John E. Cipollina
(804) 769 2109
Fax (804) 769 9185
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
Effective
