Chihuahua. Liniza Zhuvanovna Zhalpanova

Introduction
Among domestic animals, one can hardly find a creature more devoted to man than a dog. She is ready to defend, defend his interests. A dog can become a friend and companion, with whom it is more fun and interesting to live, it is easier to educate in children the ability to take care of others, a sense of responsibility and kindness. But does a person always justify such an attitude and show care, care and love towards his pet? Unfortunately, no, but dogs trust him and are completely in his power, depending not only on the personal qualities of the owner, but sometimes simply on his mood and whim.

If a four-legged tenant has appeared in the family, then along with the joy of communication, responsibility for the life of the pet should also come. It is necessary to take into account the circumstances of the acquisition of the dog. For example, in a family with very young children, it is not recommended to have such a miniature animal as a chihuahua (a fragile animal may suffer), while keeping it in a family with older children, on the contrary, will bring great benefits in their upbringing. You should consider possible maintenance costs, the amount of free time for the owners, etc. And, of course, you need to learn as much as possible about the breed so that life together does not bring disappointment, and get exactly the animal you dreamed of.
It is recommended to prepare to provide the pets with the necessary conditions, and this requires some material costs, especially considerable when it comes to breeding.
You also need to know what to feed the dog, how often to walk it, what vaccinations to give it, how to educate, treat and care for it.

1
Chihuahua - lap dog
Representatives of the Chihuahua breed are the smallest dogs among existing breeds, their weight is only from 450 g to 2.7 kg, their height is about 23 cm. Despite their size, they have a very bold character. The Chihuahua dog will not hesitate and will immediately bite on the finger if some stranger shows familiarity and tries to pet the animal, sitting comfortably in the hands of the owner. Dogs can scare away strangers with a ringing bark, while showing friendliness to all household members and real devotion to their owners.

Sometimes when meeting with an incomparably larger and stronger Chihuahua dog can show their amazing courage, with a loud bark, attacking a taken aback opponent who allowed himself to get too close. In a number of cases, one can observe how a large dog, frightened by such a desperate pressure, is embarrassed and takes flight.

These little dogs are cheerful, active, curious and love the company of people and other dogs. Chihuahuas are very trainable. Among them, as well as among representatives of other breeds, there are very gifted individuals. Chihuahuas are very obedient, do not show a tendency to wander and do not run away from home. They do not exhibit the excessive agility that can be seen in many hunting breeds and bark infrequently.

Miniature animals, in addition to their unique size, have other qualities that are not characteristic of any other breed. So, in a chihuahua, due to the structural features of the head, there is a gap between the bones of the skull, which forms a parietal fontanel (similar to the fontanel of a newborn child), which does not overgrow throughout the life of the animal. Scientists cannot explain its purpose.

This distinctive anatomical feature was the reason for the emergence of one of the legends that relate to the origin of the breed of these dogs. Some fans of these animals claim that they are messengers of the cosmos, capable of maintaining contact with other worlds thanks to the fontanel.

There is another legend according to which the ancestors of the Chihuahua deftly climbed trees like monkeys, clinging to branches and bark with their long fingers with sharp claws, which was reflected in the modern appearance of the animal.

As representatives of all decorative indoor breeds, Chihuahua dogs can differ significantly from each other in the length of the coat, color, body size and character.

Another feature of the Chihuahua is of no small importance when keeping them: animal hair does not have a specific smell. This does not mean that dogs do not smell at all, just that it cannot be called unpleasant.

A small and devoted friend, a stylish, graceful, cheerful and easy-going dog of the Chihuahua breed, not so long ago completely unknown, has become extremely popular. This charming little animal almost does not require a place for itself, it eats so little that it will not be enough to feed it. Problems. The dog is neat and can easily get by with a home toilet if the owner does not have enough time to walk the animal. With some perseverance, it is entirely possible to instill this habit in a Chihuahua. The dog can be taken with you when going anywhere, as it tolerates long walks and travel well.

It is quite rare to take care of the animal's hair, and the amount of hair falling out is so small that it causes almost no trouble.

All this makes the Chihuahua an excellent companion for a lonely pensioner or, on the contrary, a busy person. The dog can play with children with pleasure and entertain the elderly. It can also be trained to follow certain commands.

If an adult animal was acquired, then its character does not appear immediately. For quite a long time, the dog will get used to the new owner and settle down in an unusual environment. During this period, a false impression may be created that the Chihuahua has a timid character, but this is not so. After a few weeks, she will be quite comfortable.

What will be the size and features of the exterior of a Chihuahua puppy can be reliably determined only from the age of 5-6 months, not earlier.

Communication with a Chihuahua can bring a lot of pleasure and joy. If the owner loves his pet, then in return the animal will be forever selflessly devoted to him.

When keeping a Chihuahua, it should be remembered that the small creature is very vulnerable due to the presence of a fontanel, so care must be taken when caring for and playing with him. This is especially true for the contacts of the animal with children, who treat the dog like a toy and can injure it.

On average, Chihuahuas live 12 years. Representatives of this breed are characterized by good health, so the reasons for contacting a veterinarian may be limited only to vaccinations. Although sometimes in a Chihuahua one can observe diseases of the eyes, heart, and displacement of the cups in the knee joints.

The history of the breed
There are several noteworthy versions of the origin of the Chihuahua breed. Some connoisseurs are convinced that the dog has such an ancient history (about 3 millennia) that the beginning of its existence can be correlated with the time of the construction of the Egyptian pyramids. According to various researchers, the homeland of the Chihuahua should be considered the following countries: Egypt, China, Japan, Malta.

According to another hypothesis, it is believed that the history of the appearance of the Chihuahua is connected with the ancient land where the Indian tribes of the Toltecs lived, and then the Aztecs and the Mayan people, in any case, this version of the origin of this amazing dog was recognized as the most convincing and taken as the main one. On the territory of modern Mexico, evidence was found from the time of the existence of the Toltec tribes, indicating that the Indians kept small dogs called te-chi-chi. Images of these animals were found on stones that previously belonged to the ancient Toltec pyramid of Chulula. The dogs on them are very reminiscent of modern representatives of the Chihuahua. Stone blocks were later used as building material for the Franciscan monastery, which dates back to the beginning of 1500, and have survived to our time.

In the area where the ancient tribes of Maya, Incas, Toltecs and Aztecs lived, clay figurines were found depicting small dogs that look like modern chihuahuas.

Apparently, these animals are the ancestors of modern chihuahuas.

The Aztecs conquered the Toltecs, and the te-chi-chi passed to them, becoming sacred animals, which were kept by the most prosperous Indians.

History has 500 years of existence of the Aztec civilization, but at the beginning of the XVI century. their lands were conquered by the Spaniards. During this period, information about miniature dogs was almost not preserved. The conquerors began to use the meat of the former sacred animals for food, which almost led the breed to complete extinction. There is evidence that some of the animals fled into the jungle. There, the dogs quickly ran wild, forced to flee from a man who became their enemy. This confrontation lasted for more than three hundred years.

There is a legend according to which the Aztecs buried the dog along with the owner in the event of his death, since it was believed that the animal would accept the sins of a person who could, thanks to this, avoid the punishment of the gods. In this case, his soul will safely make an afterlife journey to his resting place.

Later, a written mention of tame small dogs can be found in the description of the journey of Christopher Columbus when he visited the island of Cuba.

Special attention to dogs was attracted in 1890 as a result of an unusual event recorded in the chronicle of secular life. The President of