The Chihuahua comes in a smooth coat and a long coat, but of the two, the short coated Chihuahua is thought to predate its longer haired counterpart. These dogs were thought to have originated from the ancient Techichi, a small canine from Mayan times that was roughly twice the size of the Chihuahua, but shared several characteristics; coat was not one of them since the Techichi is believed to have been only long coated.
The Chihuahua transitioned into Mexico, then quickly spread in popularity throughout the US and Canada. From there, the dog was brought overseas to Europe. Once the short coat was established, breeding programs began to further develop the long haired Chihuahua which was done, some say, by introducing toy breeds thought to be able to bring the longer coat to the Chihuahua, possibly the Papillon, Pekingese, Yorkshire Terrier and/or the Pomeranian.
The Long and Smooth coated Chihuahuas were shown together in the US until 1952 when they were separated into two varieties for the show ring.
Long coated Chihuahuas can take a little bit of time to get in their full coats, and sometimes this doesn’t happen until the pups are 14-24 months old. The texture of their coat is soft, and it can be either flat or slightly curly, and with or without an undercoat, though most dogs do have two coats. Boys typically have a larger ruff around their necks, and more hair than do the ladies. Long-haired Chihuahuas also require no trimming since their hair grows to a certain length, then stops. We’re also told that it’s not true that all long coated Chihs shed less than short haired Chi’s. This varies from dog to dog.
Image: Photo by NPDD