bean and mango

Cortes said the Aztecs kept them in hutches and ate them like rabbits, he did not consider them dogs until he got a good look at one. The dog he describes is yellow in color, with short coat and large upright ears. His drawings depict a dog that closely resembles what would be a toy xolo, coated. He later describes a larger dog that can be hairless or coated- which is probably more accurately a xolo. This is why it can be hard to tell exactly where “chihuahua” (techichi) and “xolo” split in Mexican history, since without those who invented the breeds to tell us we’re left to make our best guesses based on what evidence we find.

These are all Xolos, not chihuahuas or chihuahua mixes. The top two photos are from xolo rescue- so it is possible they are not purebred- while the bottom is from a breeder’s page to use as an example of coated vs hairless. This is why describing “small, primitive, terrier-type dog originating in Mexico” makes it incredibly hard to tell where the chihuahuas’ ancestor ended and the coated xolo began. In this modern day, purebred and papered chihuahuas even in Mexico bear little genetic resemblance to the Xolo (most of them are related to small breeds coming from various parts of Asia, or to the line of ancient wolf that proliferated everywhere around the world), where a lot of “deer head” (terrier head) chihuahua specifically are closely related genetically to the Xolo. This tells us that at some point the breeds may have been indistinguishable from each other, and that any chihuahua that does not bear the classic apple shaped head is likely not a purebred chihuahua.

In any case at some point they were used as circus dogs, animal actors, and street performances, so a chihuahua in theory should be relatively obedient. I would also argue they should be relatively social- considering they as feral dogs allowed people to catch and interact with them- and should be terrier-like but not wholely terrier in attitude, which would contribute to how they survived for years without human intervention. 

The Mexican standard describes them are spirited, happy, peppy little dogs with some saucy expressions and a little bit of standoffishness towards other dogs which can include barking at another dog as a challenge. However it also says they should not follow through on the challenge- if the situation escalates to fighting a proper chihuahua should attempt de-escalation before fighting. This also makes sense for a feral dog- issuing a challenge is one thing but fighting is costly and aggression can cost you your life, best to avoid a true confrontation and rely on bluffing to get your way. They should be clannish, vastly preferring similarly sized/shaped dogs and specifically other chihuahuas, which again makes sense if you’re an absurdly tiny dog trying to survive by yourself in Mexico wilderness or on the streets.

It's all out there. And yet time and time again it's "oh I took him to stores when he was a puppy but he still hates people!!" Okay but like. Did you use any kind of methodical process to introduce him to people, or did you think hanging out at PetSmart was gonna train him for you? The answer is yes. Yes, a lotta people do think just being near people and other dogs is enough. No activity required on their part. Hmm.

やっぱり丸い

Thinness has nothing to do with it. Labs are a heavier-bodied breed with a long sternum, they are ice water retrievers and even (correct) field labs will not have an extreme tuck up. As with many breeds visually my favorites tend to be the bench/field crosses but even a lab bred for and worked in the original work of retrieving fallen waterfowl in ice water will not have the extreme tuck up I see in dryland hunting (ie fields and forests instead of ice water) or in SAR and detection circles. This is not to say labs of these types are somehow bad, only that they have not been produced for the original work and thus it shows in their form.

While "form follows function" may be a cliche phrase, there is usually a reason certain breeds with certain useages Look Like That.

To me it is just as incorrect to be showcasing dangerously obese landwhales masquarading as labs as it is to say the pointer-esque military/police detection labs are the ONE TRUE LAB as neither is capable of performing the original work the breed was created to do.

My shitty attempt to get a photo of my 6 month old hobby hunting line lab for comparison to Sprocket and Tilley. Her parents are used for retrieving water fowl from cold wisconsin lakes.

My parents show line labs. Ralphies (yellow 4m old) sire is from hunting lines and Sally (black 7y old) is show line. Neither are really stacked but both are in good condition and do have a slightly defined waist/tuck up.

Labs are *very* popular so you should be able to find an illustrated standard that clearly shows what an ideal lab looks like to CKC/AKC/UKC/FCI/etc show standards. It can be hard to find a show line breeder that creates balanced dogs but they absolutely do exist.

Look at the results of the Potomac specialty and if there’s dogs that win anything with an aesthetic you like research the lines and talk to their breeders to learn more. Generally you will see much nicer dogs at specialties than in all breed rings. Also look for dogs with field and show titles.

For learning more about hunting lines look into the NAVHDA.

Pickle playing fetch with a tire jump! One thing we are working on is her carrying the item past the obstacle instead of dropping it asap after completing the obstacle, and I have to say Pickle is making amazing progress!

Trick tutorial on training rats to fetch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNsALU4xbzo

There are definitely times where dogs develop issues due to poor training and what not, but dogs CAN be genetically aggressive, environmentally sensitive etc and it’s not anything their owners have caused.