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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the amazing ebook, caring for chihuahuas made easy, breed information, health care and nutrition teaches you about common chihuahua health problems and how to properly care for such a small dog! it also teaches you how to extend the life span of your chihuahua!
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 apple-head chihuahua and his name is Pancho 🙂 he is soo cute but he licks me too much and it’s cute but it get’s annoying sometimes. any ideas on how to contorl hsi licking? oh and he is super thin and i’m trying to make him eat but he won’t and it’s making me worried. any ideas or suggestions would be great!
THXS! 🙂
I have a pure bred blue chihuahua for adoption. She was my daughters dog and when she got married she could not take her. because of my work schedule she now has no one to pay attention to her. She is very loving, loves to sit with you and ride in the car. She is currently about 1 pound over weight at 8lbs, due to the lack of excercise. If anyone lives in southern California that would be interested in adopting her I want to make sure she goes to a good home. she is not fixed, as we had planned to breed her. she is up to date on her shots and has always seen a vet regularly. Please e-mail me if you are interested in adopting little chloe.
i have 5 chis n a pom.one of my chis is named bear-hes a long hair lavender merle n is 1wk old 2day so im not sure yet if hes deer or apple but both his parents r apple.mya-white n choc-11mth female deerhead;bleu-blue merle-9mth old applehead;bailey-blue w tan markings-3mth old applehead n emily-blk/tan merle-8wk old deerhead.i love ALL MY DOGS-APPLE OR DEER.IF U WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHIS GO ON CHIHUAHUA PEOPLE . COM’MY NAME IS WILD.IRISH.ROSE ON THERE.LOTS OF PICS N ADVICE.
I just got my chihuahua puppy (female) a few hours ago. i rescued her from a boy in front of a store in the heat who had to let her go today. i am already in love (also a beagle and a rescued dachshund owner). PLEASE PEOPLE/EVERYONE: RESCUE! DON’T BUY FROM PUPPY MILLS OR PET SHOPS!! LET’S PUT THE PUPPY MILLS AND ALL BUT REPUTABLE BREEDERS OUT OF BUSINESS! SPAY AND NEUTER! THIS GIRL DEFINITELY WILL BE. SHE IS GOING TO BE SPOILED LIKE OUR OTHER 2. ANIMALS ARE TOO PRECIOUS TO ABANDON, ABUSE OR BE GROWN IN PUPPY MILLS LIKE WEEDS. I PRAY ALL DOGS ARE HAPPY AND BLESSED LIKE OURS! PS MY GIRL IS 8 WEEKS OLD; TINY, FAWN COLORED AND WHITE AND FROM WHAT I HAVE READ ON THE INTERNET TODAY, A “DEER HEAD”. RESCUE AND SPAY/NEUTER!! XXOO
My dad dog is a min rat terrier she breed with a teacup Chihuahua she give birth on June the 7 and she had 7 puppies to we give 5 a way and we r keeping to of in one want to talk e-mail me at [email protected]
This picture of the white pup with the HUGE head and massively bulging eyes was most likely photoshopped. IF you look at how short the nose/snout is on this pup, there isn’t enough room for teeth. So if it does acutally look this way in real life, this poor puppy (this one in particular was imported from a korean puppymill) is going to have serious issues with it’s jaw. This is the problem when we get away from breed standard…going to far either way “deer” or “apple” extreme features are not what the standard is looking for.
Even if you look at the top show dogs from the 70’s compared to today, the heads are larger, the legs shorter. look at the examples on http://www.chihuahuaclubofamerica.com/
And it is NOT true that the applehead dogs don’t live as long as a “deer”.
oh he even has his very own facebook page! u can look him up his name is chiwawa contreras and he would love to be ur friend!
I love this site…I have a wonderful baby chihuahua (well he is 2 1/2 yrs old now…lol)whose name is chiwawa… he is a deer headed chihuahua. he sleeps in the bed on his back with his butt sticking out of the covers and his legs straight in the air like a thanksgiving turkey most of the day. the rest of the day he chases poodles around and causes as much trouble as he can. he is a handful that’s for sure but I wouldn’t trade my little baby sweet chiwawa for anything in the world 🙂
I have a lavender short coat male that is about 4lbs but super short, and a black and tan long coat male studs. I also have a red fawn female long coat, and a merel short coat, all apple heads and no health problems, maybe I got lucky.
Currently in the nursery I have one black and tan male long coat pup, total apple head and short nose. About the size of a hamster. He is adorable!
i favor apple over deer heads. But love them all.
I’ve had my sweet little deer-headed baby boy for almost 3 years now. not having any children myself; he is my baby!! His name is Bruno and he is a crazy, crazy little guy. We also have 3 pit bulls and they adore him! Bruno thinks the pit bulls are his kids or something, he really keeps them in line! It’s hilarious to watch the whole crew together, Bruno chasing 3 beefy pit bulls and biting them in their ankles whenever he thinks they need scolding! lol
my lord all u ppl think about is breeding them when they have feelings too… they our ur companions i have a tea cup applehead chihuahua she is a 1 yr n 3 months she has had 2 pups they were beautiful but i got her fixed right after… these lil ones are not meant for breeding….
Hey does anyone have a male stud chihuahua to breed with my female. I am located in the kansas city area. Please let me know she is so great, white with blue eyes and very smart, I really want to breed her.
Hi,
I am looking for a breeder of long haired chihuahuas and can not find a reputable breeder. The only place i have phone it pet stores with questionable antics and some savory characters. though I thought about getting one to save it, but they were asking a lot of money for the puppies.
