Breeding Chihuahuas

    Breeding Chihuahuas is not a project which should be taken lightly. Breeding a healthy, quality litter of puppies of approximately 2 puppies takes a great deal of knowledge, time, work and money. There is also heartbreak involved with the loss of puppies. If the mother is not monitored properly, you could easily put her at risk, which could result in death.
    People are attracted to the idea of breeding Chihuahuas, when, in fact, this breed is one of the most difficult to breed due to the round apple dome head, and the obvious fact that Chihuahua mothers are tiny. Newborns are relatively large in comparison to the mother.  The female may have a very hard time trying to pass a newborn.  The breeder must have more than one reliable vet to call on at 2a.m. for an emergency c-section and other problems that often require immediate attention.

     After a c-section, the mother will be groggy and may not accept her newborn pups for 2 or 3 days. In order to save the lives of the puppies the breeder may have to tube-feed them every 3 hours around the clock by inserting a tube down to the stomach (being careful to avoid the lungs). The newborn puppies must also be kept warm.

     Another limitation is that Chihuahuas do not have many pups per litter. The average is 1 to 3.    Unless you do the research and breed responsibly with a good veterinarian available on a 24-hour basis I would recommend staying away from breeding this breed (and any other breed because each has its unique and individual problems), and leaving it to the experts who are seriously dedicated to the welfare of these tiny lives. Breeding responsibly is not a money-making activity. There are many expenses such as:

    And many others!  Emergency problems such as Mastitis, Eclampsia, and Metritis which are costly as well, and could result in the death of both the bitch and the puppies. Also, if the bitch does die, or is unable to care or does not want to care for the newborn puppies, then the puppies will have to be hand-raised around the clock, which is every breeder's nightmare. To see what is involved in hand-raising puppies, or if you need help raising newborn puppies click here.
    Also, you have to be very careful when breeding a female that is under 4 pounds. Chihuahuas this small are at a much higher risk of problems developing, and many can not carry a litter to term (premature delivery) and they usually require a c-section, but Chis of any size can also have problems depending on the size of their pelvis or the position of the puppy being delivered, i.e., crossed-over, breech birth, etc. A female that is not spayed is at risk for developing uterine infections and reproductive/mammary cancers and the un-neutered male is also at risk of developing reproductive cancers/problems.

    People should only breed a litter if they feel that their dog's bloodlines could contribute something to the breed, if they closely match the breed standard, and if their dog has passed all health clearances such as a patella luxation check. Dogs that are not registered with either the Canadian Kennel Club (Canada) or American Kennel Club (USA), or one of the other reputable/recognized registries (such as FCI in Europe, etc.) should not even be bred, as there is no guarantee on the purity of the pedigree or the bloodlines, nor is there any way to track how closely one is actually breeding (ie. in-breeding) without a certified pedigree of both parents. Even if a dog is registered with a recognized and reputable registry that registration on its own does not guarantee any kind of quality, and it only means the Chihuahua is purebred. 

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