American Hairless Terrier

History

One of the most unique looking breeds that exist today, the American Hairless Terrier is believed to of been originated by one single hairless Rat Terrier who was born in a liter. This little female pup soon became a prized possession and talk of the small Louisiana town it lived in during the later 1900s. The family who owned this hairless pup started breeding it, and found that she produced hairless pups too! Because this breed was formed by surprise, they have only been used for companionship and still are today.

Appearance

As per the name "American Hairless Terrier", this small breed, hairless pup looks quite odd to many! Commonly seen in the pattern of white and black skin, this breed also is available with white and red, white and grey, golden and white or solid versions of these colors although not common. The American Hairless Terrier is magnificently born with a "peach fuzz" covering his or her body, which later than sheds and the puppy is left with no hair at all. Due to this not being a dominate gene in this breeds bloodlines, they do not have skin issues or health issues associated with all other hairless dogs. The American Hairless Terrier should measure 7-16 inches in height and weigh anywhere from 5-16 pounds in weight for both males and females. This breed is built with muscle and tight skin. A small, wedge shaped head forms a small scissor bite with their muzzle. Their tail left long (some breeds may crop their puppies tails), thin legs with tiny feet, and their ears should stand tall and triangular on top of their head with a fold about one quarter of the way up. This breed has black or dark brown eyes with a nose to match in color.

Temperament

This breed makes an excellent watch dog for inside of anyone's home. Constantly alert, the American Hairless Terrier is also very protective when it comes to his or her belongings. This breed does very well with children when raised with them from the start. A very special personality trait to this breed is that the American Hairless Terrier "sweats" when he or she is scared or stressed out. This breed requires a firm owner who is consistent and is able to set boundaries within the home from day one. Please remember that this breed is a terrier which will demand a owner who is patient and understanding of this breed. Being playful and having enough daily exercise is extremely important for the mental and physical health and general well being of this breed. A daily long walk, along with play time outside or indoors is highly recommended to ensure the best personality traits being brought out of the American Hairless Terrier. Along with any terrier breed, when they aren't receiving enough daily exercise, they will start to perform ill-full behaviors such as but not limited to, digging, growling, barking, chewing, tearing up toys and house items. This is completely avoidable if you exercise your American Hairless Terrier daily.

Grooming

The American Hairless Terrier requires a lot of upkeep and care. This breed requires bathing to be completed one to three times weekly, as well as lotion to be applied if dry skin is appearing. This breed needs to be protected by the sun with lotion prior to going outdoors. The American Hairless Terrier is sensitive to the heat and cold. This breed needs to be kept warm and protected during cold temperatures due to having no hair.

Special Notes

The American Hairless Terrier is not able to swim. This breed should not at all be used for any kind of hunting or outdoor activities in which his or her skin will be damaged. Please always remember that this breed does not have any coat for protection and due to this can become at risk for infection if their skin is scratched or injured. It is highly recommended that you fully educate yourself about the American Hairless Terrier prior to adding one to your family, to ensure you are able to care for this unique breed and make a life long commitment. All dogs originate from wolves (Canis Lupus). Each breed of dog was originally created by mixing different breeds together in an effort to bring forth certain characteristics. Once a breeder has created acceptable “breed characteristics” within their bloodline and these “breed characteristics” have shown to be reliably reproduced in the offspring for three (3) generations, the bloodline may be upgraded from the category of “foundation stock” to “pure-bred”. The same “pure-bred” breed standards vary from different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders. Dog DNA testing companies can have accurate results for a specific bloodline of a small colony of dogs. However, there are tens of thousands of different bloodlines in the world which have not yet been tested for marker baseline results by Dog DNA testing companies as of 2017. For this reason Dog DNA testing companies do not guarantee the 100% accuracy of their breed lineage results and will also show different marker results for the same pure-bred breed in different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.