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-

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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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Thank you Jan for the wonderful siggy!

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



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

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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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Thank you Jan for the wonderful siggy!

<<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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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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widogmom