The Chipoo is a cross between the Poodle and the Chihuahua. This mixed-breed dog inherits the best traits from both parents. So, you will find a Chipoo to be a highly playful, affectionate, and adorable dog. They are small in size but surprisingly too energetic.
Chipoos love playing and running around. However, they won’t leave the chance to jump into your lap for a ride or some cuddles. They have all the features to be a perfect pet for all families and lifestyles – small size, low-maintenance, loving, and easy-going personality.
A Chipoo will provide their family immense happiness, love, and entertainment. You will enjoy their playful and adorable nature even up to adulthood.
So, if you want to add this adorable dog to your busy lifestyle and want to ensure it’s the right pet, this article is for you. Here, you will find all the essential details on the Chihuahua Poodle mix dogs, like appearance, temperament, living needs, health issues, and more.
Let’s get started!
Chipoo (Chihuahua X Poodle): History
Chipoos were known to be first bred during the 1970s in the United States. This tiny dog breed resulted from a cross between a purebred Poodle and a purebred Chihuahua.
Originating in Germany, the Poodles are characterized by small size, long hair, sharp intelligence, and playfulness. On the contrary, the Chihuahua originated in Mexico, and their small size, short hair, and charming personality made them popular.
By crossing these two purebred dogs, designer breeders wanted to produce puppies with a mixture of their key traits. Finally, the Chipoo was born, taking over some of the golden traits of both parents.
But in case of appearance, you will typically find a Chipoo to flaunt curly, coarse, or smooth hairs of varying lengths and colours, ranging from brown, black, cream, and white to fawn and silvery grey.
Chipoo (Chihuahua X Poodle): Key Traits
The Chipoo is lively, tiny, adorable, and loves a bit of independence. They will likely inherit the Chihuahua’s bold personality, small size, intelligence, and the Poodle’s playfulness and allergen-friendly coat. Together, they make for an excellent family pet, always willing to spread love and be loyal to their owners.
Let’s find out some of the key traits that define a Chipoo:
| Height: | 5 to 15 inches (female), 9 to 13 inches (male) |
| Weight: | 5 to 20 pounds (female), 10 to 20 pounds (male) |
| Life expectancy: | 12 to 15 years |
| Temperament: | Playful, friendly, independent, intelligent, energetic, affectionate |
| Coat colours: | brown/liver/chocolate, black, fawn, cream, yellow/gold, red, white and grey |
| Coat length: | Medium, short & curly |
| Coat patterns: | tricolour, bicolour, brindle |
| Shedding amount: | Infrequent |
| Intelligence: | High |
| Energy level: | Active |
| Exercise Needs: | Medium |
| Suited for Homes and apartments with busy adults and families with children. | |
1. Appearance
One of the most appealing features of Chipoos is their tiny size. An adult female Chipoo usually weighs 5 to 20 pounds, while a male weighs 10 to 20 pounds. So you can easily carry this canine buddy around on your hands because of their petite size and lightweight.
However, the Chipoos who take over more of the Poodle are likely to be shorter and bulkier. On the contrary, those who inherit more of the Chihuahua are likely to be slender and long.
The eyes can be dark or light, whereas the nose can be black or brown. In addition, you can find their ears to be pointed or floppy, even drooping at the tips. Finally, you can’t take your eyes off from those cute, almond-shaped eyes that are brown or black.
Apart from this, Chipoos can have long, short, curly or straight coats. You can find them in colours ranging from brown, apricot, cream, golden, brindle and fawn to black, blue, grey, silver, tan and white.
2. Temperament
The Chipoos are lively and full of energy. They love to roam around, play all day with toys and even bark to alert you of anything uncanny. Chipoos are loyal, kind, friendly, loving and outgoing.
Apart from visiting parks, they also love to be with their family and enjoy some cuddles on their lap. They tend to bond with a single person but remain loyal and loving to other family members.
Interestingly, Chipoos are independent, making them ideal for families or owners with busy lifestyles. This means they won’t suffer from separation anxiety if you leave them alone for long hours.
