Chihuahuas

[LatinTweety]

MY question is simply how do I know if I have a Chihuahua or not. I bought this Chihuahua. He has all the features except one that his ears are not standing up like any other Chihuahua I have seen? Does it matter if his ears are up or not to be a Chihuahua?:eek:

EDITED BY MODERATOR: Post was in all capitals. Changed to lowercase so question's context will not be misunderstood. Ash47

[panzer426]

I dont know the breed standard but would imagine that if you bought the pup from a good breeder you would have registration papers, you would have seen his parents and litter mates and their would be no mistake AND you could contact the breeder to ask about his ears.
hopefully some people who know chihuahuas better than me will answer you. in the meantime I will try to find out from my sister in law (brothers wife) whos older sister is a chihuahua breeder.

[Boxer*Mom]

Copied from the AKC website, "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."

And I agree with what panzer426 said also.

[rottiegirl]

If his ears are not standing up he is probably not pure bred. Many people mistake min pin/chi crosses for pure bred chihuahuas.

[Brattina88]

I fostered a long haired chihuahua, his ears took a while to stand up because the hair was heavy on them and made them fold down. He was not from a good breeder, however, so I don't know other than that.

[Ash47]

Where did you buy him from? Did you see the parents?
Some Chi ears just don't stand. It doesn't mean he isn't purebred, but maybe incorrectly bred. Also, some well bred Chis ears just hang at the very tip, which is allowed as clearly stated in the AKC description.

[Cassiepeia]

If his ears never stand up, I'd say the only way to know for certain is if you've seen the parents and have his papers. Even then sometimes you don't know...there are a lot of irresponsible Chihuahua breeders out there.

How old is the Chi? He may just be young and they'll stand up eventually.
Or, as has already been said, they may not stand up at all....perhaps due to bad breeding.

Cass.

[rottiegirl]

Where did you buy him from? Did you see the parents?
Some Chi ears just don't stand. It doesn't mean he isn't purebred, but maybe incorrectly bred. Also, some well bred Chis ears just hang at the very tip, which is allowed as clearly stated in the AKC description.
Where in the AKC description does it state the chihuhuas hears can hang at the tip, because the last time I checked it said that the ears are supposed to be carried upright. I am just wandering.

[Ash47]

rottiegirl,
This is where it says it:
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.
It says it right there. They are allowed to hang (flare) at a 45 degree angle. I can see how you might've misunderstood me. I should have used the word flare.

[pitbulliest]

I hope you didn't buy the dog from a pet shop *prays its not true* evil evil pet stores need to get shut down!!!

[Cassiepeia]

Do you have any pictures of your dog you can post here? Perhaps that will give us a better idea?

Cass.

[rottiegirl]

rottiegirl,
This is where it says it:
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.
It says it right there. They are allowed to hang (flare) at a 45 degree angle. I can see how you might've misunderstood me. I should have used the word flare.
flaring to the sides at a 45 degree angle has nothing to do with the tipps of the ear hanging down, so you are wrong.

[rottiegirl]

Ash, i suggest that you look "flare" up in the dictionary.

[Ash47]

Rottie, I'm no longer a little schoolgirl, I know what the "big" words mean.:rolleyes: Therefore, I know what flare means. I already said that I mistyped. They do flare down on the sides of the head. I mistyped my first sentence. ;)

[Ash47]

Where in the AKC description does it state the chihuhuas hears can hang at the tip, because the last time I checked it said that the ears are supposed to be carried upright. I am just wandering.
rottie,
I suggest you look up "wandering" in the dictionary. In this sentence, where were you wandering to? Sorry, couldn't resist. :p

[juliefurry]

ok, lets get back on track here. NO MORE ARGUEMENTS :). I am not a chi expert but how old is your puppy? It may be too young and you should wait some time before assuming it's ears will not stand correctly. Or perhaps that is why your pup was sold as a pet, because it's ears do not hang as they are allowed as specified by it's registry.

[rottiegirl]

Ash, you dont have to be rude. Hahaha, you are wrong again. The word "wandering" has a couple different meanings, and one being "To lose clarity or coherence of thought or expression". Dont tell me that I am wrong when you dont even know! Rottie, I'm no longer a little schoolgirl, I know what the "big" words mean. Therefore, I know what flare means. I already said that I mistyped. They do flare down on the sides of the head. I mistyped my first sentence.
__________________
well, "flare" is not a big word. You might have mistyped, but in the AKC standard they do not use the term "hang". Flaring is way different than hanging. Chi ears are not supposed to hang in any way. You are trying to change the word "flare" into the word "hang" and its not gonna happen! When they say "flare at a 45% angle at repose", thay mean that the space between the ears increase to 45% when they are not alert. they say nothing about the ears hanging.

