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Chihuahua

Chihuahua genetic profile from the CanVAS Atlas. 25 dogs in the Atlas, heterozygosity 0.40. Nearest relatives, trait loci frequencies, cohort distribution.

What the atlas says about Chihuahua

In the atlas, the Chihuahua clusters consistently as Chihuahua (100% of the 25 dogs here). Genetic diversity is high (mean heterozygosity 0.3979), reflecting either a mixed-breed cluster or breeds with broad genetic backgrounds. At the trait loci, SMAD2 runs lower than average (6% here vs 74%); FGF4_retrogene_CFA18 runs lower than average (16% here vs 77%).

Ranks 107 of 107 on the bottleneck severity scale, among the most genetically diverse breeds in the atlas. Mean heterozygosity is 0.398, notably high, indicates broad genetic background. Low breed predictability score (0.23), individual dogs of this breed vary widely in genetics, suggesting active substructure or sub-population diversity. Only 25 dogs of this breed in the atlas, modestly sampled.

Closest genetic neighbors in the atlas: Pomeranian, Papillon, Maltese, Keeshond, and Portuguese Water Dog.

Median lifespan is 9.86 years, about 4.3 years shorter than a typical dog of 2.0 kg, one of the larger gaps in the atlas.

Genetic dimensions · CanVAS atlas

What the genome says about Chihuahua

Computed from the 14,478 research dogs in the Atlas. Methods: technical methodology.

Dogs in the Atlas
25Founders
14 from Hayward2016, 10 from Spatola, 1 from JenkinsWGS
Genetic diversity
0.40Diverse
Mean heterozygosity across the breed. Ranks 107th most genetically tight of 107 ranked breeds.
Cluster structure
Single tight cluster
Intra-breed RMS distance: 22.45
Nearest genetic relatives
  1. Pomeranian2.44
  2. Papillon3.09
  3. Maltese3.39
  4. Keeshond4.30
  5. Portuguese Water Dog5.50
Top-10 PC corrected Euclidean. Lower = closer.
Trait genetics
Allele frequencies at named morphology loci

Frequency of the alternate allele in this breed at each locus's representative SNP. Methods + caveats in technical methodology.

Body size
IGF194%
HMGA22%
SMAD26%
LCORL92%
STC294%
ADAMTS1778%
Leg length
FGF4·CFA1816%
FGF4·CFA1280%
Coat
RSPO255%
FGF564%
KRT7188%
MC1R92%
Ear set
MSRB339%
Skull shape
BMP378%
SMOC288%
Add your Chihuahua to the Atlas

You can add your Chihuahua right now at /add/ as a Charted star. Or, if you'd rather wait for DNA uploads, leave your email and we'll let you know the moment those open.

Last updated
Sources: CanVAS (Brundage 2026) · CanVAS dimensions data