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Hairless Dogs

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Xoloitzcuintle

Some frequently asked questions

Why dosen't it have any hair?
Has it lost it's hair?

There are several hairless breeds of dogs:
Xolo, Xoloitzquintli or Mexican Hairless, Peruvian Hairless, PIO, Peruvian Inca Orchid or Inca Orchid or Inka Dog, Kahla, Pila, Chinese Crested, American Hairless Terrier, African Sand Dog and African Naked Dog.
I am mostly familiar with the Xolo and PIO. They do have some hair, on the head, feet and tail, and the coated Xolo has the same type of hair as the hairless, just all over.

I've never seen that before!

It is a rare breed and being of ancient origin, native to North and South Americas since Pre-Columbian times long long ago. High in the Andes mountains and in the jungle and deserts are the hairless dogs big and small loved by the people. As the breed have developed over thousand of years and in many countries there is a variation of looks and standards within the breed. Old American ceramic sculptures portray the Xolo in tiny and medium sizes. There are stories of Xolos running wild in Mexico's canyon country, where they live in caves and supposedly climb (low) trees and packs of watchdogs in the Inca villages on the high lands of Peru. .
One body type is rather slender and fine boned, the other is broad and muscular, like the old statues and as shown in this pair . The Xolo hair is coarser than the Chinese Crested and shorter, often the females are slightly longer than the males.
Undoubtedly there is a mix with other breeds of dogs over the years, which justify the regional differences, yet the Xolo, Kahla, Pila and Pio's keep the distinct features of some hairlessness in litters.

Is it a Chihuahua?

No, but Chihuahuas and Xoloitzcuintle is both considered Mexican breeds. .

What a strange name!

Xolo or Xolotl is the Aztec name for the god Quetzalcoatl as the planet Venus rising in the evening.

Does it get sunburn?

Yes, Xolos gets pale in the winter and tanned by the sun. The skin is like human skin, and needs a good sunscreen. They need oil in their diet, but if they get too much fat, especially as 'teenagers', they are prone to pimples and blackheads.

It's cold! Doesn't it get cold?

Yes, a sweater when the weather gets cold dosen't prevent important activities. They like staying warm, and love Grandma's fancy sweaters. Or an old sock for a puppy will do.

Allergies?

As a child with severe allergies I couldn't have a pet, and missed it very much. Then, 30 years ago, I studied pre-Columbian art and got a statue of a small hairless dog; which got me on a quest for the live version. It wasn't easy and for years I gave up and thought the race extinct. But it is a hardy healthy race and survived a period of being out of fashion.

What about fleas?

Wherever there is hair, there can be fleas. The less hair the less fleas.