If you know of any in western pa and eastern ohio or northern wv or top of maryland, please let me know. thank you
Have a deerhead little boy, 10 months old an is he smart only listens to me. Goes every where with me, loves the out doors winter an summer. His name is Bambi. My baby boy.
Hi, both of my dog are register chi, short hair, i just had a litter, 2 of them short coat, and the other two have semi long .. ?? why is that. I have to say that the father has a litle bit of long in the neck and tail, but the rest is short, will they loose that has well ??
thanks
for me i not mind to be apple head or deer just i love it when i look in the dog eyes as My son he have mix between apple head and deer but he perfect to me
But from My country Thailand many people or farm love Chihuahua apple head call from Species Taiwan and in America or in Europe have longer face mostly as i saw
Chihuahuas are supposed to have apple shaped heads according to the breed standard, in other words if your chihuahua is pure, from a good breeder, and from champion lines they will look like this. they are NOT supposed to have deer shaped heads…to me this shows a poorer quality dog. any dog that varies greatly from it’s breed standard may be very cute, but many mutts are cute too. If you are truly a breed enthusiast you will want your dog to look as close to the breed standard as possible.
omg.. if you had a deer-head you would be talking down a bout apple-heads the some way around.. I have a Apple-head and shes in great health and spirit.. I think its the way you take care of them and raise them on how there health is..
It is not true that applehead chihuahuas have more health problems or live shorter lives than “deer type” chihuahuas. “Deer type” chihuahuas can have the same problems as appleheads, luxating patellas and heart murmurs. They are genetic. If you buy your dog from a reputable breeder who tests for these anomalies and is certified free of them, applehead chihuahuas are extremely healthy and resilient little dogs… just like deer-type. Many dogs labeled as “deer type” are really crosses between dachshunds, min-pins, or rat terriers, etc. Please research this breed before you buy one, its worth the time invested!
Deer vs Apple…I’ve had my “deer type” chihuahua since his birth, and I’ve read all the same stuff. The AKC does only recognize the “apple headed” chihuahuas as their standard, but like most breeds, there are lots of different “types” of chihuahuas. I’ll take my long legged, longer nosed, deer headed chihuahua over a little apple headed sausage doggie any day. Oso, and his little brother, Jethro, are happy for that, I believe.
The health problems are real, the differences are real. Don’t have your head in the sand just because you prefer one over the other or AKC says your dog should look a certain way. If the AKC was any sort of reputable organization, they’d do away with breed damaging practices like ear cropping and over breeding.
Love my chihuahuas. 🙂
Wow glad I stumbled onto this site…great information everyone is sharing. I was showing my grandson what a blue was and the difference in an apple and deer head…etc etc.. One of my 2 Chihuahuas just gave birth to her first and most likely only litter of 4 puppies…3 girls and 1 boy. All so different in colors. Unfortunately the male with great markings and colors was still born. We tried for a half hour to warm and revive him but to no avail. I have heard that that happens often, but I was saddened and he was the biggest one too…any thoughts on that?
I adopted a chihuahua he is 3.5 lbs. vet said he is in good health. The problem is he has very little hair, his chest is completly bald very little on his head and legs. He will be 1 year old in March. His eye color looks green sometimes I have a “T” shirt on him most of the time. What happens in summer we live in Arizona what kind of lotion should i put on him?
i have a deer legged chihuahuah she is 2 and a half year old i didnt evan no that the made them haha she is beatiful she is in my lap 24/7 all the time she is in my lap right now hahahahahaha
Glad I found this place … as I went to our shelter Saturday, Jan. 21, 2011 and found an adorable little girl to adopt. I lost my dog of 15 years, Lady, a part Border/Collie – Springer Spaniel that I had gotten at that particular shelter, too. My heart was broken and it took me 6 months to finally get to the shelter to see who I could adopt.
Up pops this little girl … all legs and ears ! LOL ! So cute. They said she was a Chihuahua but I had never seen such a long bodied, long legged, big eared Chihuahua in my life ! My mom had one 40 years ago and from all the pics I have seen lately … he was the apple headed type … and one that I thought was a real Chihuahua. But I had never heard of a Deer Chihuahua … but after googling all day … I have learned alot. Half the people say they are biters and barkers … and the other half say they are lovers of people and don’t bark that much.
Which is it ? Or maybe it is just their breeding ? Who they came from ? Or how they are raised ?
I haven’t taken mine home yet as she has to be fixed, they say. So I will be picking her up Wed. afternoon … after I get off of work. I can hardly wait ! But have no idea what I am getting myself into.
Are they picky eaters ? I have picked up 2 little bags of food … Beneful (beef) and Science Diet (chicken) … hope she likes one of them.
Any advise will be gladly taken ! Thanks !
UP FOR DEBATE: The only correct standard of the chihuahua is the APPLE HEAD. The so called “deer head” is just like “teacup” – a made up term. “Deer heads” have been traced back to chihuahua mixes with other toy breeds, for example min pins and whippets. And Apple Heads are not prone to more health problems, and do not live shorter lives, not sure where you got that information? Encouraging people to buy a “deer head” is doing nothing but sending money to backyard breeders, puppy mills, and those that do not care about bringing out the best qualities in the breed.
Yes I believe all chihuahuas are adorable in their own way, and there are a TON of chis in shelters, both head types alike, and by all means adopt, rescue, foster one of these babies! But please educate yourselves before you go looking for a “deer head” breeder – you are wasting your money.