Chihuahua German Shepherd Hybrid Cross Mix Dog Breed Guide
You might probably wonder what you’ll get when you crossbreed one big dog and the smallest dog breed on the planet.
Breeders realized the impossible when they successfully mixed the rough German Shepherd with the small but spirited Chihuahua to create the German Shepherd Chihuahua hybrid.
However, accomplishing the crossing requires certain conditions. Effective crossbreeding will occur when a feminine GSD is crossbred with a male Chihuahua and with vital facilitation.
The German Shepherd Chihuahua hybrid is one of the latest salmagundis of modern designer dogs. German Shepherds and Chihuahuas are two different dog breeds in size, personality, and appearance.
Crossbreeding the two species at first seemed an unimaginable task.
The crossbreeding’s achievement even led more people to wonder about the offspring’s ultimate traits. Would the hybrid be small-sized, calm, and composed, or relatively large and protective?
We critically examined this unique hybrid for unique traits. We concluded that it would be best to first analyze their German Shepherd and Chihuahua parents before making derivative assessments on their personalities and eventual appearance.
German Shepherds
German Shepherds are trendy crossbreeding breeds these days due to their versatility. The military and patrol officers use the dogs for narcotic searches and other law execution duties, and families love them because of their loyalty and companionship.
Besides, enthusiasts love Shepherds for their agility and intelligence – they do well in popularity, herding, hunting, and witty contests. You’ll also love the dog’s willingness and easy-to-teach personality.
Many breeders globally prefer to crossbreed the German Shepherd with other smaller dogs to produce more intelligent, agile, adorable, and enduring species.
Stephanitz is famous for breeding the first German Shepherd in 1895. He named the Shepherd Horand. To date, Horand is the ancestor of all German Shepherd breeds.
The first Shepherds’ kennel organization was formed in 1899, and Horand became the predecessor of many of his kind to join the association.
All attempts to standardize GSDs in Germany during the late 19th Century severely failed. Therefore, Horand was unfairly bred with three other dogs, and their offspring inbred to retain the essential qualities of German Shepherds within the ancestry.
Chihuahuas
Unlike the clear German Shepherd history, Chihuahuas’ genealogy comes with a lot of uncertainty. In terms of size, Chihuahuas are the planet’s smallest dog species.
The dogs originate from Mexico and are considered extremely brave and with the topmost curiosity and highest perception amongst all dog breeds. Besides their intelligence, Chihuahua dogs are quite popular when it comes to the crossbreeding of smaller dogs.
Many different assumptions exist on the exact ancestry of Chihuahua dogs. DNA testing reveals that European appropriation tampered with most of the breed’s original genetics. Therefore, scientists can’t determine the breed’s onset bloodlines.
German Shepherd Chihuahua Mix
Experts disclose that crossbreeding a Chihuahua with a German Shepherd can result in a fascinating hybrid, mainly because of two explanations:
- The resulting cross is an average size between the Shepherd and the Chihuahua. The middle-sized hybrid makes a perfect pet for city dwellers residing in densely populated environments.
- A Chihuahua Shepherd sports a Shepherd’s athleticism while combining both high intelligence and wisdom from both parents.
Besides, the dogs will possess shorter fur but often resembling black and brown German Shepherd colors. The hybrid’s short coat will hardly necessitate regular maintenance – the GSD’s fur usually sloughs off lightly on its own.
The German Shepherd’s masculine visage will most likely transfigure into a Chihuahua’s cute face – little eyes with big ears. However, because of the dog’s mixed origin, the puppy might resemble any of the Shepherd or Chihuahua parents.
We’ll now look into the Chihuahua Shepherd’s appearance, behavior (temperament), requirements, and puppy availability from breeders.
Appearance
Due to their mixed ancestry, the hybrids can sometimes vary in outlook. The dog’s size will vary between a small and a large breed – the dog will be smaller than a GSD but more prominent than the Chihuahua parent.
