Chihuahua Poodle Mix (A.K.A Chipoo/Choodle)

The Chihuahua Poodle Mix dog, also widely known by its nickname the “Chipoo” dog or “Choodle” dog, is a cross mix between a Chihuahua parent and a Poodle parent.

Even though the Chihuahua Poodle Mix has greatly increased in popularity over the last few years, it still hasn’t managed to quite become as popular as some other cross breeds out there that are all the rage today.

Chihuahua Poodle Mix Recognition

Even though the Chihuahua Poodle Mix isn’t officially recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) as a purebred dog, it is recognized by a few official entities listed below as a designer dog breed.

• American Canine Hybrid Club (ACHC)
• Designer Breed Registry (DBR)
• Designer Dogs Kennel Club (DDKC)
• Dog Registry of America (DRA)
• International Designer Canine Registry (IDCR)

Chihuahua Poodle Mix Appearance

Size, Height & Weight

On average, a  Poodle Chihuahua Mix dog will weigh anywhere from 3 to 12 pounds and will stand anywhere between 6 to 13 inches, meaning this is one of the tiniest dogs you will ever come across in your whole life.

Coat

The coat of the Chihuahua Poodle Mix dog will not always look the same when comparing different Chipoos together, as there are a few factors that come into play here.

For instance, when cross breeding a Chihuahua parent with a Poodle parent to breed for a Chihuahua Poodle Mix dog, the Chihuahua dog that has a short coat is the one that’s most commonly used among breeders as the father, and the Poodle is used as the mother.

Although some breeders prefer to use a long coated Chihuahua parent, the majority of them use a short coated one instead.

So as far as the coat’s length is concerned, this mainly depends on the length of the coat of their Chihuahua parent, but the coat’s overall look will be very much like that of the Poodle parent.

Some of the most common colors this dog’s coat is available in are white, brown, black and fawn.

Choodle Temperament

Exercise

This dog has fairly high energy levels in them, but because of the fact that they are so tiny in size, they won’t need nearly as much exercise and physical activity each day to remain healthy and happy when compared to other dogs that are significantly larger in size.

Because they only require so little amounts of exercise during the day to remain healthy and happy, this dog makes an excellent choice for people that don’t exactly lead the most active of lifestyles.

Many pure breeds and cross-breeds we talk about on this site require their owners to be fairly physically active people so the two can be compatible, but this dog makes an excellent choice for those who don’t move around much.

Give this dog a short walk each and every day, alongside a little bit of interactive play here and there and some toys they can keep themselves busy with, and they’ll be set to go for the rest of the day.

This dog does perfectly well living indoors and won’t need a large backyard as a requirement for comfortable living, although if you do have a backyard at home they’ll love to go out and play around every once in a while.

Just know that having a backyard isn’t at all required.

Affection

With a dog as small as this, the amount of love and affection they have inside of them just waiting to be given to the right people is enormous.

We have no clue where they manage to store all of it!

As loving and as affectionate this dog is to the family that offers it a home, a happy life and proper care, they always tend to show the most affection, love and loyalty to one special person they hold at the highest regard in their heart, their owner.

To them, their owner is the most special person on the planet that other people can only come second to.

With such a beautiful special place held in their heart for their owner comes a great responsibility and dedication as well, as their owner must spend enough time with them during the day or else this dog will become miserable.

So if you’re someone that can’t spend much time with them and are always on the move for commitments such as traveling and work, then you shouldn’t get one of these dogs home.

If this doesn’t convince you about how affectionate this dog is, ask any Chihuahua Poodle Mix owner about what their dog likes to do most when not exercising and playing around, and if the answer isn’t cuddling with their owner and being on their lap, then we’d be surprised just as you should!

Watchdog & Guard Dog Abilities

As far as being a watchdog is concerned, the Chihuahua Poodle Mix is a fairly good watchdog that you can depend on, as they’re always very alert of their surroundings and tend to be afraid of strangers they haven’t seen or met before, which causes them to bark loudly.

However, good guard dogs? Never. These dogs are too tiny to scare off anybody!

And you better make sure they never get into a confrontation with anyone, because their tiny bodies and fragile little bones won’t be able to handle any of it.

Training

These small fellas can sometimes be very excessive barkers, so one of the first things in life they should ever be trained is to cut it with the excessive barking and only do that when they want to call your attention to something going on.

You also have to be wary of the fact that just like the majority of small dog breeds out there, this dog doesn’t make your job of housebreaking them easy at all.

This is why it’s very important that you start to potty train them ever since they are still young puppies, preferably at the age of just 8 weeks old, which will greatly increase your chances of success and make the whole process that much easier for you.

Also, if you ever want this dog to live peacefully in a home with other pets (especially dogs( in it, then you will want to make sure they’ve been properly socialized because if not, this dog is known to be a bit unfriendly with other dogs and doesn’t like playing around with them or having them play with their toys at all.

So unless properly socialized, this dog could cause problems with other dogs in the house.

Poodle Chihuahua Mix Living Conditions

When it comes to the best living conditions the Chihuahua Poodle Mix should ideally be in, the most important factor that has to be taken into consideration is its size.

We’re not even the least bit joking around when we say that a dog as tiny as this is so easy to be stepped on or seated on if someone is not paying enough attention to their surroundings and carefully looking around at all times.

This is one of the reasons why this dog is best off not living in a home that has young children in, but only in a home that has responsible adults living in it, because young kids can greatly harm this tiny dog if they’re not aware of what they’re doing around it.

And we all know how excited kids can get running around at times not looking around at what’s nearby, which is when the tragedy can happen and your child can step over the Chihuahua Poodle Mix dog, severely injuring it in the process and possibly even leading to its death.

Chipoo Mix Health

Despite the fact that the Chihuahua Poodle Mix dog is a relatively healthy dog that often goes on to live a life free of any major health problems, that doesn’t mean that they can’t inherit a few health problems and physical problems from either or both of their parents when the two are cross bred.

The most common problems that this cross breed is known to inherit from its parents and thus have a higher chance than other dogs of suffering from are:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Eye problems
• Hypoglycemia
• Very fragile bones

Chihuahua Poodle Mix Care

Whether this dog comes from a Chihuahua parent that has a long coat or from a Chihuahua parent that has a short coat, the Chipoo dog will be a low shedding dog either way, which is awesome news for anyone who is allergic to high shedding dogs.

Just to be on the safe side and make sure you don’t have any of this dog’s dead hairs fall all over your house floor and whatnot, make sure you brush their coats one time every few days.

You should also only give this dog a bath when they need one, which is most commonly one time every 1-2 months, and don’t assume they need a bath more frequently than other dogs just because they have a dense coat like the Poodle.

With all of these out of the way, you’re left with the other 3 grooming practices which are brushing their teeth, cleaning their ears and trimming their nails.

Brushing this dog’s teeth should happen around 2-3 times a week in order to prevent any dental problems from developing, cleaning this dog’s ears should also happen around once every 1-2 weeks in order to prevent any infections from developing, and trimming this dog’s nails should happen whenever they start to grow longer than they should be.

If you’re not experienced with any of the aforementioned grooming practices and/or feel uncomfortable doing them yourself, please know that you don’t have to do this on your own.

There are many competent professional groomers out there who do this for a living, so you don’t have to take the risk and potentially harm your dog while at it.

Many times have we seen dog owners who think that grooming practices like trimming their dog’s nails is a piece of cake, but when they get to doing that, they find out that they cut too deep and hit one of their dog’s nerves, which not only leads to the dog bleeding but is also a very traumatic and painful experience for them.

So if it’s not exactly your field of expertise, don’t do it!