Meet Cedric the Chihuahua.
He’s a tiny social media star with a huge following across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Cedric has amassed a loyal fanbase thanks to his garden tours on Instagram, his stylish and quirky outfits and his adorable bath-time content.
At the time of writing, Cedric has nearly 300,000 followers on Instagram as this tiny Chihuahua continues to live his best life.
While Cedric lives in Canada, he’s a globetrotter and loves to explore different parts of the world with his two-legged parents.
We spoke to Cedric’s mom to learn more about this famous Chihuahua’s day-to-day life and social media success.
You can follow Cedric on Instagram (@chihuahuacedric), TikTok (@chihuahuacedricofficial) and Youtube (@CedricChihuahua).
1) What attracted you to the Chihuahua breed?
Cedric the Chihuahua (Photo: @chihuahuacedric / Instagram)
The Chihuahua’s tiny size. We needed a dog we could easily travel with. At that time we travelled a lot and needed a pet we could bring along with us. That’s why Cedric has been to 7 different countries with us and to endless amount of road trips! He can fly in cabin and takes no room in the car. A perfect little travel buddy!
2) How did you end up with Cedric?
It was my mother who told me about a tiny Chihuahua puppy, with a severe overbite, who had hard time finding a home. She sent me a short video clip of Cedric playing with his siblings. He was tiny, but fearless while fighting over a piece of cabbage! My husband and I fell in love immediately! There was something about Cedric that felt like we already knew him, like he was already our puppy. We agreed to adopt him! However Cedric was in Estonia and we live in Canada. I had to plan a whole trip to go and get him home, but it was all worth the effort. First time I met him was at the airport, I was surprised how tiny he was even for a chihuahua puppy! he had seemed much bigger on photos and videos, to this date it’s the same, he seems much bigger on the screen than in real life. I picked him in my arms and the love I felt for him at that very moment was like magic! He was my little man and my whole life changed from that moment on.
3) Can you describe Cedric’s personality?
Cedric the Chihuahua (Photo: @chihuahuacedric / Instagram)
Cedric is very calm and a very good boy! He’s a fast learner and really enjoys learning new tricks and commands. He’s older now and has less energy, but still enjoys learning something new. Cedric has always preferred mental activities over physical ones. While most dogs love playing with toys and going for long walkies, he doesn’t. His favourite activity is learning something and mastering it! That’s why posing for photos and videos is easy for him, he just enjoys it! Most of the time he does it just for the praise and not for treats. He’s a funny little man with a gentle soul and eagerness to be a good boy!
4) What does a typical day look like for Cedric?
Cedric is not a morning dog! He loves sleeping late and takes his sweet time to get up. He’ll make his little round in the garden and then he’ll eat his breakfast. After that he’s back at having a long nap while his humans do their work. Later in the afternoons, he does his ‘acting’ for social media or gives a ‘garden tour’ for his followers or goes for his neighbourhood walkies. Then it’s dinner time and after that a long nap on the sofa! After his evening walkies it is time for his bedtime snack and play time! He is the most active late at night, that when he plays or solves dog puzzles.
5) Can you share with us your funniest Cedric story?
Cedric the Chihuahua (Photo: @chihuahuacedric / Instagram)
We were on a 8 hour flight to Europe and he was sleeping in his carrier bag under my front seat. I was constantly talking to him to keep him calm and reassured, especially during the turbulence. Once we had landed I took him out to give him kisses and the lady next time started laughing! She said she thought I was a crazy lady talking to my handbag for the whole 8 hours! She felt so relieved when she saw that I had been actually talking to a tiny dog and not my handbag! It still makes me laugh to think about what she must have gone trough for those 8 long hours sitting next to a ‘crazy bag lady’ ! Now when we fly, I always make sure that people sitting next to me will see that there is a dog in the bag under the seat . Lesson learned!
6) How would you describe your bond with Cedric?
We are soulmates! We communicate without any words, just looks and feelings. It’s much deeper than human to human bond. I’m sure most dog parents can relate to this intense connection. It’s hard to describe unless you’ve felt it too.
7) What are some of the pros and cons of the Chihuahua breed?
Cedric the Chihuahua (Photo: @chihuahuacedric / Instagram)
Chihuahuas are very smart! That’s a pro and a con at the same time. They need guidance and training or they will learn to manipulate their humans into their servants! It’s hard to say no to such tiny cuties and they absolutely are aware of it! Chihuahuas also need a lot of love, they are very loving dogs with deep emotional connections with their humans. Their love is the greatest gift!
8) Why did you decide to start social media for Cedric – and did you ever anticipate the success that you’ve had?
