Chihuachshund

Infobox Dogbreed
country = United States


image_caption = Chihuachshund with a smooth, shorthair red coat.| name = Chihuachshund
notrecognized = true

A Chihuachshund is a crossbred or hybrid dog created by crossing the Dachshund and the Chihuahua.

History

The Chihuachshund was first deliberately bred with the aim to combine the devotion, curiosity and personality of the Chihuahua with the playfulness, intelligence and trainability of the Dachshund. As with Chihuahuas, their curious nature and small size make them easily adaptable to a variety of environments, including the city and small apartments. The relatively small size of both the Dachshund and Chihuahua breeds made for suitable adaptability in breeding the hybrid Chihuachshund.

Appearance and temperament

The Chihuachshund as a dog breed is still developing, and does not yet "breed true", i.e. the puppies do not have consistently predictable characteristics. While many Chihuachshunds display desired traits, their appearance and behavioral characteristics remain, from a breeding standpoint, unpredictable.

As such, Chihuachshunds' hair can be anywhere from wiry to soft, and may be straight or wavy. The color range includes red, cream, white, brown and black, and most of the other colors seen in Dachshunds and Chihuahuas. Generally, Chihuachshunds retain the elongated body and floppy ears of the Dachshund breed, along with the proportionally longer legs, upturned tail, and facial bone structure of the Chihuahua.

Like most Dachshunds and Chihuahuas, Chihuachshunds are generally adaptable to most living situations, and are friendly, energetic and good with families and children (although as with any dog the temperament may vary between individuals). A central tenet of a well-bred Chihuachshund is its playful friendly personality and high level of intelligence.

Types of Chihuachshund

There is no universal consensus as to whether breeders should aim to have Chihuachshunds recognized as a breed. Some breeders prefer to restrict breeding to early generation dogs (i.e. bred from a Dachshund and Chihuahua rather than from two Chihuachshunds) to maximize genetic diversity, in order to avoid the inherited health problems that have plagued some dog breeds.

Others are breeding Chihuachshund to Chihuachshund over successive generations, and trying to establish a new dog breed. These dogs are usually referred to as Multigenerational (abr. Multigen).

References