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The Chihuahua: An Excellent Family Dog

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.

In general all Chihuahuas are graceful, energetic and swift. But they can become grumpy, haughty or even nasty when provoked if they have an extreme terrier like quality to them. Although the extreme loyalty of the breed make them an excellent pet for elderly couples or individual households since they can become attached to just one or two people.

But for the individual or elderly couple they can be an excellent pet that loves to be pampered and are good for apartment living or those with limited incomes. It is best to get a feel for the temperament of a Chihuahua before determining if this is the right breed for you.

The small Chihuahua breed is a dog that isn't aware of their small stature. You can often find a Chihuahua being much bolder than other dogs that are three times the size of themselves. The breed is also highly protective of their owners and fiercely loyal to only one or two individuals, which is why they are often wary of strangers or any new guests that are introduced to the household that the Chihuahua considers it's personal domain. This is why the Chihuahua makes an excellent watch dog, not a very good guard dog though.

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.

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Sandra Dean is an avid lover of the Chihuahua and has a popular website that can show you how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Chihuahua. Among other topics there, you will find out more about Chihuahua Training plus a whole lot more. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.

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