Chiweenie
Two strong opinions in one small dog.
In 2010, at a Los Angeles farmers market, a woman named Courtney stopped at a rescue booth and met a Chihuahua–Dachshund puppy with a recessed jaw and a spectacular overbite. She adopted him and named him Tuna. Two years later, a few photos posted for fun went viral, and Tuna became one of the internet’s most adored dogs — the face behind the “Phteven” meme and, more durably, an ambassador for rescue. It was a very Chiweenie career arc: overlooked, then underestimated, then suddenly running the whole show. The breed does most things in exactly that order.
Choxies we love
Two small legends, combined
The Chiweenie is a cross of the Chihuahua and the Dachshund — two small breeds with almost comically large self-regard — and like every designer cross, it comes with no registry, no standard, and no guarantees. So meet the parents: one litter leans long and low, the next leggy and round-eyed, and coats arrive smooth, long, or wiry. What the mix delivers reliably is the shared inheritance — a watchful, devoted, faintly indignant companion who considers your household a small country and themselves its border patrol.
Living with a Chiweenie means living with a very small dog who has never once consulted the data. They announce visitors like a much larger animal, choose their person with terrier-grade intensity, and negotiate — never merely obey — on matters of housetraining and recall. Two cautions arrive from the Dachshund side: protect the long back from couch-diving and stair marathons, and watch the waistline that strains it. Give them warmth, a window, and their chosen human in eyeshot, and they are funny, portable, fiercely loyal company.
Keeping one happy
Grooming
It depends on which parent supplied the coat: smooth coats want a weekly rubdown, longer or wiry ones a proper brush two or three times a week. Shedding is real but modest. Like most tiny dogs they crowd their teeth, so dental care is the standing appointment. Add a winter sweater.
Training
Two stubborn parents make one opinionated student. Keep sessions short, upbeat, and paid in real currency — this mix works for food and affection, not approval. Housetraining takes honest patience, especially in cold or rain. Socialize early and broadly: a confident Chiweenie is charming, an anxious one is a car alarm.
Exercise
A half hour of walks plus indoor play covers the body — short legs make modest mileage. Protect the spine while you are at it: ramps or a lift instead of leaps off the furniture. Sniffing, puzzle feeders, and games tire the busy mind, which is the part that actually needs it.
Diet
Small dog, smaller margin: extra ounces load a long, Dachshund-style back, so measure meals and budget treats honestly. Two feedings a day suit most adults. Quality matters more than quantity at this size — and no, the pleading stare is not a nutritional requirement.
Two old jobs, one new dog
Both parents bring serious résumés: the Dachshund was engineered in Germany to follow badgers underground, and the Chihuahua descends from the ancient companion dogs of Mexico. Crossing them is recent — most accounts place the first deliberate Chiweenie litters in 1990s North America, part of the designer-dog wave. No kennel club recognizes the mix, which has never slowed it down; charm requires no paperwork.
Questions, answered
How big does a Chiweenie get?
Usually somewhere between five and twelve pounds, depending on the parents — some lean long and low like a Dachshund, others leggier like a Chihuahua.
Are Chiweenies hypoallergenic?
No — and no dog truly is. Most shed lightly to moderately, whichever coat they inherit.
Do Chiweenies bark a lot?
Yes — both parent breeds are dedicated announcers. Training and company temper it; boredom turns the volume up.
Are Chiweenies good with kids?
Best with gentle older kids. They are easy to injure, quick to defend themselves, and happiest as somebody’s chosen shadow.
