The Great Dane Chihuahua mix breed is a dog breed that defies all odds. This unusual mix combines two of the world’s smallest and largest dog breeds.
These two breeds are as different in nature and physical appearance as can be. If you’re wondering how these two came together to create offspring, you’re not alone. The majority of people haven’t ever heard of the Great Dane Chihuahua mix, and if they have, the personality and appearance of this dog remain a mystery to them.
Although the Great Dane Chihuahua mix is in existence, there are only a few of them, meaning there is a lack of information surrounding their health, temperament, and even physical appearance.
In this blog post, we’re sharing everything there is to know about the Great Dane Chihuahua mix. By the end of this post, you’ll be familiar with how the Great Dane Chihuahua mix came into existence, if you can own this strange breed as a pet, and what to expect if you encounter a Great Dane Chihuahua mix
Great Dane Chihuahua Mix Dog Breed Quick Facts
Average Height:
- Male: 28” – 34” ( 71 to 86 cm)
- Female: 28” – 34” (71 to 86 cm)
Average Weight:
- Male: 100 – 170 Lbs (45 – 77 kg)
- Female: 100 – 170 Lbs (45 – 77 kg)
Average lifespan: Unknown
Chihuahua: 12-20 years
Great Dane: 7-10
Origin: Unknown
Alternative names:
- Chi-Dane
- Great Mexican Dog
Great Dane Chihuahua Mix Breed Characteristics
The Great Dane Chihuahua Mix combines two strong breeds, distinctive personalities. The Great Dane, despite its intimidating size, can be defined as a ‘gentle giant’. The lovable Great Dane is affectionate, loyal, and sociable. Great Dane’s are ideal for big families in large homes.
On the other hand, the Chihuahua is almost totally the opposite. These handbag-sized pups are known for being stubborn, alert, and lively. Surprisingly, it’s the Great Dane that is more chilled out and lower maintenance.
As is the case with all crossbreeds, it’s a lucky dip when it comes to defining personality traits. A Great Dane Chihuahua mix breed can be docile and lovable like the Great Dane or feisty and argumentative like the Chihuahua. Or, you might find a mix that’s the perfect combination of the two!
A yappy Chihuahua and Great Dane mix is an ideal guard dog for a medium-sized house.
As the temperament of the Great Dane Chihuahua Mix can be a mixed bag, we’ve put together a list of the personality traits common to each of the parent breeds. If you meet or purchase a Great Dane Chihuahua Mix, here are some of the possible personality traits you may encounter:
- Loyal
- Lively
- Alert
- Quick
- Aggressive
- Intelligent
- Devoted
- Cheerful
- Friendly
- Reserved
- Loving
- Gentle
- Confident
- Affectionate
- Sociable
- Courageous
Where Is The Great Dane Chihuahua Mix Dog Breed From?
The Great Dane Chihuahua Mix, like many crossbreeds, doesn’t have an exact origin. The date and location that the Great Dane Chihuahua Mix were first bred remains unknown.
Due to the dramatic size difference between these two breeds, they can’t mate in the traditional sense. Artificial insemination is used to create the Great Dane Chihuahua Mix. This an expensive and long-winded process that requires expert breeders.
Great Danes are massive dogs, especially compared to the tiny Chihuahua. Due to the severity of the size difference between the two, the small Chihuahua female can not carry the Great Dane puppy to full term. Not long after conception, the cross-breed fetus grows too large, putting the female Chihuahua at risk.
As a result, the mother Chihuahua must undergo an emergency c-section. The fetus and mother don’t tend to survive this process. As you can see, this is a long-winded and inhumane practice that doesn’t benefit either breed.
The Great Dane Chihuahua Mix Dog Breeds in existence today are all the result of artificial insemination processes. These dogs are around twice the size of a regular Chihuahua and significantly smaller than the Great Dane.
Once the Great Dane Chihuahua mix is born, there are still health concerns regarding the puppies’ health. The mix-breeds inconvenient size means the mother can’t nurse these puppies, and instead, the human owner must hand feed the puppy.
In addition to this, genetic mutations are common in Great Dane Chihuahua mix puppies. Unwanted genetic mutations can be dangerous and may cause further health complications.
Great Dane Chihuahua Mix Physical Appearance
A fully-grown Great Dane Chihuahua mix is sized halfway between its two parent breeds, creating a pretty average-sized dog. This breed has a large head, similar to the English Greyhound.
Many have identified similarities between the Great Dane Chihuahua mix and Dachshund, due to both breeds having long bodies and short legs. Unsurprisingly, the Great Dane Chihuahua mix can either look like a short and stout Great Dane, or an oversized Chihuahua.
Chihuahua’s come in a range of colors, with long and short fur. This means the Great Dane Chihuahua mix’s hair can also come in a variety of colours and lengths.
Depending on the condition of the Great Dane Chihuahua mix’s fur will depend on its grooming needs. Some Chihuahuas have short fur, and therefore, require minimal grooming. Other Chihuahuas have long hair and will need to be brushed daily with a long-haired dog brush. Long haired Great Dane Chihuahua mixes will likely need frequent trips to a professional grooming salon.
Just like all other dog breeds, the Great Dane Chihuahua mix puppy will need its teeth brushed with a dog toothbrush and toothpaste and will need its nails clipped with dog nail clippers every few months.
