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Breed guide · Dogs
His ancestors were chosen for being tiny. I walk him on his own four feet.
Last updated 12 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Your shadow from room to room, and wary of everyone else who comes through the door.
What's going onChihuahuas bond hard with one or two people and are wary of strangers. Let them meet new people calmly, on their own feet and in their own time. If they snap when someone reaches for you, contact your vet.
At home
Barks at every dog in the lift, and growls when moved off the sofa.
What's going onThey take on dogs ten times their size because they are not yet sure they are safe. Walking past things, rather than being carried, is how they learn. Walk them, reward them for staying calm, and if they growl or snap, contact your vet.
At home
A honking cough when they pull on the lead, get excited or have a drink.
What's going onTracheal Collapse (a weak windpipe) is on their health record from puppyhood. A collar presses on it every time they pull, so walk them on a harness and tell your vet about the honk.
At home
A puppy who skips breakfast, then goes quiet and wobbly an hour later.
What's going onYoung Chihuahuas can run low on blood sugar. Three or four small meals a day keep their blood sugar steady. If they go wobbly, weak or very sleepy, contact your vet now.
At home
Large, bright eyes that sit forward on a small, rounded head.
What's going onBecause their eyes are large and sit forward, they scratch easily. For squinting or a watering eye, contact your vet the same day.
At home
Waits outside the bathroom door, and watches your keys and shoes.
What's going onThey have picked their person, and it is you. Teach short spells alone while they are a puppy, and if they are distressed when you go, contact your vet rather than trying to fix it at home.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their size
Built for: Chosen for being small.
In Dubai: Often carried rather than walked.
Their days
Built for: Staying close to their person.
In Dubai: The working day alone.
Their world
Built for: Life close to people.
In Dubai: Meeting the world from a handbag.
The barking and the snapping mostly come from that gap.
You cannot make them bigger. You can let them meet the world on their own feet and keep that small body safe, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Chihuahua's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They stick close to their person, and time alone is easiest to learn as a puppy.
Every age, most of all puppies
Why
They stick close to their person, and time alone is easiest to learn as a puppy.
What to do
From their first week, leave them in a safe room with a chew for a few minutes while you are home, then a little longer. Come and go without a fuss, and go back a step if they cry.
Separation distress is treatable, and home fixes can make it worse.
Every age: a move, a new job or a new baby can set it off
Why
Separation distress is treatable, and home fixes can make it worse.
What to do
Film them for twenty minutes after you leave. If you see howling, pacing, scratching at the door or accidents, do not punish it, and skip anti-bark collars: both can make it worse. Show the film to a vet.
Young Chihuahuas can run low on blood sugar, and extra weight strains their knees and heart.
Every age, most of all under 4 years
Why
Young Chihuahuas can run low on blood sugar, and extra weight strains their knees and heart.
What to do
Feed three or four small meals a day while they are young, weighed on kitchen scales. Take treats out of that amount, and show affection with a game or a brush instead of scraps. A Body Condition Score (a check on whether they are the right weight) is in your plan from their puppy visits.
Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) is on their health record from puppyhood, and it can get worse.
Every age, more so from 7 years
Why
Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) is on their health record from puppyhood, and it can get worse.
What to do
Give them steps up to the sofa and bed, and put rugs down on marble. Lift them with one hand under the chest and one under the back end, never by the front legs. An orthopaedic evaluation (a joint and bone exam) is in your plan every 18 months from age four.
A collar presses on their windpipe every time they pull.
Every age
Why
A collar presses on their windpipe every time they pull.
What to do
Clip the lead to a well-fitted harness every time. Keep the collar for their ID tag, or put the tag on the harness. Refit it as they grow, and again if their weight changes.
Dental crowding and gum disease are the first risk on their health record, from puppyhood.
Every age
Why
Dental crowding and gum disease are the first risk on their health record, from puppyhood.
