Chihuahua long hair and short hair varieties, a small dog breed.

Pronounced Chih-wah-waah, the Chihuahua is the world's smallest dog. This breed was named after the state of Chihuahua, in Mexico, but the origin of the breed is disputed. Did they come to Mexico from Egypt via the Mediterranean, or from China, another theory, or was it developed exclusively in Central and South America from the Techichi, a native canine? After the Spanish Conquest in 1519 the breed was totally ignored and almost became extinct. American tourists in 1850 returned with specimens, but attracted little notice, until decades later a popular entertainer, Xavier Cugat, "the Rhumba king" appeared everywhere with his tiny teacup Chihuahua. Today, this tiny canine is one of the most popular in North America. Note, serious fanciers of the breed never refer to tiny specimens as teacup Chihuahuas. Puppymill breeders however, use that popular term to obtain higher unwarranted prices.

The breed is a graceful, alert, swift-moving with a saucy expression, possessing a terrier-like attitude. Usually reserved with strangers, some Chihuahuas are protective while others are shy. The breed is usually devoted and bonded to one person. It is compact with a well rounded "apple dome" skull. The eyes are full, set well apart, luminous, dark or ruby. The ears are large, held erect, and flare to the sides. The body is well balanced, slightly longer than high. There are two varieties, the short coat and the long coat. The long hair Chihuahua, was perhaps developed entirely in the US by crossing the smooth coat variety to the Pomeranian, the Papillon and maybe others. The short coat variety enjoys a good walk with its owner too, but doesn't like the cold. Grooming the long hair Chihuahua requires periodic brushing, the other coat is minimal. An adult or puppy has tiny fragile bones, so playing with rambunctious children unsupervised, is unwise. Wanting this breed? Please consider a rescue adoption.

The specimen, known as the Taco bell dog is, according to the breed standard, very wrong with respect to its head. Instead of having an "apple dome" the Taco Bell dog is what is known as, a deer head Chihuahua. Devout breeders breed away from such narrow skulls, but there are a lot of people who like the appearance of the Taco Bell dog, and so less scrupulous Chihuahua breeders are deliberately breeding these deer head Chihuahuas, to make money from unsuspecting people.