A tiny, devoted cross between a Chihuahua and a Toy Poodle, with a big personality in a very small body.
Designer crosstoy breedChihuahua and Toy PoodleParent profiles checked
About this profile: the Chipoo is a cross, also known as the Chi-Poo, not a recognized breed with a standard. Size, lifespan and care figures here are estimates drawn from our full profiles of the two parent breeds, the Chihuahua and the Poodle, and individual dogs vary more than purebreds do. That variation is normal for a cross and is stated plainly rather than hidden.
The Chipoo pairs the world's smallest breed with the smallest Poodle, producing a dog that usually weighs well under 12 lb and bonds with Chihuahua intensity. Owners get a portable, long lived companion that is clever, alert and deeply attached, often to one favorite person. It is a cross for adults and calm households who will treat a tiny dog like a real dog, with training, boundaries and socialization, rather than carrying it away from the world.
Chipoos have been bred in the United States since the early Poodle cross era. With two toy parents of quite different builds, litters vary a great deal: apple headed, longer muzzled, smooth coated and curly coated puppies can all appear, and adult weights range from Chihuahua tiny to nearly double. No registry or standard exists, so the parents themselves are the best guide to what a puppy will become.
Devotion is the headline: Chipoos shadow their person, supervise the household and hold strong views about strangers, other dogs and the postman. The Poodle side adds quick learning and a playful streak. Without early socialization and training, the Chihuahua traits harden into barking, guarding and snapping; with them, you get a funny, confident little dog that is easy company almost anywhere.
Energy (3/5)
Trainability (3/5)
Grooming needs (3/5)
Shedding (2/5)
Barking (5/5)
Good with children: Better with older children
With other dogs: Prefers its own kind
With strangers: Wary of strangers
Apartment life: Well suited
Coat: Highly variable: short and smooth, long and soft, or wavy and Poodle like, sometimes changing as the puppy coat gives way to the adult one.
Colors: Almost every color and pattern appears, from both parents' wide palettes: cream, black, brown, fawn, white and mixed markings.
Tiny stomachs need small measured meals, and teeth are the big care item, because toy mouths crowd badly. Handle puppies gently, teach children to sit on the floor with the dog rather than carrying it, and use a harness instead of a collar to protect a delicate windpipe.
Twenty to forty minutes a day, much of it in short garden and indoor sessions plus a proper walk. Chipoos tire quickly but also chill quickly, so coats in cold weather are practical, and play should be scaled to a very small dog's joints.
Coat dependent: smooth coats need a weekly brush, longer and curlier coats need combing several times a week and regular clips. Teeth brushing matters more than coat work in this cross; start it in the first week home.
Chipoos are clever and learn cues quickly, but house training tiny bladders takes a strict routine and patience. The essential projects are socialization with people and dogs of all sizes, a reliable quiet for barking, and being handled and left alone without panic. Reward based methods only: harsh handling creates exactly the snappy dog people fear.
The classic flat and lap companion, suited to adult households, older owners and anyone home a lot. Chipoos are fragile around toddlers and boisterous big dogs, and their barking needs training in thin walled homes. In the right home they are undemanding, funny and very long lived company.
About $6 per month for a typical 7 lb adult eating roughly 0.4 cups a day of a standard quality food ($1.60 per lb). Full breakdown in our food expense calculator.
Plan 20 to 40 minutes a day of walks, play and training. Under exercised dogs of most breeds invent their own projects, and they rarely pick good ones.
Estimated US range $42 to $75 per month for accident and illness cover, estimated from the parent breeds' published ranges on this site; see the insurance estimator and the insurance guide.
On the monthly figures above, a typical adult year runs to about $72 for food and $504 to $900 for insurance, before routine vet care, grooming and gear. Year one costs more: vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, a crate, bedding and training all land at once.
How weight typically builds with age for this cross, estimated from the parent breeds' sizes.
| Stage | Age | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | 8 weeks | about 1 to 2 lb |
| Puppy | 4 months | about 1 to 5 lb |
| Puppy | 6 months | about 2 to 7 lb |
| Young | 9 months | about 2 to 9 lb |
| Young | 12 months | about 3 to 11 lb |
| Adult | Full grown | 3 to 12 lb (typical range) |
| Senior | From about 8 years | Healthy weight stays in the adult range; watch for slow gain or loss |
Growth figures are estimates interpolated from the adult weight ranges of the two parent breeds, following the size class growth pattern used across this site. Cross puppies vary more than purebred puppies; steady growth matters more than hitting any single number, and your vet's growth checks come first.
Puppies are exceptionally small and need protection from falls, big dogs and over handling, with frequent small meals. Adults are settled, devoted companions whose exercise needs are modest. Seniors benefit from dental care, heart checks and warmth, and often remain bright and active well into their teens.
Both parents share the toy breed risks, so ask for patella and heart screening from both sides, eye and DNA information from the Poodle side, and ask about the soft spot and trachea history from the Chihuahua side.
Health notes summarize the conditions the two parent breeds' profiles and breed guidance most often flag. They are general information for choosing and caring, not a diagnosis or a substitute for your vet. Parent profiles: Chihuahua and Poodle.
There is no standalone cost guide for the Chipoo: as a cross, its adult size, coat and health risks land between its two parents, so the honest figures live in the parent guides. See the Chihuahua cost guide and the Poodle (Standard) cost guide, and run your own mix in the cost calculator.
A typical lifespan is 12 to 15 years. Both parent breeds are comparatively long lived, and weight control, dental care and buying from health tested parents give a dog the best chance of reaching the top of that range.
Food for a typical adult runs about $6 a month at a standard quality tier, and accident and illness insurance is estimated between $42 and $75 a month in the US, based on the parent breeds' ranges. Try the full cost calculator for a complete year one and yearly picture.
Better with older children. As with every breed, supervise dogs and children together and teach children to respect the dog's space.
Plan on 20 to 40 minutes a day, split between walks, play and training games. Puppies and seniors need gentler, shorter sessions.
Usually between about 3 and 12 lb. A Chihuahua bred to a Toy Poodle can produce puppies at either end of that range, so the parents' own sizes are your best evidence. Any breeder guaranteeing a tiny adult weight is guessing.
They can. Both parents are alert, vocal breeds, and the Chihuahua side is famous for it. Early training, socialization and a taught quiet cue keep it manageable, but this is not a silent cross.