Chihuahua (Smooth Coat)
The Chihuahua is the smallest recognised breed in the world, named for the Mexican state where American visitors first bought the little dogs in the nineteenth century, and its…
About the Chihuahua (Smooth Coat)
The Chihuahua is the smallest recognised breed in the world, named for the Mexican state where American visitors first bought the little dogs in the nineteenth century, and its ancestry runs back to the Techichi of pre-Columbian Mexico. The smooth coat is one of two varieties registered as separate breeds in Britain, the other being the long coat.
The standard asks for a weight of up to 2.7 kg, with 1.8 to 2.7 kg preferred, and warns against breeding for extremes of tininess. A stud at the sounder end of the weight range, with a closed fontanelle and a correct scissor bite, is a better choice than the smallest dog available. Chihuahuas are bold and often wary of strangers; a steady, sociable temperament is worth seeking out.
Ask a stud owner for patella examination, since luxating patella is the breed's most common orthopaedic problem, and for a cardiac examination, as mitral valve disease and patent ductus arteriosus appear in the breed. A current eye certificate matters, and so does a straight answer about hydrocephalus and open fontanelles in previous litters. Dental crowding is worth a question in a mouth this small.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Chihuahua (Smooth Coat)
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
| Breathing grading — BOAS (RKC Respiratory Function Grading Scheme) | Screening scheme | RKC | Grade 0–3; 0 is clinically unaffected. |
Breed hip median
Too few dogs of this breed have been scored (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 15 years: 1 dog) to give a meaningful breed median. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) stud dogs
No Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) studs are listed right now
When a Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) litters
No Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
