A General Appearance of the Teacup Chihuahua

The Teacup Chihuahua is a graceful, alert compact little dog. It has a saucy, inquisitive expression. Its ears appear large in proportion to his body. They are erect when the dog is alert, but rest at a 45 degree angle to his head when he is relaxed. Its eyes are round but not protruding and set well apart. His muzzle (nose) is short and his top and bottom teeth meet in a scissors bite. Its moderately long, curved tail can either be carried up or out or in a loop over the back with the tip touching the back.

The dog’s small feet should be slightly apart with he stands and his neck should slope with a graceful arch to his lean shoulders which should be level with his rear end. His chest should be full enough that his ribs do not show, but he should not be barrel-chested. His movement should be swift and sturdy. You will see a variety of descriptions about the Chihuahua’s face including bear, apple, cub, and baby.

Coat Color: Teacup Chihuahuas come in various colors, from plain whites, to solid blacks and spotted, or other colors like silver, blue or gray, chocolate, fawn or tan, tricolor-chocolate, blue or black with tan or white markings, merle and brindled, and each of the colors vary in tone and shade.

They can have blazes, spots, stars, white tummies, etc

Coat Type: There are two possible types of coats for Teacup Chihuahuas: Smooth and Long. In Smooth-coated Chihuahuas, the coat should be soft (not harsh or wiry) and glossy. Some smooth coats have an undercoat. The coat will be less dense over the head and ears. The tail should be well-furred.

In Long-coated Chihuahuas, the coat should be very soft and either straight or wavy and somewhat flowing. Long-coats nearly always have a double-coat so there is a shorter undercoat. The ears are fringed and the tail appears as a plume; the feet and legs are feathered. The dog normally also has a ruff on the neck.

Size:

There are four common size descriptions used to talk about Chihuahuas:

TOY – This is used to describe all Chihuahuas and can refer to any Chihuahua. When used in conjunction with the other terms, it most often refers to those that are over 5.5 lbs.

TINY TOY – This is used in reference to Chihuahuas which are 4.5 to 5.5 lbs.

TEACUP – This term is used to describe Chihuahuas which weigh 3.0 to 4.5 lbs.

POCKET – The Pocket Chihuahua is any Chi that is up to 3.0 lbs.

You will see a variety of other terms used to describe Chis such as Standard, Miniature, Micro, etc. Some people who breed for these very small sizes will also use the term Teacup or Pocket to describe those that are the smallest. All of these terms are used for marketing and not standardized terms or sizes.

As a general rule, the smaller the dog, the more fragile its bone structure is. The larger the dog, the more appropriate it would be for a household that includes children.

Remember that it is very easy for a child (and many adults) to accidently mis-handle a very small dog by stepping on it, sitting on it, squeezing it, or dropping it. The smaller the dog, the more likely it is to be fearful and overwhelmed by noises, multiple voices, quick movements, and stress in any form. If you have children younger than 12 years old, a Teacup / Miniature / Tiny Toy or Pocket Chihuahua is not the best dog for your household..