One Theory

In the mid 1800`s the Chihuahua started making its way into the U.S. crossing the Arizona and Texas borders. At the time, the Chihuahua was simply known as the "Mexican Dog", "Arizona Dog" or the "Texas Dog". The majority of the dogs were bought from peasants in the largest most northern state in Mexico......"Chihuahua". The first recorded American showing of the Chihuahua was in 1884. The dog was shown as a "Chihuahua-Terrier" in the Miscellaneous Class. (the miscellaneous class was set aside for foreign and unclassified dogs). At the turn of the century, breeding the dog down to miniscule size with no regard to genetics and health put the Chihuahua in a bit of trouble. To strengthen the breed, the then fragile Chihuahua was crossed with English terriers, mainly the Toy Fox Terrier. This is where the long legged, long toed, long narrow headed Chihuahuas referred to now as "Deer Run" or "Deer Head" originated.

Another Theory

The Chihuahua is named for the Mexican city and state of the same name. The Chihuahua's origins are obscure. Some authorities speculate that the Aztecs and other pre-Columbian peoples bred the ancestors of the Chihuahua, but no authenticated pre-Columbian dog remains have been discovered. It is also believed that the Chihuahua descended from dogs brought by the Spaniards. Another possible source of the Chihuahua is China, where miniature dogs have been bred for hundreds of years.

Remember Chi Fans these are THEORIES.  Therefore they may or may not be true.  It seems that many books and chi pages have theories of their own.  I don't know if anyone truly knows the Chi origin.  I am very interested in this topic and I will continue to research it.
Why were they bred?

Someone e-mailed this very intelligent question to me. And as I researched it I again found one million answers to it. The more common answer for the question was this. The Chihuahua's a earliest known ancestor, cannis raptor rodentis (meaning: killer dog-mouse) scoured the almost uninhabitable deserts of what is now Mexico and the southern United States.  Before millions of years of evolution, they were able to detect danger. They could detect danger  up to 5 miles away. Some scientists speculate that early Chi's were equipped with bat-like sonar. By emitting high frequency squeals and yelps and acquiring the reflected signal with it's large ears, the dog might have been able to home in on subsurface or nocturnal prey, but this is only another theory.

Anyone that has a Chi probably have noticed their ability to hear. Chi's are excellent watchdogs. Their ability to guard their household may not be very good (obviously because of their size), but they can easily let you know if a stranger is near.  (Theory found in book titled "Chihuahuas")


Below are other concepts that I received in e-mail:

From:  DLH91850@aol.com  4/21/99
1.  I believe that Chihuahuas in Mexico were bred as "rat dogs" to catch rats.  Their tendency to burrow stems from this, they would burrow down into holes and bring out the rats and shake them to break their necks.



* If anyone has another answer to this question, please e-mail me and your answer will be posted.