Marli's Chi's - AKC Longcoat Chihuahuas
of San Jose, California
The American Kennel Club Revised Standard for the Chihuahua
General Appearance
A graceful, alert, swift-moving compact little dog with saucy
expression, 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, round,
but not protruding, balanced, set well apart-luminous dark or luminous ruby.
Light eyes in blond or white-colored dogs permissible. Blue eyes or a difference
in the color of the iris in the two eyes, or two different colors within one
iris should be considered a serious fault. 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.
Stop Well defined. When viewed in profile, it forms a near
90 degree angle where muzzle joins skull. 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 noses permissible. Bite
Level or scissors. Overshot or undershot, or any distortion of the bite or
jaw, should be penalized as a serious fault. A missing tooth or two is
permissible. 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
Docked tail, bobtail.
Forequarters
Shoulders Lean, sloping into a slightly broadening
support above straight forelegs that set well under, giving free movement at the
elbows. Shoulders should be well up, giving balance and soundness, sloping into
a level back (never down or low). This gives a well developed chest and strength
of forequarters. Feet A small, dainty foot with toes
well split up but not spread, pads cushioned. (Neither the hare nor the cat
foot.) Dewclaws may be removed. Pasterns Strong.
Hindquarters
Muscular, with hocks well apart, neither out nor in, well let down, firm and
sturdy. Angulation Should equal that of
forequarters. The feet are as in front. Dewclaws may be removed.
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 wavy, with
undercoat preferred. Ears Fringed. 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. (The Chihuahua should be
groomed only to create a neat appearance.) 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, projecting the terrier-like attitudes of self importance, confidence,
self-reliance.
Disqualifications
Any dog over 6 pounds in weight.
Broken down or cropped ears.
Docked tail, bobtail.
In Long Coats, too thin coat that resembles bareness.
Approved August 12, 2008
Effective October 1, 2008