The history of the Chihuahua breed: the emergence and formation of the breed

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Chihuahua is a very small breed of dog in two exterior variations: smooth-haired and long-haired. Moreover, the second is considered more ancient and the most thoroughbred. There are three theories of the origin of the breed, and all of them have every right to exist. The period of formation is considered to be 1500 BC. However, this statement is not indisputable.

Description

The history of the Chihuahua breed is very ancient, overgrown with legends and tales. Currently, these little dogs have conquered the whole world, gaining incredible popularity. The small size makes it easy to take them on trips and travels, and living in city apartments with these pets is very convenient. But the point is not so much in the compactness and unpretentiousness of the content, but in devotion to the owner and affectionate character.

Two exterior variations are distinguished by the length of the coat. Chihuahua long-haired in the history of the breed are considered more ancient andpurebred than representatives with a smooth coat. However, more on that later.

The first happy owner of small chihuahuas in Russia was Khrushchev himself, to whom he brought puppies of this breed from Cuba and presented them as a gift to Fidel Castro. A little later, two more babies were presented to him from Algeria.

All Chihuahua owners note the strong and courageous nature of their pets, which does not correlate with their small size. The height at the withers in these dogs reaches only up to 23 cm with a weight of up to 2 kg. A behavioral feature of character is that the chihuahua chooses one owner from the family and literally does not leave his person a single step. Experts recommend stopping such manifestations in order to prevent jealous-possessive behavior and aggression.

All versions of occurrence

The history of the Chihuahua breed has several different versions of its origin. And some of them are just fantastic. For example, there is an opinion about the alien origin of these dogs, which allegedly communicate with space through a fontanel that does not grow with age.

Telling briefly the history of the Chihuahua breed, one cannot fail to note several less fantastic versions. According to one of them, these dogs were bred by the ancient Aztecs, according to another, by the Mayan civilization and the ancient Toltecs. The third version suggests that the smallest dog breed on the planet was bred in ancient Egypt. In addition, there are opinions about the origin of the described dogs in China, Japan and the island of M alta.

Historythe origin of the breed in the territory of Indian tribes in Mexico

The most common version in the history of the Chihuahua breed says about the appearance and development of these miniature dogs on the territory of modern Mexico. Most researchers are sure that the largest Mexican state of Chihuahua, located in the north of the country, which borders on American New Mexico and Texas, can be considered the ancestral home.

It was here in the border areas that Mexican traders sold miniature dogs to tourists who brought "living souvenirs" home to the US, fascinated by the variety of dog types (with different coat lengths and colors).

Techichi

Toltec Indian tribes inhabited the modern territory of Chihuahua from about the 9th century AD. Together with them lived small techichi dogs, which are considered the progenitors of the Chihuahua and which differed from their descendants in longer hair and large sizes.

It is believed that techichi were domesticated by the ancient Maya, who used them for food and for sacrifices. Later, the animals were mummified and buried with their owners as companions in the afterlife. From the Maya, the Toltecs adopted these religious rites.

The history of the Chihuahua dog breed, or techichi, can be traced through drawings, stone carvings, pottery, as well as the burial places of those times where the skeletons of small dogs were found. In addition, about a hundred pyramids richly decorated with gold and precious stones were found in the city of Cholula. The largest of them startedbuild more Olmecs in the II century BC, and the Toltecs completed the construction. The walls of this pyramid are decorated with images that clearly show the presence of small dogs.

Much later (in the 12th century AD) the Toltecs were expelled by the Aztec tribes who came from the north and settled their lands. In the Aztec culture, sacrifice was given a leading role. Small leaks were sacrificed along with people. It was believed that on the back of the sacred dog Techichi, the soul of an Indian was transported through an underground river directly to the ruler of the kingdom of the dead - Mictlantecuhtli.

The Aztec priests were engaged in breeding silver-blue techichi, which were considered sacred. Even the richest and most noble Indians had no right to approach such dogs, since these sacred animals were the guardians of the Blue Stone.

The story of feral chihuahuas

The Aztec Empire in 1521 was almost completely destroyed by conquistadors from Spain led by Hernan Cortes. In addition to the fact that in those days everything that was somehow connected with the culture and traditions of the Aztecs was destroyed, the sacred techichi were almost completely exterminated by the Spaniards who ate dog meat.

Quite a large part of the animals managed to hide in the jungle, where they huddled in flocks and ran wild. There have been speculations that the Chihuahua is the result of crossing the Techichi and Chinese Crested Dogs, which were kept in large numbers on Spanish ships as rat-catchers. HoweverDNA tests carried out in our time have not confirmed this version.

Mention of the Chihuahua by Christopher Columbus

There is another documentary evidence of the origin of the Chihuahua. We are talking about a letter from Christopher Columbus to the King of Spain, where he reports the capture of the skeleton of Cuba and that he discovered a small breed of dogs domesticated by the local population. These dogs were dumb and could not bark. Columbus described them as very similar to modern Chihuahuas.

History of the name of the breed

The history of the origin of the Chihuahua breed continued. Around 1800, several representatives were found among the peasants who lived near the ruins of the castle of the last ruler of the Aztecs, Montezuma. These dogs have been described as having a fontanel, developed fingers, and large and expressive eyes. It was very reminiscent of modern chihuahuas.

In the same time period, the same dogs were found in other Mexican states. After that, they were assigned different names: Mexican, Arizona or Texas dog.

American Pilgrims began to buy these dogs on the border, mostly from the Mexican Chihuahua. In English, this name is easier to pronounce. So they began to call the little descendants of techichi - chihuahua.

Further promotion

The history of the Chihuahua breed was continued by a certain James Watson, who was a well-known cynologist in those days and the first breeder of this breed in the United States. In May 1888 he published his recommendationsregarding the care of the breed.

Already in 1890, the Book of the American Kennel Club first introduced the Chihuahua breed as a dog show participant. Ryder's Texas breeder's Midget was the first female to be registered in the American Canine Society's stud book. After 20 years, 170 individuals of this breed were already inscribed there.

The history of the mini Chihuahua breed in 1907 was continued in England, where the same stud book appeared.

In 1914, the first mention of the breed was published in the American press. 1923 was the year the American Chihuahua Club was formed and the standard was developed. The British club was opened only in 1949. And in 1954, the breed was divided into two independent subgroups: long-haired chihuahuas and smooth-haired, which were judged together in the rings. In the history of the Chihuahua breed, long-haired variations are considered more ancient.

The first official breed standard was adopted in 1934, then it was updated in 1954, and the most recent one was adopted in 1972 and has not seriously changed.

Appearance in Russia

The history of the origin of the Chihuahua breed (udk) is interesting for the appearance of these dogs in Russia. In 1959, during a visit to Cuba, Khrushchev was presented with two long-haired chihuahuas. One of them was the Duke, who was named Mishka, the other was the Duchess, who was renamed Mushka. These dogs had full American Kennel Club pedigrees.

In those days, the influx of manufacturers from abroad was limited. However, from Algeria to the territory of the USSRthe short-haired Ryzhik, born in 1966, and the long-haired Linda, who was born in 1967, arrived.

Much later, already in 1975, cosmonaut Sevastyanov V. I. I brought a short-haired Icarus straight from Mexico. And already in the 90s, a stream of long-haired and short-haired individuals reached Russia from different countries, which radically improved the quality of livestock. And finally, in 1996, the Russian National Chihuahua Club was created.

The history of the Chihuahua breed is interesting and multifaceted. There are many versions of the origin of the breed. However, the most reliable of them is still considered "Mexican", which has a lot of indisputable historical evidence.