Great Dane Chihuahua Mix Breed Exercise And Training
Great Dane Chihuahua mix puppies are a low-energy dog breed. Despite the size of Great Danes, this breed is known for being notoriously lazy. The Chihuahua can be alert and energetic, however, their small size limits how much exercise they need.
It’s a good idea to socialize the Great Dane Chihuahua mix from an early age. The Chihuahua can be spiteful and aggressive towards strangers, therefore, a cross-breed containing the Chihuahua should be introduced to people and other animals as early as possible.
If the Great Dane genes are prominent in the cross, there will be no issues with getting your pup to socialize; Great Danes love to be around new people.
Unlike the Great Dane, the Great Dane Chihuahua mix is suitable for apartment living. Being significantly smaller than the Great Dane means this cross will be happy and healthy living in a smaller environment.
While the Great Dane Chihuahua mix only requires moderate to low exercise, you must not neglect this. Whether it’s a short hike or a run around the local dog park, exercise is necessary for all dogs.
Giving your dog interactive toys to play with will stop them from getting bored and will help run off any pent-up energy. Anger often manifests itself in the Chihuahua’s personality. Fun toys and treats can help reduce this anger and bring out a calmer, friendlier temperament in your cross-breed puppy.
Great Dane Chihuahua mixes can be pretty strong pups. High-quality indestructible toys are best suited to this breed. Giving your dog chew toys will help release some of their aggression in a healthy way.
Great Dane Chihuahua Mix Dog Breed Health
The Great Dane Chihuahua mix Dog Breed isn’t kennel club registered. Such a low number of first-generation Great Dane and Chihuahua mixes exist, that the information on the health of this breed is dangerously low. For the most part, we have to rely on understanding the health issues and common illnesses apparent in the parent breeds.
As mentioned previously, the methods used to create the Great Dane Chihuahua Mix comes with significant risk. Great Dane Chihuahua mix puppies can have dangerous and potentially life-threatening mutations. If you’re interested in owning a Great Dane Chihuahua mix puppy, you need to prepare for usual health issues that aren’t prominent in either of the parent breeds.
In addition to these mutation risks, your puppy is also susceptible to common illnesses in its parent breeds. These health concerns include:
The Great Dane Health Concerns:
- Bloat
- Cardiomyopathy – heart disease.
- Hip Dysplasia.
- Wobbler syndrome – serious neck vertebral disease.
- Osteosarcoma – bone cancer.
- Allergies – skin irritation.
- Cataracts.
- Skin growths
The Chihuahua Health Concerns:
- Episley
- Restitutory Problems
- Cardiovascular disease
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Gum disease
- Teeth and mouth problems
- Dislocating knees
- Hydrocephalus
Great Dane Chihuahua Mix Parents
As we’ve explored in this post, much of the information we have on Great Dane Chihuahua mix comes from knowledge of their parent breeds.
The Great Dane and the Chihuahua are two of the world’s oldest dog breeds in existence. Both these distinctive breeds are wildly popular pets. On any given day at the local dog park, you’ll see a number of Chihuahua’s, and probably a few Great Danes too.
There’s lots to learn about these incredible breeds, but for now, we’re going to provide a brief outline of the two breeds to help you understand what the Great Dane Chihuahua Mix will likely be like.
Great Dane
The Great Dane has earned its nickname, ‘the gentle giant’, through its kind and warm-hearted nature. You might not think it, but this affectionate breed was originally a working dog. The Great Dane was bred in Germany to protect royals as they slept. This role earned this magnificent breed another nickname, ‘Chamber Dogs’.
Alongside their role as royal protectors, the Great Dane has been a dedicated fighter, taking down animals as large as boars and bears. Today, the Great Dane lives in hundreds of homes across the USA as a loyal and loving family companion.
Chihuahua
The Chihuahua breed is small but mighty. These tiny dogs might be one of the smallest breeds in existence, but their bold personalities made up for it. Chihuahuas are fierce and stubborn dog breed at first but can be loving and loyal towards their beloved owners. The Chihuahua breed comes from the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Today, the Chihuahua is a popular breed across the globe and has become iconic as an iconic ‘handbag’ dog.
Summary On The Great Dane Chihuahua Mix
A Great Dane Chihuahua mix is one of the rarest dogs you will ever find. Generally, only those that can afford the medical breeding process own these unusual puppies. If you’re interested in breeding a Great Dane Chihuahua mix, you need to be prepared to part with a lot of money and accept things might not run smoothly.
Due to the demanding breeding process, we don’t imagine the Great Dane Chihuahua crossbreed will increase in popularity any time soon. After the Great Dane Chihuahua mixes in existence today have died out, we expect it will become even more of a rarity to see this pairing together in a puppy.
If you’re currently lucky enough to own a Great Dane Chihuahua mix, you have one of the rarest dogs in existence, and you must nurture and cherish this dog to all extents. Make sure your Great Dane Chihuahua hybrid gets the exercise it needs, is encouraged to be sociable, and is loved and appreciated by its owners.
Being the combination of two diverse breeds means the Great Dane Chihuahua puppy can be unpredictable. As an owner of this unusual breed, you must be prepared to face any uncertainties that come your way. While running into a Great Dane Chihuahua mix is a rarity, if you do happen to identify one in the park, you’ll now be able to chat with its owner about how this marvelous breed came into existence!
[wpdatatable id=61]Forrest is a lover of dogs, the wild outdoors, deep mysterious conversations… and coffee. He is the owner of several websites, including Canine Weekly. He resides in Austin, Texas.