Topic: Chiweenie

Specific purpose: Inform about dachshunds, chihuahuas, and them mixed

Central Idea: Chiweenies share qualities from both halves

The German Taco aka, the Chiweenie

INTRODUCTION

I.
Attention getter: Have you ever heard of a German taco, Mexican hot dog, or maybe a
Choxie? Disclaimer, I am not talking about food.

II.
Relevance to audience: The name familiar to most is Chiweenie, and they are one of
the most popular mixed-breeds.

III.
Credibility material: As a Chiweenie and Dachshund owner I can attest that Chiweenies
share some traits of Dachshunds but the rest come from somewhere else.

IV.
Thesis: The Chiweenie is a dog breed that is half Dachshund and half Chihuahua, and
those two breeds have very different origins.

V.
Preview of speech: To see the full snapshot of the Chiweenie we will first look at the
Dachshund half, then the Chihuahua half, and finally the whole picture.

TRANSITION: (Let us cut the picture in half and analyze the Dachshund half.)

BODY

1.
Dachshund

Listener Relevance: First half of the whole picture

A.
Where from

I.
Also called, Doxie, Weiner Dog, and Sausage Dog, Dachshunds came
into the picture around 600 years ago but were not recognized by the
American Kennel Club until 1885, as verified by Dr. Kathleen
 Ii.
They were originally bred in Germany, but now pet owners around the
globe have these adorable dogs.

B.
Bred for
I.
Dachshunds were originally bred to hunt badgers. To do this they would
burrow, and even still they have a habit of digging and burrowing under
covers.

Ii.
Their name, broken down, means badger hound. Dachs- meaning badger,
and Hunt- meaning hound.

C.
Looks and personality
I.
Dachshunds are long-bodied dogs with short stubby legs. Perfect for
hunting animals that live in underground tunnels or burrows. They come in
a variety of colors, hair types, and sizes. As you can see brown, black,
white, tan, red, long hair, wire hair, short hair, standard size, or miniature
are all options. They can even have blue eyes.

Ii.
Dachshunds are stubborn, curious, spunky, and friendly. They have a
medium energy level, are pretty trainable, and are good with older kids,
but they are very vocal with their barking. Because of their personality and
looks they are the 9th most popular dog breed in the United States,
according to the American Kennel Club.

TRANSITION: (Now that the first half is clear, we can look the the second half,
Chihuahua.)

2.
Chihuahua

Listener Relevance: Second half of the whole picture

A.
Where from

I.
 The name Chihuahua comes from its namesake in Mexico, the state of
Chihuahua. However, as dogacademy.org states, there is controversy on
where they actually came from some believe that they are from Egypt,
some China, and some Mexico.

Ii.
Chihuahua is where the first Chihuahuas were found in the mid-1800s,
according to the American Kennel Club.
B.
Bred for

I.
Since this breed is believed to be from ancient Mexico, it is not known for
certain what the Chihuahua was bred for. However, it is believed that they
were bred for rodent control and as a scout for the land.

Ii.
Their small size made it easy for them to go into small spaces to kill
rodents and pests. And their loud, high-pitched bark would easily alert to
intruders. Even though an enemy could hear the bark their size made it a
breeze to hide and evade injury or capture.

C.
Looks and personality
I.
The Chihuahua comes in many different colors including, black, brown,
tan, and white. They also can be long or short haired. As said by Kristin
Hitchcock, smaller chihuahuas (tea cup) are prone to health issues
because breeders are trying to make them smaller and smaller. This can
lead to brain problems and many puppies don’t make it into adulthood.

Ii.
They are very loud breeds, known to be anxious and aggressive towards
strangers and children. They are very cuddly and if not trained properly
they will believe they own you, not the other way around. Chihuahuas
have a high energy level, but as long as they can get their zoomies out
and get plenty of attention from their people they are happy. The American
Kennel Club has ranked Chihuahuas as the 34th most popular dog breed.

TRANSITION: (We can now combine the two halves to take a peek at the full picture.)

3.
Chiweenie

Listener Relevance: The whole picture

 A.
Breeding and unbreeding

I.
The Chiweenie can be bred by crossing a Dachshund and a Chihuahua
and can be uncrossed by breeding it with a Dachshund or Chihuahua.

B.
Personality from both

I.
Chiweenies are very playful like both of their parent breeds. They are also
very cuddly and affectionate like both and act like they are bigger than
they are.

Ii.
According to the World Animal Foundation, they get most of their
temperament from the Chihuahua. So, their hunting instincts are not really
present, but they make great watchdogs. They can also get anxiety from
their smaller parent.

Iii.
They do however like to burrow like Dachshunds do.
C.
Looks from both
I.
They can get their bark from either parent, it can either be loud and deep
like a Dachshund or sharp and shrill like a Chihuahua. Their coat length
and color depend on what their parents had. They can be all of the colors
a Dachshund and Chihuahua can.

Ii.
Their size is not up for debate since both their parents are small breeds.
This is because of the gene called the Chihuahua gene. According to an article
from American Scientist, in 2007 scientists found the gene connected to the size
of dogs. This gene is on canine chromosome 15 and all small dogs have the
same proteins in this gene.

TRANSITION: (Now that the two halves are whole, the picture is now crystal clear.)
 CONCLUSION

I.
Summary statement: We have now seen the full snapshot of the Chiweenie, looked at
the Dachshund half, the Chihuahua half, and the whole beautiful picture.

II.
Wow statement/closing statement: After hearing all this information about the
Chiweenie, would this be a dog you would like to have?

References

Chiweenie Dog - Personality Traits And Breed Information. (2022, October 28). World Animal

Foundation. Retrieved September 5, 2023, from

https://worldanimalfoundation.org/dogs/chiweenie/

Chiweenie: Your Complete Guide. (n.d.). Dog Academy. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from

https://dogacademy.org/breeds/chiweenie

Eilish, B. (2022, October 2). . . - YouTube. Retrieved September 11, 2023, from

https://www.akc.org/compare-breeds/?selected=%5B24162%5D

Hitchcock, K. (2023, April 25). Pet Animals - Dogs - Meet The 7 Types Of Chihuahua Dogs. AZ

Animals. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/meet-the-7-types-of-chihuahua-dogs/

In the News. (2019, April 18). American Scientist. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from

https://www.americanscientist.org/article/in-the-news-49

Wu, N. (2022, May 19). Learn About the Dachshund Dog Breed. WebMD. Retrieved September

11, 2023, from https://www.webmd.com/pets/dogs/what-to-know-about-dachshunds