[juliefurry]

dictionary.com's meaning of the word wandering:

wan·der ( P ) Pronunciation Key (wndr)
v. wan·dered, wan·der·ing, wan·ders
v. intr.
To move about without a definite destination or purpose.
To go by an indirect route or at no set pace; amble: wander toward town.
To proceed in an irregular course; meander.
To go astray: wander from the path of righteousness.
To lose clarity or coherence of thought or expression.

v. tr.
To wander across or through: wander the forests and fields.

n.
The act or an instance of wandering; a stroll.

Agian we are not discussing the meaning of words we are discussing chihuahuas. Can we PLEASE stop arguing I don't see how you guys throwing big words back and forth is helping the original poster.

[Ash47]

julie,
Don't worry hun, I'm not arguing. I know what I meant. No big deal.

You are right about the Chihuahua's ears though. They could very well stand later on. Roxy's didn't stand for a month or two. Now, they are fine. It isn't a big deal though, as long as it wasn't sold to you as show quality.

[Saje]

flaring to the sides at a 45 degree angle has nothing to do with the tipps of the ear hanging down, so you are wrong.

Kind of harsh rottie.

[rottiegirl]

Kind of harsh rottieYes it was. I had a bad day, and i have a quick temper. Sorry ash, I was just trying to expain myself, didnt mean to argue. Bad breeding can cause ears to hang a little, or hes a mix.

[gaddylovesdogs]

I agree rottie, you don't have to be so rude. You seem to prance around and act as if you're better than everybody else. :rolleyes:

[rottiegirl]

I agree rottie, you don't have to be so rude. You seem to prance around and act as if you're better than everybody else.
__________________
Excuse me? now that was uncalled for. Ash was being just as rude. We are both in the wrong. Give me some examples where i prance around acting like i am better than everyone else? i just dont candy coat anything. i tell it like it is. i stand up for my opinions.

[gaddylovesdogs]

If somebody makes a mistake in naming a breed or something, you correct them as if you're better than they are. Maybe you don't mean for it to be that way, but that's how you come across. I apologize, I wasn't trying to be rude in my above post.

[Zoom]

To sum up:

-given time, the dogs ears should stand up. if not, then oh well. It's still your lovable little puppy right?

-Any non-erect ear could be said to "hang" some. As it was not described as a drop ear (ex:lab, basset, beagle) then the description was not totally wrong.

-wondering and wandering are two totally different words with two totally different contexts. I have to wonder why these threads tend to wander so badly sometimes.

[rottiegirl]

If somebody makes a mistake in naming a breed or something, you correct them as if you're better than they are. Maybe you don't mean for it to be that way, but that's how you come across. I apologize, I wasn't trying to be rude in my above post. you got me wrong gaddy. All i am doing is trying to help someone out and give good advice, just like everyone else on this forum. Heck, thats what this forum is for, ask questions and get answers.

[gaddylovesdogs]

Okay well some of your posts just seem a little rude to me but whatever. :)

[LatinTweety]

thanks for everyone's help and to answer the question yes we got him from a pet shop, the puppy is 3 weeks old. By the way, i no longer have the puppy i was just taking care of it for someone he was pretty cute.

[AmberwayGSD]

thanks for everyone's help and to answer the question yes we got him from a pet shop, the puppy is 3 weeks old. By the way, i no longer have the puppy i was just taking care of it for someone he was pretty cute.
OMG are you sure it is only 3 weeks old.That baby needs to be with its mom.Puppies need to be with mom and siblings at least 8 weeks.There is stuff to learn from them before going to homes such as bite inhibition.I hope you are mistaken and that poor babe is older.

[Zoom]

Three WEEKS?! Tell me, tell me please that this is a typo...that is ENTIRELY too young for any dog to be weaned, let alone a toy breed! That poor chi has been set up for a lifetime of problems...let this be a lesson:

DO NOT BUY FROM PET STORES EVER.

[Cassiepeia]

OMG!!! three weeks?!!! Good gods! If that's not a typo (and like Zoom, I hope it is) the pet shop should be reported. ASAP

Cass.

[LatinTweety]

I'm sorry it is a typo the dog is 3 months old!!!!!! I'M SORRY! :rolleyes:

[Zoom]

*whew*

[Cassiepeia]

*breathes a sigh of relief* Wow, that was a worry. LOL Soooo glad it was a typo. :)

Cass.