# Deer head chihuahua vs. Chipin??



## bellasmum

I got my Bella last year (as a puppy) from a lady who was a friend of a friend. My friend gave Bella to me (she went and picked her up for me)-so I didn't meet the previous owner, or see Bella's parents. All I know is what my friend told me of what the parents looked like. Evidently, the dad was somewhat big, lean, and with a longer snout.T he mom was tiny, typical looking chi. The owner said Bella is purebred- but she has a longer snout, and is very lean. I'd never seen a chi like this, so I did some research on the internet. I found that chi/min pin mixes look EXACTLY like her-so I thought she was actually a Chipin. Well, just a couple days ago, I saw something called a "deer headed chihuahua." They look like Chipins! So what is the difference between a Chipin and a "Deer-head chuhuahua?"
-ps- her personality is very mellow-not yappy-cuddly-active-loving-:dontknow:


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## svdreamer

A deer head chi is a pure breed chi, just with longer snout and usually longer legs. They are what the chis used to look like before the judges liked the rounder head and shorter snouts on the chis so people started breeding for that. I have a few deer headed chis. A chipin is a mutt basically, a breeding between a chi and a min pin.
Smoke is a purebred deer head chi








So is Gonzo


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## bellasmum

They are so cute! I can't tell by the pictures- do they have large chests and small waists? My Bella does. 
So how do you tell the difference between a chipin and deer head chi? They look the same to me.
My Bella looks REALLY similar to your Smoke!


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## MChis

There really is no 100% way to tell if they are just a "deer type" Chi or a mix unless they're from a reputable breeder w/papers. Chi's come in so many shapes & sizes. Just because they're not in the standard doesn't mean they're not purebred. Matilda totally fits into the "deer type" Chi. She's not registered so the possibility is there she *could* be a mix but I believe she's just a Chi that wasn't bred to standard. Her mum is definitely Chi..has the apple dome head, shorter muzzle & more cobby body. Her dad is shaped JUST like her (but LC) and he is AKC so ???

Unless you got a DNA test done...you'll probably never know. I'd tend to think she's just a Chi not bred to standard. Doesn't make her less of a Chi though.


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## MChis

Here is a full bodied pic of Matilda....










And the first pic I could find of a profile/muzzle shot...


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## svdreamer

Your Bella is a sweetie! I love her coloring. 
Here's a pic of a chi/min pin I used to own, Xena. She was 11 pounds, had bigger, squarer feet and was different around her eyes. Most chi/min pins I've seen are larger than a chi.








And Gonzo does have a large chest with a small waist while Smoke is more evenly proportioned.


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## LostLakeLua

<<They are what the chis used to look like before the judges liked the rounder head and shorter snouts on the chis so people started breeding for that.>>

I hear this a LOT; does anyone have any articles or anything backing that up?? Everytime I tried to look up history on Chi's it just tells about their origin and nothing really about what the standard used to be and if/how it's changed. But I hear this a LOT from people that the deer type is more old-fashioned. I've been looking for some kind of reference though to back that up.

Anyway, I second what everyone else said lol. Your girl looks SO much like one of my previous chi's Misty!!! The body and head shape especially!


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## widogmom

svdreamer, Smoke looks like my nephew, Baci! Pablo is kind of halfway between an apple head and a deer head, but he's really more bullheaded LOL.


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## svdreamer

These are the only two pics I can find right now. They are reported to be chis.


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## Deerboy's Momma

Chip is either a Chipin or a deer-head! I like to think he's just an overgrown deer-head, hence the "Deerboy"  He has a broad chest and a thin waist.


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## bayoumah

hi i think cutie chip looks like all the other chihs we have here how much does hw weigh and how tall are you thinking he is and age hes a full blooded chih is what id say


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## bellasmum

Thank you so much for the responses! My Bella just might be all-chihuahua, after all!


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## bellasmum

your doggies look like my Bella! She is 1 year old- so I don't know if she'll get any bigger? She's about 6 lbs.... I guess if she had Min Pin in her, she'd be larger?


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## bellasmum

svdreamer said:


> These are the only two pics I can find right now. They are reported to be chis.


*LOVE those ol dpictures you found! Those definitely look like Bella!*


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## Blondie87

My Bella is total deer shaped too. Deer head, and long legs and body! Her legs are like crazy long. It's weird. Here is a pic of her like a month or so ago, she looks the same now.. 

























