Breed # Chihuahua The Chihuahua is a toy breed from Mexico, standing 6–10 in at the withers, weighing 4–6 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–20 yrs. ![A photograph of the Chihuahua](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/chihuahua.webp) Breed group Toy Origin Mexico Height 6–10 in Weight 4–6 lb Lifespan 12–20 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Chihuahua is taller than 0% of the measured breeds, heavier than 0%, one of 20 in the Toy group. Compare the Chihuahua with another breed ## Living with the Chihuahua Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Chihuahua’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 3 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 2 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 2 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 4 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 1 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 2 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 1 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 1 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 1 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Chihuahua on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/chihuahua/)[Chihuahua on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/chihuahua) ## Breeds that look like the Chihuahua A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Chihuahua. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/russkiy-toy.webp)Russkiy Toy](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/russkiy-toy/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lancashire-heeler.webp)Lancashire Heeler](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/lancashire-heeler/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/africanis.webp)Africanis](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/africanis/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/sinhala-hound.webp)Sinhala Hound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/sinhala-hound/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lapponian-herder.webp)Lapponian Herder](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/lapponian-herder/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/chinese-crested-dog.webp)Chinese Crested Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/chinese-crested-dog/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Chihuahua6–10 in 2. Russkiy Toy8–10 in 3. Lancashire Heeler10–12 in 4. Africanis20–24 in 5. Sinhala Hound14–16 in 6. Lapponian Herder20 in 7. Chinese Crested Dog11–13 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Chihuahua4–6 lb 2. Russkiy Toy3–6 lb 3. Lancashire Heeler6–13 lb 4. Africanis55–100 lb 5. Sinhala Hound22–26 lb 6. Lapponian Herder60–70 lb 7. Chinese Crested Dog5–12 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Chihuahua12–20 yrs 2. Russkiy Toy12–14 yrs 3. Lancashire Heeler12–15 yrs 4. Africanis10–12 yrs 5. Sinhala Hound14–18 yrs 6. Lapponian Herder10–14 yrs 7. Chinese Crested Dog13–15 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. ## Guides that mention the Chihuahua Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed. - [Dog Crate Sizes: Guide & Calculator by Breed](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/dog-crate-sizing-guide/) - [How Many Puppies Do Dogs Have? Answered for All Dog Breeds](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-many-puppies-do-dogs-have/) - [Preventing Your Dog from Running Away: The Surprising Reasons and Solutions](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-to-train-dog-not-to-run-away/) - [How to Manage a Dog with a 9 to 5 or Full-Time Job](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/managing-dog-with-fulltime-job/) - [When Do Puppies' Ears Stand Up?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/when-do-puppies-ears-stand-up/) - [Why Are Dogs so Expensive?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/why-are-dogs-so-expensive/) See the Chihuahua on the breed map Read about the Chihuahua on Wikipedia