Chipoo Dog Breed Info: Chihuahua Poodle Mix

What is a Chipoo Dog?

Heritage:

Chihuahua Poodle Mix

Other Names:

Chipoodle, Choodle, Chi-Poo, Poohuahua, Chihuahua Poodle Mix

Chihuahua Poodle Mix Breed History

Chihuahua Breed History:

The exact origins of the Chihuahua are shrouded in mystery as Chihuahua-like dogs are included in the artifacts of many ancient civilizations around the globe. Global trading was common even in those days, so it’s not surprising that a popular dog breed could spread to many places relatively quickly.

Our first known predecessor to the modern Chihuahua was from Mexico where the Toltecs reigned. They had a larger variety of this breed known as the Techichi. It wasn’t until the Aztecs conquered the Toltecs when the Techichi was further developed into a smaller, lighter breed.

This breed of dog was so vital to the Aztec culture that it was even considered to be one of Montezuma’s fabled treasures. It was thought to be lost when Cortez conquered the lands, but these tiny dogs lived in remote villages in Mexico until they were discovered by Americans in the mid-1800s. They got their name from the State of Chihuahua in Mexico where the Americans learned about them.

They eventually gained worldwide fame and became registered with the AKC in 1908. In popular culture, Chihuahuas starred in “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” “Sex and the City,” and “Legally Blonde.” There’s even a minor league baseball team in the city of El Paso, Texas called the Chihuahuas!

Poodle Breed History:

While commonly associated with the French, the Poodle actually originated as a duck hunter in Germany over 400 years ago. In German, “pudelin” refers to the splashing in water that the dogs would do to retrieve waterfowl. The Poodle’s curly, weatherproof coat as well as its natural swimming ability and high intelligence made it an excellent retriever.

Eventually, Poodles made their way from the lake to the life of luxury as they were the breed of choice by French nobles, and eventually royalty across all of Europe. To this day, the Poodle is still the national dog of France. The entertainment industry then caught on to the Poodle’s showy looks, intelligence, and ease of trainability and gave them a prominent role in circus acts across the world.

While the Poodle started out as the “standard” variety, eventually the miniature and toy variations were bred. The Toy Poodle started in the United States in the early 20th century to be a city-dwelling companion dog. Due to the many positive personality traits and its hypoallergenic coat, Poodles are now commonly bred with a wide variety of other breeds to produce the “designer” hybrid dogs known and loved by many as “doodles.”

Chipoo Breed History:

As with many types of doodles, the Chihuahua Poodle Mix was likely first bred unintentionally throughout history. It wasn’t until around the 1970s to 1980s when Chipoos were first intentionally bred in the United States—significantly after the Cockapoo was introduced but before the popularity of Maltipoos and Shihpoos.

The Chipoo breed was originally designed to produce low-maintenance companion dogs who were intelligent, independent, and easy to train.

Chihuahua Poodle Mix Appearance & Grooming

How Big Do Chipoos Get?

The Chipoo’s size is predominantly determined by whether the Poodle in its lineage was a standard, miniature, or toy. Due to the significant difference in stature, Chipoos are never bred with a Standard Poodle. Miniature Poodles and Toy (or Teacup) Poodles are exclusively used to create this Chihuahua Poodle mix.

The Chipoo generally stands around 5-15 inches in height and weighs in at a petite 5-20 pounds as an adult.

Chipoo Dog Breed Coat & Grooming:

Coat texture and color both vary widely in the Chihuahua Poodle Mix—even from puppy to puppy in the same litter! It all depends on which traits they get from which parent. Some common colors are cream, brown, silver, white, black, and even the more exotic “blue” color some Chihuahuas can be. Some coats will be a single color, while others will be a blend of colors.

The coat texture tends to be of medium length and fairly easy to groom. Once a week is a good minimum with twice a week more ideal.

Are Chipoos Hypoallergenic?
Do Chipoos Shed?

While Chipoos are often highly promoted as being hypoallergenic and non-shedding, that isn’t always the case! Like with many other aspects of their appearance and personality, it depends on which combination of traits they get from which parents. There are no guarantees. If you are an allergy sufferer, you should make sure to visit with the individual puppy to see if you have a reaction before taking them home.

Keep in mind that generations of Chipoos that are closer in DNA to Poodles than Chihuahuas are more likely to be hypoallergenic and low-shedding. F2b Chipoos are more likely to be hypoallergenic and non-shedding than F2 Chipoos. The same thing goes for F1b Chipoos compared to F1 Chipoos.

Chihuahua Poodle Mix Health & Wellness

Chipoo Dog Breed Lifespan:

As a small crossbreed, the lifespan of a Chipoo dog is relatively lengthy at roughly 13 to 15 years.

Chipoo Dog Breed Common Health Concerns:

Naturally, the Poodle Chihuahua Mix is susceptible to the genetic health issues of both the Poodle and Chihuahua parent breeds. Being a mixed breed, however, has its advantages—one of them being more genetic diversity which results in lower odds of developing these issues.

Some of the more common issues that Chipoo owners should be wary of are overactive tear glands, Hypoglycemia, Glaucoma, and Patellar Luxation.

Due to the cost of treating these common health concerns, we highly encourage all dog owners invest in pet insurance. We recommend getting a free online quote from Healthy Paws Pet Insurance.

Click here to get an instant, online pet insurance quote from Healthy Paws!

Chihuahua Poodle Mix Temperament & Personality

Chipoo Dog Breed Behavioral Traits:

The Chihuahua Poodle Mix was designed to be a great, low-maintenance companion dog. As such, they are independent but love spending time with their humans.

While they get along with children and other animals if they receive the proper puppy socialization, it’s recommended that families with very young children avoid this tiny breed. This is due to the fact that they are so small that young children could easily cause them harm by accident.

Chipoos are energetic and spunky, eager to follow you around the house wherever you may go. However, as you’ll learn in the next section, this doesn’t equate to needing a lot of exercise daily.

Chipoo Dog Breed Activity Requirements:

Chipoos are energetic little dogs but they are very low-maintenance when it comes to daily exercise. Most of their physical activity can be accomplished with simple playtime either indoors or outdoors. A few short, daily walks would be nice, mostly to relieve their tiny bladders rather than any sort of strenuous exercise.