we have all heard the term teacup chihuahua, but what do the terms apple head and deerhead mean when it comes to describing characteristics of the chihuahua breed and what exactly makes an apple head chihuahua different from a deerhead chihuahua?
the term apple head is used to describe any chihuahua with a round or ‘dome-like’ head similar to the shape of an apple. the upper part of the chihuahua’s skull is wider than the lower part in the jaw area.
if you look close at the top of the skull of most chihuahuas, you will notice that it is slightly sunken in just like the top of an apple. this area is called molera, a spanish word for ‘fontanel’, or any membranous gap between the bones of the cranium in an infant or fetus and it is similar to the ‘soft spot’ that human babies have on their heads upon birth.
according to chihuahua breed standards, the term apple head is required in the description of the ‘head’ of a chihuahua that includes an apple domed skull with either the presence or absence of molera. it is also used when referencing chihuahua puppies at an age where it is noticeable.
the term deer head is used to describe any chihuahua that does not have the characteristic apple shaped head. deer head chihuahuas tend to have a longer noses and a head shape similar to that of a miniature young deer. they also tend to have less chihuahua health problems.
in this picture of teaka the famous chihuahua you can see deer-like features, but she is an apple head chihuahua, so it can be confusing at times. at birth she was given the temporary name of fawn, which means a young deer under a year old.
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below is a sample page from the section on chihuahua facts!
related: what is a blue chihuahua?
apple head and deer head chihuahua names
clothing for apple head and deerhead chihuahuas
article source: chihuahuadogcare.com/applehead-chihuahuas
skull photo source: skullsunlimited.com/chihuahua-skull.html
Comments 183
I have a 5yr old min-pin-chi (looks like deer head) she weighs 17lbs. I’ve had her since she was 4wks old. I never noticed this before until the other day that she has what looks like a soft spot on top of her head. is that normal or should I see a vet?
she also burrows I have quite a few “cubbies” around the house. she’s too cute sometimes with just the tip of her nose sticking out.
I have a deer head chi chi named Jubilee who I adopted from the shelter at 9 months of age.
She has a long snout, huge ears, light brown eyes, and is white with almost cow like spots of a reddish brown.
She is very energetic and runs laps around the house and yard and bullies my two Siamese kitties even though they are much bigger than she is.
She also loves to burrow under blankets and sleep on my lap.
I think my dog Is a little of both Apple head and deer fawn but it is never gonna be for sale
We adopted a 5 month old deer head chihuahua. Hector is calm and loves everyone. he doesn’t qualify as a show dog under most requirements since he is 11″ tall and 6.3 pounds. He is best buddies with our 13 year old shepherd mix sheba and she is teaching him to be a proper dog, especially on our mile walks. he is big, healthy, alert and friendly. It is nice he is really a “dog” 🙂
We got our fawn and white male deer head chi from a rescue shelter at 4 months old. he’s a real character and a terrific dog. his three cat friends are all 3 times his size but he doesn’t let that stop him. Maybe we just got a weird dog, but he doesn’t display the negative characteristics we were told he would probably have. He isn’t aggressive, barky, or picky about food. He is stubborn however. It has taken weeks to get him to sit on command. But, he’s coming along nicely and we think he’s a fine smart affectionate little pet. I highly recommend getting your chi at a shelter.
I will be the proud owner of this little 5 year old chi mix very soon. He weighs 4lbs. Soooo cute. A true godsend as he is attached to me like glue. My new bf andbff!
i also have a apple head and a deer head, Alvira is my female ,a applehead, and is very petite,she has a very, very sensitive attitude, and also loves to lick me, not too sure why?she is very attached to just me and so jelous of the other dogs, stich ,on the other hand is very shy, but has a bark of a german shepard,lol i love them both very much
I have a 3 yr old deer head , named chico, looking to adopt a play mate for him so he will hv company when I’m at school. I miss him terribly when I’m away& he feels the same,bc he will not leave my side or my lap when I return home. He sits directly in the middle of my book when I’m doing home work.
It is crazy to me people arguing over bloodlines and standards. Not to mention how much people are selling them for when so many need rescued. who cares about lineage when your saving a life. We have 2 amazing chi’s, male (rescued) and female (rescued), that now have had babies twice. The parents both take amazing care, and the dad even layed with the puppies while mom went outside or to eat, he keeps a good watch on all of them and mom. We have 8 (yes we know it is alot) and an English mastiff who is the guardian to all…lol. With 2 rescued gliders, 3 rescued horses, 2 rescued cats and our chis of course, we are one big happy, and wouldnt have it any other way, and make all my dogfood so I controll what they eat, not worrying about all the recalls and relying on what is put in their food. I love them all, no mattter the bloodline or type,.I saved lives and gave them a.family.
