much bolder than other dogs that are three
times their size or more. The breed will often become extremely loyal
to just one or two individuals, which causes them to become highly
protective. This results in the Chihuahua becoming wary of any news
guests introduced to their personal domain and can cause a rather
violent reaction. Although not a very good guard dog, this trait makes
the Chihuahua an excellent option for a watchdog.
A Chihuahua requires a lot of human contact in the form of touching,
petting and general attention. Without this, the breed often resorts to
various attention getting tricks until they gain attention.
This makes the breed seem too needy for some, but you can get so much
back if you just give the Chihuahua love, affection and care.
