The Dog Show World
Quality in the sense of "show quality" is determined by various factors such as the dog's health, physical condition, temperament, ability to move and appearance.

• General Appearance - The Chihuahua is small, dainty and compact.
• Characteristics - A graceful alert little dog; swift-moving with brisk, forceful action, saucy expression.
• Temperament - Gay, spirited and intelligent, neither snappy nor withdrawn with terrier-like qualities of temperament.
• Head and Skull - A well rounded "apple dome" or an "apple head" skull, with or without molera.
• Eyes - Full, but not protruding, balanced, set well apart - luminous dark or ruby. (Light eyes in blond or white-coloured dogs permissible.)
• Ears - Large, erect type ears, held more upright when alert, but flaring to the sides at a 45 degree angle when in repose, giving breadth between the ears. Longhaired Chihuahuas whose ears droop slightly as a result of the weight of heavy fringing on the ears are not to be penalized. Disqualifications: Droopy ears after six months of age; cropped ears.
• Mouth - Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete level or scissor bite i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Serious fault: Overshot or undershot bite; wry mouth; crowded teeth; missing teeth; mouth unable to close.
• The muzzle should be moderately short and slightly pointed and come off the skull abruptly at close to a 90%-degree angle. Cheeks and jaws lean.
• The nose should be self-coloured (referring to nose leather that matches the coat colour) in blond types or black. In moles, blues, and chocolates, they are self-coloured. In blond types, pink nose permissible.
• Neck - slightly arched, gracefully sloping into lean shoulder and of medium length.
• Forequarters - Shoulders - Lean, sloping into a slightly broadening support above straight forelegs that set well under, giving freeplay at the elbows. Shoulders should be well up, giving balance and soundness, sloping into a level back- never down or low. This gives a chestiness, and strength of forequarters that carry most of the dog and must be strong even in a small dog.
• Body - A properly proportioned Chihuahua is slightly longer than tall, and length of the front leg should approximately equal one-half of the dog's height. Somewhat shorter bodies are preferred in males. Ribs rounded and well sprung (but not too much "barrel-shaped"), deep brisket.
• Hindquarters - Muscular with hocks well apart, turning neither out nor in, well let down, firm and sturdy. The feet are as in front.
• Feet - Small and dainty, turning neither in nor out; toes well divided but not spread, pads cushioned, fine, strong, flexible pasterns. Neither hare- nor cat-like, nails moderately short.
• Tail - Full and moderately long (as a plume), carried sickle either up or out, or in a loop over the back, with tip just touching the back. (Never tucked between legs.) Disqualifications - Cropped tail, bobtail.
• Gait/Movement - The Chihuahua should move swiftly with a firm, sturdy action, with good reach in front equal to the drive from the rear. From the rear, the hocks remain parallel to each other, and the foot fall of the rear legs follows directly behind that of the forelegs. The legs, both front and rear, will tend to converge slightly toward a central line of gravity as speed increases. The side view shows good, strong drive in the rear and plenty of reach in the front, with head carried high. The topline should remain firm and the backline level as the dog moves.
• Coat - Smooth Coats - the coat should be of soft texture, close and glossy. (Heavier coats with undercoats permissible.) Coat placed well over body with ruff on neck preferred, and more scanty on head and ears. Hair on tail preferred furry. Long Coat - soft texture (never coarse or harsh to touch) either flat or slightly wavy, with undercoat preferred. Never tight and curly. Feathering on ears, feet and legs, pants on hindquarters, large ruff on neck desirable. Disqualification - In Long coats, too thin coat that resembles bareness.
• Colour - Any colour or mixture of colours.
• Size - Weight: up to 2.7 kgs (6 lbs), with 1-1.8 kgs (2-4 lbs) preferred. If two dogs are equally good in type the more diminutive preferred.
• Male dogs should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.