Chihuahua Facts
Chihuahua Facts and Chihuahua Fiction: Which Is More Interesting?
There are a few Chihuahua facts which are highly debatable, including their origin and the mode by which they reached the Americas so many centuries ago. Some believe that they were brought to Mexico by the early Spaniards who traveled there. Others seem to think that the Chihuahua is of oriental decent, Chinese to be exact, and that the Spaniards brought it to Mexico from Asia. The most likely case is found somewhere right down the middle, and goes something like this: the Chihuahua is indigenes to Mexico, though it used to be quite a bit larger some 17 centuries ago. Originally named the Techichi, this loyal dog was bred gradually to small oriental dogs, such as the Chinese Crested, in order to gain its smaller size over time. Whichever theory you choose to believe, they are here to stay, and we are quite glad for it.
Quite a few other Chihuahua facts are undisputable, and we will go into some detail on this front. The chi baby is considered to be the smallest dog breed in the world, though the single smallest dog on record was a Yorkshire terrier who weighed in at 1 pound. When compared to the size of his body, the Chihuahua has the largest brain size to body ratio of any other breed. When it comes to the health of the Chihuahua, facts can seem rather grim at times, for the most part he is a hardy and long lived breed of dog, if not a bit feisty and a tad bit shaky on a daily basis.
Amongst some of the very coolest Chihuahua facts is that his eyes bulge when he gets worked up or excited, though this is not a trait exclusive to the chi. And though this odd eyeball activity has not been proven to be associated with the all to common loss of vision for some blood strains of this breed, it can be a bit freaky to see it first hand. Will they actually exit the sockets? No, that’s a myth, and we’re so glad of that!
Chihuahua facts regarding the colors of this dog are a source of much debate amongst the breeding circles of late. The UK’s exclusion of the merle coat chi has brought the argument to the AKC’s doorstep, and they aren’t answering quickly enough for some breeders. The theory is that the merle gene, when doubled, can cause acute eye and ear issues for the offspring, and that the merle gene should be bred out of the Chihuahua line altogether. There are some breeders who believe this to be hogwash, and who refuse to exclude this gene from their kennel pool.