I uploaded a short video of him swimming for the very first time on YouTube. It was intended to be shared just with my family. To my surprise it took off immediately and it went viral! That’s when his YouTube channel got started. At the beginning it was just a little hobby. Then during the pandemic his Instagram account started getting a lot of attention. I had more time to put more effort in his content snd it really took off. At that time I also started his TikTok channel that got over million followers in less than a year! That’s how I started collaborating with brands and my little hobby became my job.
9) What are some of the pros and cons of being a doggie influencer?
Cedric the Chihuahua (Photo: @chihuahuacedric / Instagram)
Cedric’s followers are amazing! They are kindest and funniest people in the whole world! I love reading all the lovely comments and messages and interacting daily with his fans! It’s the most fulfilling part of it! And then there are the trolls who like to hate on tiny dogs for no real reason. I know it’s about them and not about Cedric, but it’s still very unpleasant to have to deal with people like that. It takes a lot of mental strength to be on social media and not let the trolls ruin your joy. It’s not always easy or fun, but the good always outweighs the bad by a million!
10) How has social media changed since you started Cedric’s page? Do you have a preferred platform or do you like all types of content?
When I started on YouTube @CedricChihuahua 8 years ago, there was much less pressure to constantly produce new content. Now the standard is to to post daily and it’s a lot more work than it might seem. It’s a full time job to keep it up and keep it growing. Of all the platforms my absolute favorite is Instagram (@chihuahuacedric). That’s where it’s easiest to connect with Cedric’s audience on a more personal level. I love the IG story feature, Cedric’s Garden Tours on IG stories are my absolute favorite content to create. His IG friends love it too and we all bond over his funny little daily habits and quirks. It feels like we are all just a group of friends.
11) What’s the most memorable “pinch me” moment Cedric as a result of his social media stardom?
Cedric the Chihuahua (Photo: @chihuahuacedric / Instagram)
When DoggyBathroom and Kimpton Saint George Hotel invited Cedric for their collaboration launch in Toronto! It was our first paid brand trip! Cedric loves travelling and he loves staying in hotels, it was a perfect fit! This hotel stay was really special! That was the only hotel at that moment where you could order a DoggyBathroom in your hotel room! Perfect for tiny dogs with tiny bladders. He was treated like a real star! We got to stay in the most pet friendly hotel we’ve ever been to and he loved every single second of it! He got to attend a doggie cocktail party, model for photo shoots, a sponsored shopping spree at Holt Renfrew and eat at nice dog friendly restaurants! All his favourite things to do! We also got to meet other amazing dog influencers and bond over our famous pets. We all had so much fun. It felt like dream come true!
12) What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about setting up a social media account for their dog?
Protect your privacy! Make sure you don’t share where you live or your daily routine in real time. We’ve had a few uncomfortable incidents and now we are more careful. Safety has to come first even for dog influencers. There are some scary people out there who don’t have your best interest in mind. You need to limit the access to your real life to keep them away.
Another thing is to be aware that not all dogs will make good influencers. It’s important to respect your dogs personality and their limitations. They need to enjoy ‘acting’ and posing for photos and not be forced to perform. I always put Cedric first and content second. If he looks tired or uninterested, we stop filming and try again the next day or next week. Content can always wait, his happiness is more important to me. I’m always upfront with brands about Cedric’s limitations and I only accept collaborations that fit his needs.
13) Do you have a favourite social media post from all your thousands of posts that always make you smile or laugh?
Cedric the Chihuahua (Photo: @chihuahuacedric / Instagram)
Cedric’s toothbrush bath videos never fail to make me smile! I love his bath time, it’s the most wholesome bonding moment for us and it just warms my heart when others love it too! One of his many bath videos went viral on Instagram, getting over 39 million views! It just shows how much everyone loves his bath time and to watch him being pampered and cared for ! Most dogs are terrified of baths and Cedric used to be too! It took me long time to get him to love baths as much as he does now. It inspired me to write my Cedric’s Calming Bath Guidebook that teaches dog owners all the methods I’ve used to get Cedric to love his baths. Now many other dogs are loving their bath time as well! All thanks to that one viral video!
14) What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to when you first got Cedric?
Don’t worry about his health issues! I thought he will suffer from his severe overbite and his stuffy nose and his IBS, but these have been just little setbacks! His health issues have not stopped him from having a very happy and fulfilling life!
15) What has Cedric got planned next?
Cedric will always surprise you with something new! Just wait and see!
Cedric the Chihuahua (Photo: @chihuahuacedric / Instagram)