What to do
Brush daily with a dog toothpaste and a small brush or finger brush. Start with a few seconds and a reward. Watch for baby teeth that do not fall out, and tell your vet if an older dog starts chewing on one side. A professional dental clean twice a year is in your plan from six months old.
Their eyes scratch easily, so their face and head need a gentle hand.
Every age, most of all from 4 years
Why
Their eyes scratch easily, so their face and head need a gentle hand.
What to do
Every day, touch their paws, lift their lip and look at their eyes, with a reward. Be gentle with their head, never tapping or knocking it, even in play, and teach children to hold them sitting on the floor.
A Chihuahua carried past everything learns to be frightened of it.
Every age, most of all under 2 years
Why
A Chihuahua carried past everything learns to be frightened of it.
What to do
Walk them on their own feet. Let them meet calm dogs and people at their own pace, and give them space rather than scooping them up. Start as soon as your vet says their vaccinations allow.
Heat and excitement make their windpipe work harder, and they walk close to the hot ground.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Heat and excitement make their windpipe work harder, and they walk close to the hot ground.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Keep summer walks short and carry water.
You see them every day, so you are the first to notice a change. Mitral Valve Disease (MVD, a leaky heart valve) is on their health record from 4 years.
Every age, weekly
Why
You see them every day, so you are the first to notice a change. Mitral Valve Disease (MVD, a leaky heart valve) is on their health record from 4 years.
What to do
Once a week, run your hands over them and look at their eyes and teeth.
Five of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Long-haired or smooth
Chihuahuas come in two coats, smooth and short or long and soft, and most have the rounded, apple-shaped head the breed is known for. Under either coat it is the same small, bold dog. Mini and toy Chihuahua are words for that same breed, not separate types: adults weigh up to 2.7 kg.
Colours
Chihuahuas come in almost any colour, solid, marked or splashed, from white and cream to brown and black. Whatever the colour, the care is the same.
The first six months
Vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Feed three or four small meals a day, because young Chihuahuas can run low on blood sugar, and let them meet the world on their own feet once your vet says their vaccinations allow.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the flat ready
Put dog steps up to the sofa and bed, rugs where they will run on marble, and buy a harness first: a collar is only ever for their ID tag. A safe room or pen with something to chew helps them learn time alone.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
In the smallest lines, size has sometimes been chosen ahead of health. Teeth, knees and the windpipe are the big three on a Chihuahua's health record, so ask the breeder what their vet has found in the puppy and both parents.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep walking on their own four feet. If they start honking like a goose, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
Before Europeans arrived
Small dogs were kept in Mexico long before Europeans arrived, and DNA studies link today's Chihuahua to them.
What they still carryA very old bond with people, in a very small body.
The 1800s
Visitors from the United States bought tiny dogs in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, and the breed took the state's name.
What they still carryA dog chosen, from the start, for being small.
1904
The American Kennel Club registered its first Chihuahua, a dog called Midget, in 1904. The rules capped their weight but set no lower limit.
What they still carryA breed that rewards small, which is why some lines keep getting smaller.
The 20th century
The Chihuahua became one of the best-known small dogs in the world, often carried in a bag.
What they still carryA bold dog devoted to one or two people, and often carried rather than walked.
Today
In the UAE a Chihuahua lives in a building full of lifts, neighbours and other dogs, and enjoys the warmth.
What they still carryA tiny dog with a big voice.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Chihuahua suits you, so might these.
Chinese CrestedThe same kind of dog: a fine-boned toy companion who loves to be close, but mostly hairless, so their bare skin needs shade from the sun.
HavaneseAnother tiny lap dog from the Americas, Cuban where the Chihuahua is Mexican, and far quicker to welcome a stranger.
PomeranianThe same bold, watchful temperament and a voice to match, in a toy dog under a thick, fluffy coat.
Italian GreyhoundA similar tiny size and a short, easy coat, in a slim little sighthound built for a quick sprint.