Izzie isn't your typical Chi either, but she isn't as deer like as Bella is. They are supposed to be purebred as well, but they are not registered, so who _really_ knows. Izzie looks a lot like her dad, who is more so like the standard apple head Chi's. And Bella is like her mom, who is deer like. Neither are bred to standard though, obviously.


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## HollieC

If the mother was alot smaller than the dad, I would doubt if they were the real parents. She looks like a cross to me not a full chihuahua, not that you should love her any less. Sometimes when they are sold as "full chihuahaus" the person who bred it may not realise that their dogs they bred were wrongly sold to them. She could be cross with a pinscher but her markings arent typical for a pinscher so I woudl mabey thing a terrier like a JRT or rat terrier. They might have 3/4 chihuahua but just the dad be a cross. The crossbred chihuahuas generally produce/ carry more puppies than standard chihuahuas and to the inexperienced eye can be passed off as normal chihuahuas, so the breeders can make alot of money, thats why crossing with slightly larger breeds is so common. I have two jrt crosses and her head is similar to theirs, one of mine has similar red colour and the white chest and white socks.


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## Smittens4CHi's

My baby Romeo is a deer-head mixed with an apple head.I have read once that the original chihuahua was indeed a deer head chihuahua and to have been more looking as a terrier?Either way there have been gorgeous deer head and apple heads for century's.
Site Builder
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apple head Site Builder
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more photos here > Vintage chihuahua photos pg 1...

GOD I LOVE THE INTERNET !!!!<3 Im in no shape or forma affiliated to this site i simply found it by a Google search <3
xoxoxo Toni


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## Smittens4CHi's

sorry some of my links broke but EVERYONE HAS TO SEE THIS SITE!! IT is awesome Marylin Monroe and her chi's all kinds of history,history paintings, breed standards now a days, information on coats, health everything!
website here >>> Vintage chihuahua photos pg 1...


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## LostLakeLua

That webpage is AWESOME!! THANK you Smitten! I love looking at all the old chi's... I'm such a huge fan of vintage chihuahua anything...


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## bellasmum

HollieC said:


> If the mother was alot smaller than the dad, I would doubt if they were the real parents. She looks like a cross to me not a full chihuahua, not that you should love her any less. Sometimes when they are sold as "full chihuahaus" the person who bred it may not realise that their dogs they bred were wrongly sold to them. She could be cross with a pinscher but her markings arent typical for a pinscher so I woudl mabey thing a terrier like a JRT or rat terrier. They might have 3/4 chihuahua but just the dad be a cross. The crossbred chihuahuas generally produce/ carry more puppies than standard chihuahuas and to the inexperienced eye can be passed off as normal chihuahuas, so the breeders can make alot of money, thats why crossing with slightly larger breeds is so common. I have two jrt crosses and her head is similar to theirs, one of mine has similar red colour and the white chest and white socks.


Hmmm...well, those are some really good points. But in my situation, the lady I got Bella from isn't a breeder. The parents were her pets who had babies. I think there were 4 in the litter. AND she gave them away to friends- for free....so I'd tend to think she was being truthful when she said Bella was Chihuahua. Of course, her dad could very well have a bit of min pin or something in his lineage-and the owner just didn't know.
This group is SO awesome- opening my eyes to so much! I really appreciate everyone's responses and pictures! Here's a picture of Bella's brother. He's a lot more "dainty," but they are pretty much the same size.


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## glyndwr

Great website, def all Deerheads in them days going by the pics,


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## rubia

Smittens4CHi's said:


> sorry some of my links broke but EVERYONE HAS TO SEE THIS SITE!! IT is awesome Marylin Monroe and her chi's all kinds of history,history paintings, breed standards now a days, information on coats, health everything!
> website here >>> Vintage chihuahua photos pg 1...




What a cool site, vergood collection of vintage pix. I have to say that I think that Jayne Mansfield's pup looked so much like Heather (M Chi-s) Maxie !!


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## Arcana

This is my chi, Bonni. She's a purebred doe-head as well. 

And this is a typical, modified-for-shows chi: 








The markings are pretty much the same, but the snout is shorter and the eyes kind of bulge more. I mean, my Bonni's eyes do tend to bulge more than my shephard's eyes, but not to the extent of chis with heart-shaped faces.


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