I have 2 chihuahuas…I thought Red was an apple head and Penny is a deerhead…however, after looking a t a video i see they are both deerheads, but penny is taller and longer than red. red is about 5 pounds and penny is about 8…so why is penny taller and longer with a longer nose? red has a short nose but definitely longer than the pic of an applehead i just looked at in youtube…i love my babies and would love to be more informed about their differences in physical size and shape.
My dog red red is a 5 month old chihuahua he is a mixed apple head chihuahua, but he looks more like a dear headed chihuahua could he have more of hia father cause his mom is apple head chihuahua?
Son hermosisimooos!
@kourt Hi I have a deer head chihuahua too!! I recommend you to buy the following book: the Good food cookbook for Dogs (author: donna twichell roberts) u can find it in Amazon. This is a recipe book for home cooked recipes for Dogs. I hope this could help u I use it every week to cook for Mia Stella!
we have a little deer head and we had to put his best buddy down because she was having sizzers now we need to find him another friend he justlp sits and crys for his buddy and smells around for where she might be
both my chihuahuas are deer heads didnt know how to see it but I do now 🙂
i have one of each a deer head and an apple head they are both amazing and they just love each other but they do not eat dog food either they are so picky im just wondering what kinds of people food if right for them cuz my girl likes everything and my boy (the apple head) will only eat hotdogs and lunch meats please help me someone lol i want these lil guys to live forever and ill do whatever i have to to get it that way also my boy came from a bad home they beat him n didnt feed him right and just did awful things to him and he has put on weight and even has started playing recently witch he never did before lol he is the happiest i has ever seen before now if i can just get him to eat please help me someone 🙂
#mary kribbs if pez wont eat dog food and only human food u should feed him raw meat u can read about onlinne ceasr Milan use raw meat with his pack u can get it from a butcher for cheap with the left over cuts but that will be the best for his health ive been doing. It for yearsw and I never have any heatlh problem there coats are really soft and shiny there poo is good my vet says everyone should feed therfe dog raw type meat google it and u will find great ways to use it
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i think both of them are cute but mostly deer head is cute it really dose not mater.I hate it when people say chihuahuas are ugly for no reason i mean that is dumb maybe because cihuahuas are cutter than them 🙂
I have a soon to be 5 year old applehead i bought from a couple that couldn’t take care of him anymore. he was 2 lbs when i got him (he was 3 yo) and was so eaten up with fleas. i got that taken care of and now he is 4 lbs. pez is different then other chihuahuas i’ve heard about. he doesn’t bark at everyone and loves kids and i mean loves them. he’s also very attached with me. the only problem i have is that he will not eat dog food. doesn’t matter brand, wet or dry, he will not eat it and i’ve tried them all. he won’t even eat dog treats. i have to brush his teeth because all he will eat is people food. not sure if the previous owners started him off that way or not. i try to include rice and fruit (not always successful). i love him in spite of him being a big baby. lol
To: Steve offen-bittern
Watch the Dog Whisperer – we did, and took our aggressive male deer-faced chihuahua and put him over on his back and held him there until he said uncle – now my husband is the leader of the pack and Chico is 3rd in line behind me! fun and happy dog now.
I love my chihuahua, unfortunatly we did purchase our little guy from a breeder. I believe it was puppy mill. I was unaware there was such a thing. But when I started researching chi’s i did find this out. But our family instanly fell in love with our Poppy (he peed on the couch when we brought him home, just like poppy on Sienfield), hence the name poppy. He is a saucy little guy, has so much personalty. he loves to chase our cat; brutus. Brutus is a huge mane coon. one of the largest cat breeds. it’s a sight to see. the cat is bigger than the dog. Out poppy is 10lbs, everywhere I have read, it states that he is not a breed standard. I don’t understand how a chihuahua could not be one. he looks just like one, acts like one (he does not like anyone outside the family), although he does do tricks. he sits, stays, jumps up and spins; really cute! I would just like clearification that he is a chi, not that it would make a diffrence. He is a pink nosed, deer head chi. I love him so much. I just love the way he acts when I get home from work. He is totally in love with our 11 year old daughter. I am also confused. He tends to like younger childern more, until he want to pet him, then he takes off.
I love my lil deer ChiChi!! Her name is Lily, found her in the hills of escondido, ca as an infant. a hawk snatched her from somewhere and dropped her. fed her with an eyedropper, now she’s 4 lbs. vet thinks 10 months old. best dog i’ve ever had!!!
The chihuahua is the 5th most disposed of breed in the united states. The Florida shelters are so overwhelmed with the breed. So many are euthanized at our shelters. We see so many hydrocephalic (water on the brain) chihuahuas here from the crappy breeders. Did you know that 99% of u.s. pet stores purchase from puppy brokers who in turn purchase from puppy mills? Adopt don’t shop. Save a life. https://www.famouschihuahua.com/beverly-hills-chihuahua-movie/if-you-love-chihuahuas-adopt-one/
I have a deer head chihuahua free to a loving home.call 706-728-6841 for details.