Chihuahua Shepherds often take after their German Shepherd parent’s coats by sporting the brown and black coats. Nonetheless, the dog can still possess other additional coat colorations and shades.
The hybrid’s fur length will ultimately depend on the parent’s more predominant chromosomes. However, inheriting the short or long fur highly relies on the Chihuahua progenitor.
Besides, with a significant influence from the Chihuahua, the crossbreed will either sport a single or double coating.
Chihuahuas are known to possess an incredibly softer spot on their heads. The spot can persist or disappear over time if the Shepherd’s head shape suppresses the Chihuahua’s.
The hybrid will weigh between eight and sixty pounds and measure between seven and forty-five inches from the shoulders to their paws.
Temperament
A German Shepherd Chihuahua crossbreed will often manifest a mild and composed temperament. GSDs are usually fierce, protective, territorial, and loyal to the core. However, due to uncertainty in crossbreeding, the hybrid’s attitude can vary extensively.
In first-rate consideration, the cross will demonstrate intelligence, loyalty, attentiveness and make a wonderful family pet. However, in their deleterious state, the crosses can become overprotective, and bark excessively and attack people and pets.
Because of their unpredictability, it would be best to socialize the puppy while monitoring their association with other people, especially smaller children. Critics agree that the mixes can inherit their violent characteristics against people and other breeds from Chihuahuas.
We strongly emphasize socializing Chihuahua Shepherd pups during their early life. Besides, the caregiver also needs to interact with both of the hybrid’s parents, to understand their traits and determine their overall temperament and their effects.
Exercising your German Shepherd Chihuahua Crossbreed
Chihuahua Shepherds require regular training despite their fairly small sizes. The dog loves associating with their caregivers during coaching and would appreciate it if you took them on hikes and outdoor walks.
You can create an outside playtime routine or schedule regular short walks around the home. It would also be best to include hedged-lawns around the home or in your training space to give your puppies the best exercises for their healthy growth.
Exercising your puppy to full potential is, however, not adequate for their all-round development. You also need to stay close to the hybrids most of the time because they quickly get bored, detached, and destructive if left companionless for long hours.
The Fragility of Chihuahua Shepherd Mixes
Despite Chihuahua Shepherds needing regular exercise, the hybrids can sometimes be fragile. The dogs can dislocate their kneecaps and hips more quickly than purebreds. You, therefore, should closely monitor the hybrids’ activity, particularly during their exercise.
Fitness Issues
Before adopting a hybrid into your home, it’s critical to consider the puppy’s health – you should check the documentation provided by the breeder during acquisition.
If you shop your mix from a renowned breeder, chances are you’ll get a healthy puppy. Breeders who prevent you from accessing the puppies before selling them might be hiding something in the line of health and nutritional deficiency – we recommend buyers to avoid such breeders.
A purebred dog will often stand a higher risk of contracting different hereditary illnesses than the standard hybrid. Likewise, a Chihuahua German Shepherd will manifest better health than the GSD and Chihuahua parent – we mostly attribute the boosted immunity to hybrid vigor.
However, several fitness problems can still affect these hybrids. The most common problem in the hybrid is the kneecap luxation. The issue can affect large, small, young, and old dogs.
Dysplasia will commonly affect German Shepherds. The complication is not a life-threatening condition to GSDs – as the caregiver, you can manage the illness and prevent its advancement.
Chihuahua Shepherds often inherit dysplasia problems from their Shepherd parents. Breeders should always examine the German Shepherds they use before crossbreeding to prevent the hip complication transfer to the offspring.
The hybrid can also suffer other severe ailments, including inherent heart problems. Puppies will often acquire hereditary heart ailments during birth.
The defect is exceptionally severe, and breeders are advised to check the designer parents for the problems before crossbreeding them.
In any living environment, the German Chihuahua Shepherd can live between nine and twenty years. However, the lifespan variation will depend on parents’ transferred traits and the puppies’ susceptibility to common serious infections.
Your mix can also suffer from obesity. We, therefore, advise dog owners to feed their dogs the right and balanced diets.
