Chiweenie (A.K.A Chihuahua Dachshund Mix) – An Overview

Gaining popularity like wildfire nowadays because of how cute and precious it just looks, despite the fact that it’s still a relatively new mixed breed that not that many people have heard of, the Chiweenie dog is a mixed breed dog that comes to life when a Chihuahua dog parent and a Dachshund dog parent are cross bred with one another.

Even though the Chiweenie isn’t recognized as a purebred dog, it is recognized as a designer dog breed (or a hybrid dog breed) by the following institutions.

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

As you may have already noticed from the list above, the Chiweenie isn’t recognized by the American Kennel Club, since the American Kennel Club only recognizes purebred dogs and the Chiweenie is a mixed breed.

Chiweenie Appearance

Size, Height & Weight

The Chiweenie is a fairly small sized dog that stands at an average of 8 to 10 inches in height, and at an average weight of 8 to 12 lbs.

Despite the fact that the Chiweenie is a short dog, it’s a fairly long one as well, very much like its Dachshund parent.

The Chiweenie is one of the lightest dog breeds you’ll ever come across.

If you were to have a look at the Chiweenie’s parents, the Chihuahua dog and the Dachshund, you’ll find that both these dogs are also fairly small in size, so the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

So, if what you have in mind is a large sized dog that you’d like to add to your household, then a Chiweenie is definitely not what you should be going after.

But, if a small angel that barely takes up any space is what you’re looking for, then the Chiweenie is definitely a strong contender you should learn more about, as this might just be the dog you’ve been looking for.

Coat

What coat your Chiweenie ends up having greatly depends on what genetics are passed on to it from its parents.

One Chiweenie may grow up to have a fairly short coat, while another Chiweenie may grow up to have a very long coat, it all depends on its parents.

Before you buy a Chiweenie puppy from a dog breeder, they should be able to tell you what kind of coat your Chiweenie will grow up to develop if they’re high quality breeders that know what they’re doing.

Some of the most common colors that Chiweenies are often observed in are:

• White
• Black
• Brindle
• Brown
• Brown & White
• Black & Brown
• Black & Tan
• Red
• Golden

Chiweenie Temperament

Before you go ahead and make the decision of buying a Chiweenie, you have to first make sure that its personality traits, characteristics and needs are ones that you are able to cope with and are able to cater to, or else this match will prove to be a disaster in the making.

No one wants to pay top dollar for a dog only to find out later that they can’t live with them anymore, so a proper decision that was formed on knowledge is always best.

Even though there isn’t an exact scientific way that you can tell what exact personality traits and characteristics your Chiweenie will have, there are some very common traits that we’re going to be discussing below.

Affection

One of the very first advantages that anyone thinking about getting a Chiweenie home is how you can show this dog all the affection in the world (and it show you all the affection in the world in return) without having to feel like you’re playing a wrestling match.

A Chiweenie will gladly take the chance whenever it pops up to show everyone that it’s your little baby and that you’re its owner (it loves being pampered like that).

When it comes to many other dog breeds that are usually larger in size and heavier in weight, sometimes all you want to do is have your dog sit on your lap and enjoy their company, maybe cuddle around a bit to show ’em just how much you care (and enjoy the magical moment while at it), but that’s not always a feasible option.

Why? Sometimes your dog is just too big and having them sit on your lap for more than 5 seconds will probably have you break a hip or something!

Imagine having a German Shepherd sit on your lap for a second, or better yet, a Great Dane or a Mastiff dog. Not a very fun idea!

You can also expect your Chiweenie to follow you around the house wherever you go most of the times, as they hold great affection towards their owners and aren’t afraid to show it.

Training

As far as ease of training a Chiweenie goes, just remember the fact that this dog is an offspring of a Chihuahua parent. Need we say more?

Chihuahuas will often pass on their stubborn personality side to their Chiweenie offspring, something which will be apparent many times in training sessions.

When we say stubborn personality, we mean one that will test your resolve many times, sometimes even driving you to think about giving this dog away (although we know you don’t have it in you to do such a thing).

So, before we get into any more details about training your Chiweenie, you should know that if you’re a first time dog owner without much previous experience when it comes to training and handling dogs, having your first experience as a dog owner be with a Chiweenie may prove to be a little bit too hard on you the first time around.

First time dog owner without much prior experience in training dogs are better off choosing another dog breed that’s quite easier to train.

