Chihuahua (Smooth Coat)

The smallest breed in the world takes its name from the Mexican state where it became fashionable in the late 19th Century. From there its popularity spread to America, and with the publicity gained through celebrity and film star owners the breed became a canine sensation. Bold and saucy in temperament, the breed comes in two varieties: the smooth coat and the long coat, and share the same physical attributes apart from coat type. Outgoing and confident, the Chihuahua has a huge personality in a tiny frame.

Read the breed standard

Images for this breed

The Toy breed group

The Toy breeds are small companion or lap dogs. Many of the Toy breeds were bred for this capacity although some have been placed into this category simply due to their size. They should have friendly personalities and love attention. They do not need a large amount of exercise and some can be finicky eaters.

Colour Watch

Category 0: Breeds with no NBS colour registration options.

Read more about Colour Watch.

Breed Standard colours

Breed standard colour means that the colour is accepted within the breed standard and is a traditional and well-known colour in this breed.

Breed standard colours in this breed include:

Black
Black & Tan
Black & White
Black Particolour
Blue
Blue & Tan
Blue & White
Blue Fawn
Blue Fawn & White
Blue Fawn Sable
Blue Sable
Blue Sable & White
Brindle
Chocolate
Chocolate & Gold
Chocolate & Tan
Chocolate Tan & White
Cream
Cream & White
Cream Sable
Dark Sable
Fawn
Fawn & White
Fawn Sable
Gold
Gold & White
Gold Sable
Red
Red & White
Red Sable
Red Sable & White
Sable
Sable & White
Tricolour
White
White & Chocolate
Wolf Sable

Other colour/s

'Other' means you consider your puppy to be a colour not currently known within the breed and one that does not appear on either the breed standard or non-breed standard list. In this instance you would be directed through our registrations process to contact a breed club and/or council to support you on identifying and correctly listing the new colour.

Non-breed-standard colours

Non-breed-standard colour means that the colour is not accepted within the breed standard and whilst some dogs within the breed may be this colour it is advised to only select a dog that fits within the breed standards for all points.

Colour is only one consideration when picking a breed or individual dog, health and temperament should always be a priority over colour.

Whether you're considering buying a Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) puppy or breeding from your dog, it's important to understand the health issues that may affect the breed and how they can be managed or avoided.

Pre-breeding Health Screening

Best Practice schemes and tests

These tests address conditions that are still significant for the breed, though they might be less common or newly identified, and research is ongoing to determine their full impact

To support the breed’s health, responsible breeders should ensure they complete all tests in best practice.

CM/SM screening using the KC/ BVA Chiari-like malformation/ syringomyelia (CM/SM) screening scheme
Eye testing using the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme

This breed can be affected by conformational concerns, more information can be found her

Find out about a particular dog's results

Please visit our Health Test Results Finder to discover the DNA or screening scheme test results for any dog on The Kennel Club's Breed or Activity Register.

You can also view the inbreeding coefficient calculation for a puppy's parents, or for a dog you're thinking of breeding from.

DNA Testing Services

We don’t currently offer a breed-specific DNA testing package for this breed, but we have a wide selection of individual DNA tests available. To find out more and view our full selection, click here.

Breed Health & Conservation Plan

The Breed Health and Conservation Plans

Our breed health and conservations plans (BHCPs) use evidence and data to help us understand the health issues found in each pedigree dog breed. These plans help breeders and owners identify health and welfare problems and use information, health tests and health schemes to avoid passing on those problems to future puppies. They also support and provide breeders with tools and specialist expertise to help manage genetic diversity, understand the impacts of close breeding, and find the best ways to preserve the population of their breed.

Working together for the breed

We’ve worked with breed clubs and breed representatives to gather all available evidence to help us determine the priority concerns for the breed and decide how we can work together to manage and reduce these problems.

The full evidence base is available at the discretion of the breed clubs, however if you would like to seek access to the full report, please contact our health team.

Health (The Kennel Club)

More about health

Have any questions about health in your breed?

If you have any concerns about a particular health condition in your breed then you may wish to speak to your vet or you could contact your breed health co-ordinator.

Breed health co-ordinators are individuals working on behalf of breed clubs and councils who are advocates for the health and welfare of their chosen breed. They acts as a spokesperson on matters of health and will collaborate with The Kennel Club on any health concerns the breed may have.

To contact your breed health co-ordinator please email

Health (The Kennel Club)

Breed watch

Category 2

Particular points of concern for individual breeds may include features not specifically highlighted in the breed standard including current issues. In some breeds, features may be listed which, if exaggerated, might potentially affect the breed in the future.