Obesity can attract many other health issues if not curbed at an early stage. Always observe your dog for any obesity symptoms and ensure you acquire their foods from trusted vendors with quality meal recommendations.
Grooming
Grooming requirements for a mixed German Chihuahua shouldn’t give you any problems. Their short furs require weekly brushing and their nails regular clipping depending on their outdoor exposure.
How to Effectively Train a German Shepherd Chihuahua Cross
Caregivers must begin their hybrids’ training at a tender age. Despite their intelligence and quick-to-learn eagerness, the breeds can sometimes become stubborn – you’ll thus need to start their obedience tutoring at an early stage.
All in all, patience and persistence are essential in effectively building your mix’s character.
After a short period of consistent training, you’ll start observing the hybrid’s quick-learner traits when they grasp and follow instructions – they are intelligent pets that only require continuous assessment and positive reinforcement.
However, the crosses will only adhere to issued commands if they feel like it – that’s why obedience training is vital in their early life.
Potty teaching might be the hardest of all training sessions because of the hybrid’s overall small size. Because of the dog’s small-sized bladder, they often prefer to walk outside frequently to pee.
Experts have devised detailed potty manuals specifically for German Shepherd Chihuahua mixes. We recommend trainers to adhere to the same manuals and also consider crate coaching at the earliest convenience.
The hybrids can grow too fond of people, especially their owners. You can start training them early to adjust to spending some of their time solo and reduce their overly attached attributes – this way, they’ll learn to live independently without becoming destructive.
Nonetheless, it would be best if you still taught your puppies how to socialize with different people, unfamiliar persons, and pets by accompanying them through different environments with diverse settings and personalities.
Do German Shepherd Chihuahua hybrids make good family pets?
The crossbreeds make excellent companions for families living in small houses or apartments around metropolitans. However, the pups will still require adequate space to exercise and satisfy their dynamic needs.
Both Chihuahuas and German Shepherds have protective and self-guarding traits. German Shepherds qualify as world-class household pets because of their relentless devotion and territorial tendencies.
However, the Shepherds and Chihuahuas sometimes become aggressive, especially with strangers or younger kids who don’t know how to treat them.
If you are to keep the German Shepherd Chihuahua in a home with younger kids, it would be best to teach them how to respect the pets.
Otherwise, we recommend keeping the mix in a home without young kids. Nonetheless, even with the perfect living surrounding, German Shepherd Chihuahuas still need their masters to provide enough exercise and training time.
Rescuing German Shepherd Chihuahua Crossbreeds
Because of the hybrid’s rarity, rescuing the crossbreed depends entirely upon chance. Besides, animals in a shelter or rescue regularly get adopted by new families. You’ll probably need to search many rescues before finding this gem of a hybrid.
However, finding the mix will come with its share of necessities and responsibilities. The caregiver should provide quality food, water, a perfect sleeping space, treatment, and overall maintenance for the new dog.
A new hybrid in an unfamiliar home can sometimes show hesitance. The adopters should exercise patience when rescuing novel dogs so that they gradually learn how to associate warmly with your family and friends.
Conclusion
To get a healthy German Shepherd Chihuahua puppy, we recommend that aspiring owners visit trustworthy breeders. A devoted breeder will issue approved puppy health certificates and even make your nurturing job easier by training their pups during their early life.
We don’t advise adopters to get their pups from mills or pet-stores because of the uncertainty in crossbreeding and upbringing.
Overall, socializing and coaching your puppies at an early age will teach them how to better interact with unfamiliar people and pets.
Because of the hybrid’s varying size, finding the right toys for the puppies can be challenging. However, you can review the recommended list for Chihuahua toys to get an idea of the perfect accessory to shop for your pup.
German Shepherd Chihuahua mixes make the perfect pets for caregivers who can spare and devote extra time to exercise and train them consistently.
Besides, you won’t require much space; your home, regardless of the size, will still make the best living environment for your puppies, provided you socialize and monitor them if you have any young children.
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