However, if you don’t plan on training your Chiweenie yourself, but plan on having a professional dog trainer help you out in the process, then you shouldn’t have much to worry about, as a proper trainer will tremendously help out and make training a much easier process than it would have been without them.

It’s super important that you choose a specific method of training that works well with such dogs, so you know how to get them to like training and not resist it as much.

As long as your Chiweenie is enjoying the training session, is having fun and doesn’t feel like it’s a chore they have to do, you’ll do great.

Problems start to rise when your Chiweenie feels like they’re being forced into doing something boring, so your creativity and means of entertainment are crucial elements in making the training sessions a success.

Physical Activity And Exercise

One thing you have to know about the Chiweenie dog right off the bat is that they like to play, A LOT. And when we say a lot, we mean a whole lot.

But, the good thing is that it’s only a small amount of time before their tiny bodies become exhausted and they just feel like they want to sleep.

(Hint, Hint: This is the perfect time to have them sleep on your lap if that’s what you’ve always dreamed about).

While other larger sized dogs may require a minimum of two long walks a day in order to relieve all the extra energy they have building inside, a small sized dog like a Chiweenie will (most of the times) only need one walk a day in order to make them feel satisfied.

This is why Chiweenies are very often recommended to people that don’t exactly lead the most active of lifestyles, and/or don’t exactly have enough time in a day to give their dogs prolonged exercise sessions because of how busy they are.

A Chiweenie just won’t need much time from you for exercise before it decides to “throw in the towel”.

Coupled with the availability of a wide array of dog toys for your Chiweenie to play around and keep itself occupied with, your job of providing them physical exercise is made out to be a very easy one that’s barely time consuming.

Guard Dog

With a dog as small as the Chiweenie, should you expect to have a proper guard dog/watch dog that would be able to properly watch over your household and family members and make sure they’re safe at all times?

Probably not.

If you want a guard dog that can do its job to the best of its abilities, a larger sized dog with more physical power to its body is much more preferred.

With that being said, Chiweenie dogs are known to extensively bark when they see something suspicious going on, so if you’re only looking for a dog to alert you and not take matters into their own hands, then a Chiweenie could be a good choice for you.

This extensive barking of theirs makes up for their lack of size pretty well at times.

And when we say bark extensively, we mean bark non-stop until you get the message and come over wherever they are to have a look at the situation.

Until your Chiweenie feels safe, they just won’t stop barking.

This extensive barking tendency of theirs when they sense something wrong is going on, coupled with extremely high alertness levels they have to their surroundings, gives them a special edge as watchdogs over other dogs.

And, a Chiweenie has a special kind of bark to it when it wants to warn you of suspicious activities going around the house, one which you will be able to clearly differentiate from instances where it barks for any other reason other than doing its job as a watchdog.

Chiweenie Health

Luckily, Chiweenie dogs aren’t known to be plagued by an extensive list of health problems, which is what other unlucky dog breeds tend to be like sometimes.

Chiweenies usually lead healthy lives that are free from any life threatening health problems, but do none the less face certain risks of going through a few issues here and there.

Here’s a list of some of the most common health problems (and physical problems) a Chiweenie dog may face in their lifetime.

• Dental problems (which is why it’s almost always advisable that you feed your Chiweenie dry dog food and not wet, canned dog food).
• Allergies
• Hypothyroidism
• Hypoglycemia
• Diabetes
• Back problems
• Seizures
• Luxating patellas
• Hydrocephalus

As far as the allergies that Chiweenies tend to suffer from in their lives, it’s best that you keep an open line of communication with your veterinarian about this so that they can actively monitor your dog’s allergies and specify any necessary medicine, dietary changes or lifestyle changes that need to be done.

Besides these health issues/physical problems mentioned above, you may want to run a quick search about the most common health problems that the Chiweenie’s parents (the Chihuahua and the Dachshund dogs) most commonly experience in their lives, as some of these health issues may be passed on to the Chiweenie through genetics.

On average, a Chiweenie dog will live anywhere between 12 to 16 years, which is significantly higher than the average number of years that dogs live in general.

This is much thanks to the fact that both the Chiweenie’s parents, the Chihuahua and the Dachshund dogs, have fairly long lifespans themselves on average.

Of course, how long YOUR Chiweenie will go on to live greatly depends on how well YOU take care of them, the quality of the diet they’re being fed, whether or not they’re getting their necessary veterinary trips, the quality of the lifestyle they lead, etc ..

