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The Chihuahua: An Excellent Family Dog |
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Written by Sandra Dean
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Wednesday, 28 May 2008 |
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After 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 SandraDean
After 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.
Each dog within the Chihuahua breed has their own unique personality and they can be very individualistic. However, the American Kennel Club officially describes the Chihuahua breed as graceful, alert and agile with a compact and terrier like quality.
This terrier like quality doesn't make the Chihuahua a good breed for large households or those with small or noisy children because of their clannish tendencies and suspiciousness of other people. But the curiosity, intelligence and extreme loyalty of the breed make them an excellent pet for the elderly, individuals and disabled people.
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.
While the Chihuahua doesn't make a good guard dog, it is this personality trait that makes them an excellent watchdog. Human contact is necessary for a Chihuahua such as touching, petting and general attention. The breed will often resort to attention getting tricks if they don't get the attention they want.
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.
About the Author:
Sandra Dean is an avid lover of the Chihuahua and owns a popular website where you'll discover how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Chihuahua. Among other topics at this website, you can also learn all about Chihuahua Training plus a whole lot more. |
