Applehead chihuahuas versus deerhead chihuahuas, here are the facts!
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.
In applehead Chihuahuas, the chihuahua has a large dome head with a shorter muzzle. In deer-headed Chihuahuas the muzzle is longer and the head is much less round.
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.
The shape of a Chihuahuas head is simply genetics, the two head types are not their own breeds. Apple head Chihuahuas are said to suffer more with reverse sneezing. Some say they are more prone to dental issues (due to the shorter muzzle).
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183 Comments.
My mom and I got females from the same litter, and mine is about a 5 lb deer head fawn. Hers is a 7.5 lb apple head. It worked out we both ended up with what we preferred. We both since have gotten more chis based on our personal preferences.
My 5lb chihuahua got with a 12 lb puggle. i just learned she is with “dog”. I’m concerned there is a big risk to my dog’s health at birth time. I am seriously contemplating spaying her and stopping the pregnancy, but if she were to be all right giving birth, I would tough it out and let her have pups. Anyone have any thoughts?
I have an apple head chihuahua named Babygirl. When I got her a year ago and took her for her shots and manicure she weighed 2lb.9oz. I took her for her yearly rabies shot about a month ago and she weighed 3 lb 9oz. I live alone and she is such good company. She only barks when someone comes to the door. She is very quiet and even tempered. I believe that the person who had her before me must have abused her. And was probably a man. She doesn’t take up with men very well. I am having problems house breaking her and have tried everything I have found on the internet to no avail. But I can overlook that because I have fallen in love with her. She’s adorable !
Can someone look at these photos and tell me if they feel the dog is bull blooded?
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@Kitana: She may yet ‘discover’ her bark! Angelbat didn’t bark until she was almost a year old! I think the long, cold winter indoors didn’t supply her with a lot of distractions but once spring came and all the windows were open, she found she could bark at noises outside. We were stunned the first time we heard our tiny ‘squeaker’ actually bark as it was a surprisingly deep bark, like a much bigger dog!
@Missy: Seriously, I am terrified that you want to breed a 3.5lb dog. There is every likelihood she would die in childbirth. Female chis who are actually bred are fairly big dogs for chis. They need to be! Chi pups have oversize heads and they don’t really go through the birthing canal all that easily. If you try to breed such a tiny dog she would definitely need to be at the vet for a caesarian delivery at the right moment. Otherwise you seriously run the risk of losing your precious little girl just to get some more chi puppies. If you got her from a reputable breeder, go there for another puppy. Good breeders do not force tiny dogs to give birth at risk of their own death.
I have 2 chis one is a tri colored long coat female with an apple head and the other is a much smaller chocolate and tan smooth coat male with an adorable deer head. If I didnt know better I would think he was a mix of rat terrier/chi or min pin/chi. That is what I think deer or doe head chis look like. But that is the beautiful thing about chis that are so unique and perfectly adorable because they arent as finely breed as other breeds. Much to their credit. I am passionate about chihuahuas!!!
I have a deerhead chi, and she is precious! We handed her to everyone that came in our door, to hold from the time she was 12 weeks old. This fact has made her loving to everyone, as long as they are female or children. For some reason she does not like men. Nothing has ever happened that should have made her fear them, so we are at a loss. She adores my husband, our 36 year old son, and my daddy. She is very “standoffish” to other men. Does anyone have a clue? Is this normal for a small female chi?
I have a darling little dear head chi. She is a rescue dog and the vet ‘thinks’ she is a full breed Chi. I don’t know and do not care. The ‘pound’ called her a Pomeranian, which she clearly is not. She weighed 1.27 lbs when I adopted her, almost 2 years ago. Now she weighs 3.5 lbs. She is called a long haired deer head chi by the vet.
Guess what….I don’t care. She’s a tiny little bundle of love.
I’ve seen/heard that some Chi’s are yappy, but my little one isn’t. She rarely barks. She snuffles and sniffles at night, curled up with me.
I would like to find a male dog to breed her with. Obviously not a breeder to make money from pure bred dogs. I just would like to have 1 litter. I want a VERY small dog, long haired Chi preferred.
Am I out of line?
I have a 5 month old female deerhead dalmation chihuahua named Kitana!! She is the smartest little thing ever (3.5lbs so far). She came home at 8 weeks already potty trained and is making a very good transition going outside. She just loves people and will always greet them wherever she’s at. She seems to like other Chihuahua’s right off the bat, but has to warm up to any big dog before she’ll play with them. She has never learned to bark which i absolutely love!! She is my best friend and i can’t imagine life without her!!
I bought an applehead 6 months ago. She seems to be mixed between an apple & deer head I think.. She’s precious regardless. I just feel as though the breeder was dishonest with me. I’d be more then happy to send anyone of ya’ll pics of my puppy if I can get an accurate answer. Also, she’s supposed to be a long coat but her coat isn’t really growing too much. I need some opinions.
