Chihuahua vs Mixed Breed
The check that settles it
Small erect-eared mixed dogs get labelled Chihuahua routinely, and chihuahua mixes are among the commonest shelter dogs in the southwest.
Confirming a chihuahua
- An apple-domed skull with a short muzzle and a distinct stop.
- Very large erect ears, flaring to the sides at rest.
- Under about 3 kg — anything much larger is a mix.
- A sickle tail carried up and curving over the back.
Confirming a mixed breed
- No consistent set of breed characters — features from several types, or none in particular.
- Frequently medium-sized, short-coated and drop-eared, which is where mixed ancestry tends to land.
- Documented pedigree absent, which is what a breed actually is.
- Generally fewer of the concentrated health problems that come with closed breeding populations.