So don’t just take genetic’s word for it!

Chiweenie Living Conditions

Indoors Apartment Or Outdoors Yard?

Because it’s so small in size, the Chiweenie dog is fine with living in either of these two environments.

Since they’re such tiny dogs, Chiweenies barely take up any space indoors in an apartment and can move freely just the way they like to, which makes them perfect candidates for indoor living.

And, for those of you who plan to get a dog home and have them live in their own dog house in your backyard, with them given access indoors whenever they’d like to, this is also a perfect option that the Chiweenie will love.

Whether you’d like your Chiweenie to play around and get physical exercise indoors or outdoors is up to you, as this dog’s size allows it to do either perfectly fine.

Traveling

Another advantage you’ll be getting with a Chiweenie dog that not many dog owners of other breeds can enjoy is the ability to take your dog with you wherever you go when traveling around.

Have you seen how small of a dog this is? Its size makes it incredibly easy for you to take it with you on some trips if you don’t want to leave it home.

Whether you’re traveling by car or by plane, your Chiweenie will barely take up any space in either case and will be able to make it with you wherever you go (if you wanted to take them along in the first place, of course).

Other Household Pets

When it comes to having other household pets that your Chiweenie will have to interact with, this isn’t the best of ideas, as Chiweenies are known to not be that friendly with other pets.

Sure, you can add this dog to a household where other pets already exist just fine, but you’ll have to make sure that they don’t come in contact with one another in order to avoid any potential problems happening.

Kid Friendly

Chiweenies are very kid-friendly dogs that will get along very well with your young ones, a criteria we know is very important for many potential dog owners that always have the best interest (and safety) of their children in mind.

However, you have to first make sure that your kids know exactly how to safely play around with this dog, since it’s so lightweight and tiny in size that even the least bit of rough play from kids can lead to this dog sustaining serious injuries.

Little kids aren’t always aware of what they are doing, so it’s your responsibility to keep a very close eye on any interaction that happens between your child and the Chiweenie in order to ensure everything is safe.

This is why it’s often more preferred that you add this dog to a household with slightly older kids and not those of the age of toddlers.

Chiweenie Care

Grooming

As we already covered in a section above, whether your Chiweenie will end up growing to develop a short coat or long coat will greatly depend on what kind of genetics are passed on to it from its parents.

So, this means that depending on what kind of coat your Chiweenie depends, grooming practices may vary from one Chiweenie to another.

Let’s take brushing for example.

If your Chiweenie grows up to develop a coat on the shorter side, you won’t need to brush their coat that often and can get away with a fairly less strict schedule without risking having them shed all over the place.

However, if your Chiweenie grows up to develop a coat on the longer side, you’ll need to make sure you have a frequent brushing schedule put in place, or else – welcome to the dark side where you’ll have to spend all day long cleaning after your Chiweenie’s hair :).

With that being said, most Chiweenies won’t have long coats, and will hence only require a few brushing sessions per week (around 2-3 per week is the norm), making this dog a fairly low maintenance one that won’t take up too much of your time and effort.

As for giving your Chiweenie a bath, this is only required whenever the need arises, and there isn’t a strict schedule set in stone that you have to follow, given the fact that Chiweenies don’t tend to get their coats dirty that often, nor do they start to smell frequently in between bathes.

Generally speaking, giving your Chiweenie a bath around one time every month should be enough, and you can feel free to either decrease or increase the frequency from that point onward depending on your Chiweenie’s needs.

Other than that, you should give your Chiweenie a good old nail trimming around once a month, which is usually the sweet spot that many Chiweenie owners notice works best for them, and brush their teeth around 2 times a week.

Sometimes, your Chiweenie may need a more frequent tooth-brushing routine, especially if they suffer from dental problems, which as we covered is a problem they are more prone of suffering from than other dog breeds.

Chiweenie Cost

If you’ve made up your mind about adding a Chiweenie to your household, then you should expect to pay anywhere from 700$-1000$ for a Chiweenie puppy.

Depending on the reputation of the dog breeder you’re dealing with, higher reputable breeders may even charge you a higher fee than that, but at least you know that you’re actually getting a real and healthy Chiweenie and are not being “ripped off”.

For a luxurious and adorable puppy as the Chiweenie, this cost range isn’t actually that high, it’s actually considered an affordable one in the business world of breeders.