Thanks so much,
Denise
[email protected]
I have both and don’t actually see anything rocksolid consistent in the differences. I think both types can run the gamut. My darling Dangerboy passed away very suddenly at 10 yrs; he was a longcoat applehead and my sweetheart and tiny best friend in every possible way. I always knew he wouldn’t pass in his sleep, a happy old man, though.. he had a history of issues that really are heartbreaking.. he had neurological issues and bronchitis. The meds for bronchitis made him gain weight, too.. at 10yrs he was about 8lbs which was not bad for him but he would have been better off at 7lbs. I got him after he won blue ribbon status but then his teeth came in all weird (another common applehead problem) & they stopped showing him. So he was a perfect applehead and had several strange problems with breathing, etc. Angelbat, on the other hand, is also a longcoat perfect applehead, now 14yrs old and a happy, sweet old lady even after a lifetime of dealing with Addison’s disease, a hernia, floating kneecaps & ulcers. She is sweet and mostly quiet while Dangerboy was Jekyll & Hyde.. I think that personality went with the disorders that cropped up later.. quiet one minute, racing around like a lunatic the next. Now I also have Mojo, a smoothcoat male deerhead. At 9mo and 4lbs he is high energy and all boy and all puppy. I have started to think the “all or nothing” personality is kind of a boy thing, girls are just calmer, even as puppies. I don’t think it has anything to do with head shapes though I do think the shape is indicative of other underlying genetic issues you need to be aware of with applehead chis. All three have been and always will be the tiny loves of my life!
i have two chi’s my oldest Paco. 1 year is awesome hes about 7 pounds hes marked like a rottie(black and tan) and my youngest Bella is about 3 months old. shes tan and white shes his daughter they are a riot all over the place i wouldn’t trade them for anything! oh yeah they are both apple heads!
I have a applehead boy chi and a deer head female chi they just had puppies this morning! The boy applehead is alot more agressive and protective then the female deerhead i wonder if that has something to do with his sex or his kind? The girl is loving and will let u hold her and shes great with kids but the boy likes his space he dnt like children but hes still a great dog to the ppl he knows and hes so good to my female dog and hes doing great with the puppies!
I just got my 1st chihuahua puppy and I am smitten with her. She goes everywhere with me like to the mall. So I need a need a purse/bag for dog carrying…any ideas?
you should check out the fashionable and quality made chihuahua carriers at the famous chihuahua online store
I have 2 years old deerhead chihuahua, very cute everyone loves him so much. Now we bought a new applehead puppy of 8 weeks. He is so energetic,wants to play with Rico but he doesn’t want to play. On the top when Max comes to him for playing ,Rico tends to bite him. I am in very frustrating situation What should I do ? I bought little one for companionship of Rico. On the other hand day and night I am on the supervision. Please give me some ideas.
I want to get a chihuahua this summer, and am currently doing a lot of research so i no exactly what i want, but i cant decide between the apple head or dear heads. i dont fully understand the differences or the pros and cons of each one. Can anyone help me out x
you may want to look more at getting a deerhead chihuahua as they are less likely to develop as many health issues and tend to out live apple head chihuahuas.
I have two chis, both apple-heads. Dobby, my oldest, is blonde, and weighs around 11 lbs. My other chi, Miel, is chocolate with white markings and weighs 7 lbs. Dobby came from a breeder. His mother was a long haired apple head and his father was a short hair apple head. Miel was a rescue foster puppy that I fell in love with, so I never saw his parents. He doesn’t resemble the typical chi, because his eyes are very light colored.
It seems to me that lots of deer-head chis don’t look very much like chis at all. Many pics I’ve seen of deer-heads look as though they have been mixed with some other breed, with their long snouts, straight ears, and long legs..there is something about their eyes that just doesn’t say ‘chihuahua’ to me. Not to say they aren’t just as sweet. 🙂
Both of my chis have the deer head shape. Little Man is around 5 yrs old , 9 lbs, black and tan. I do not know anything about his parents. My 2 yr old Chloe is 4 lbs, fawn with green eyes and pink snout. She was the runt of the litter. Her mother was the typical apple head and the father is the thinner bodied, deer head. They are my babies and we all miss my mutt, Angel who recently died of a siezure and stroke.
my name maria i have a chihuahua that is named chiquita. She has a apple shaped head i wantd to know do thay have more problems than deer shaped chihuahuas.
apple head chihuahuas tend to develop more chihuahua health problems than deer head chihuahuas, they also don’t live as long, but there are exceptions to this of course, this is generally speaking.
I have a 2 year old 3 lb male chihuahua. i always thought he was a applehead. But he has the longer deer like legs. So I don’t know what he is to be. He was sold to me as an applehead and he is AKC registered as a chihuahua. So now my delima is looking for another one to keep him company and wanting her to look just like him. How do you know if they are going to have the longer legs when they are 8 weeks old? I couldn’t tell from my Titus when he was a baby until he grew. You can see pics of him on myspace, in my pics myspace.com/jennifersperry
I had never heard the term “deer head chihuahua” until this morning when I was at Petsmart with my longcoat Chi and a lady said, from clear across the store, “IS THAT A DEER HEAD CHIHUAHUA? IT IS! OH MY GOD, THAT’S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHIHUAHUA I’VE EVER SEEN!”
Lol.
Just wanted to share of picture of my deerhead chihuahua baby 🙂
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myspace.com/meganfromindy
She’s also a dale jr fan, lol
I have a deer head chi that looks exactly like a minuture pincher in color except she’s long haired and a wonderful dog. I’m new to chi’s but we couldn’t love her more. Does not have the problems of a apple head in the degree of not being able to breath or the open skull. She is bigger then your normal chi but she is very friendly to all she comes in contact with. When I say bigger I mean she is about 11 pounds but very thin. I would have another chi in a heartbeat!!! Don’t care whether she is an apple or a deer head……….
To Stephanie Morris;
The Taco Bell Chihuahua was a deer head chihuahua to the extreme. Definitely not typical of the chihuahua standard.
I have a new Chi puppy, and 2 adult Chis…Luv them all!!! The vet says my new one is a Deer Head. Got him at 7 weeks old…1 lb. But growing fast. Very, very adorable…tan in color…named him Peanut.