Just provide your Chipoo with many interactive toys to keep him engaged. They also won’t do anything naughty due to boredom.
However, note that these cute canines can be temperamental. So early training will be necessary.
3. Exercise Needs
Chipoos are highly energetic dogs but don’t need much exercise. They meet their daily physical activity needs by playing and running all over the house. A Chipoo will prefer leashed walks, playing with toys and engaging in family activities more than indulging in a lot of exercises.
A 30-40 minutes of walk daily will suffice. However, make sure that your Chipoo has enough water to keep himself hydrated.
Your canine buddy will enjoy playing fetch, tug of war and chase. When you are away, give them interactive toys to stay engaged. However, Chipoos also need exercise to keep them away from boredom.
4. Health
Chipoos have a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years, meaning your canine buddy will likely be with you for many years.
However, crossbreed dogs tend to inherit some health conditions from both parents. So, Chipoos are prone to some minor and severe health conditions that you should be aware of.
Serious Health Condition
- Patellar Luxation
- Hypoglycemia
- Glaucoma.
Minor Health Conditions
- Overactive tear glands
- Weight gain
- Dry skin
- Dental issues
- Skin allergies.
5. Grooming
You don’t have to spend much effort and time to keep a Chipoo happy and healthy.
- Brush their coat once or twice weekly to keep it tangle-free and mat-free.
- Bath them every couple of months.
- Trim the nails every other week.
- Brush their teeth daily or as frequently as possible. Chipoos are prone to dental issues.
- Clean the ears once every two weeks.
One challenging thing about small dogs is potty training. Small dog breeds come with smaller bladders. Start early training before your buddy gets set in his way
6. Training
Chipoos are intelligent dogs, so you can train them easily. Just be firm and patient while socializing and leash-training your buddy. However, treats and praise will make things easier during the training process.
With early training and socialization, you can prevent your Chipoo from becoming obstinate and temperamental. Moreover, you can find them barking at strangers or unknown faces. But don’t worry if it’s under limitation or control.
Overall, short and fun training periods will be captivating for Chipoos. Make sure to show a lot of affection to your buddy, too. Remember, their memory is too sharp. They won’t easily forget your misbehaviour or anger and may not follow your commands or directions during training.
7. Dietary Needs
Give your Chipoo high-quality dog food so that he always stays energetic and healthy.
This poodle chihuahua mixed breed dog can suffer from hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). So, it’s better to feed them small meals all over the day. Moreover, you will have to ensure that they don’t eat excessively. Otherwise, your Chipoo will turn obese in no time.
- 2 to 3 cups of food will suffice. You can split it up in a small dosage.
Follow a nutritious diet for your dog containing all essential vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and lean proteins. In addition, they may also need probiotics and antioxidants for the proper functioning of the digestive and immune system.
You can always get a better recommendation from your vet regarding the food and supplements to be fed to maintain the good health of your Chipoo.
FAQ’s
Are Chipoos good for all families?
A Chipoo can be a great companion for families of all types and sizes. They are independent and require low maintenance. So, single people or those with busy lifestyles can consider Chipoos as their ideal pet with peace of mind.
Are Chipoos good with other pets?
Chipoos are usually good with other pets, including dogs and cats. But you must properly socialize and introduce them to other pets early on when they are still small puppies.
Does Chipoos bark a lot?
Chipoos usually bark at strangers or faces that they aren’t familiar with. Besides humans, it can also be any other pet. However, you can control their barking tendency with early training and socialization.
Conclusion
Chipoos are loyal, energetic, affectionate and playful dogs. They need low maintenance and attention. So, if you have a busy lifestyle but want a canine companion, the Chipoo will be a perfect choice.
They usually don’t suffer from boredom, so they can be left alone with interactive toys.
This poodle chihuahua mix will also be friendly and generous to other pets and kids as long as they are properly socialized.
Chipoos are always eager to please and love to be cuddled on laps. Overall, they can be ideal canine companions for all families or homes.