American Hairless Terrier: The Special Hairless Dog

The American Hairless Terrier is completely different from all other hairless dog breeds: In the American Hairless, it is not the FOXI3 gene, but the recessive SKG3 gene that leads to complete hairlessness with soft peach skin. Typical diseases of hairless breeds, therefore, do not occur in naked Americans. The likable four-legged friends are therefore exactly the right companions for fans of hairless dogs and allergy sufferers!

External Characteristics of the American Hairless Terrier – no Ordinary Hairless Dog!

Apart from the American Hairless Terrier, all hairless dog breeds have a mutated FOXI3 gene, which not only activates hairlessness but also has some health restrictions. The American Hairless, with its mutated SKG3 gene, is not related to the other hairless breeds, which is obvious in comparison. Externally, the cuddly soft terrier resembles the American Rat Terrier in every detail (except for the fur). The height can vary between 25 and 46 cm. Appropriately, the naked terriers weigh about 3.2 to 6.5 kg. By the way, not all Hairless Terriers are really hairless: Since the SKG3 gene is inherited recessively, puppies with fur also occur.

• The head and muzzle are about the same length and form a rough wedge shape. According to the AKC breed standard, the muzzle should be about as long as the skull and should be slightly tapered.
• The color of the nose should match the color of the coat. Dudley or butterfly noses are highly undesirable. The flies are dark in color and lie tight. This breed does not have any misaligned teeth like other hairless dogs!
• The round eyes should not stand out and are not too big. They can be of any color but should match the coat color: in blue terriers amber, gray and blue eyes are acceptable, in lighter colors dark eyes are preferred.
• The V-shaped ears are set wide apart and set on the sides of the skull. They should stand upright, but can also be worn kinked or as button ears.
• The medium-length neck transitions into well-laid-back shoulders. A straight back supports the rectangular-shaped body, which is slightly longer than it is high (ratio 10:9).
• The bones on the legs are not too thin like in a hound, but not too thick like in a mastiff either. The arm length to the elbow corresponds to about half the height of the body. Overall, the legs appear well muscled and not too angled.
• The tail of Hairless Dogs with hair may be shortened to a few whorls; docking of naked specimens is considered a serious fault. Fortunately, this cruel and unnecessary practice is forbidden in this country. Even when buying from abroad, you should only choose breeders who do not cut the tail.

Shorthair and hairless: where does the soft peach skin come from?

Hairless Terriers without hair are easily distinguished from other hairless dog breeds. While the Xolo, Chinese Crested, and Peruvian Inca Orchid tend to have gray, black, or blue skin with pink markings on the underside, American Hairless Terriers come in all colors. In addition, ordinary hairless dogs sometimes have more or less downy hairs on their heads, on their backs, or on their tails. The American Hairless Terrier is born with fine downy hair that sheds completely (apart from whiskers and eyelashes) in the first few weeks of life. This makes the skin feel much softer and more elastic than the skin of South American, African, and Asian hairless dogs.

Coat coloring is almost as easy to spot on hairless terriers as it is on haired ones.

• Dark-headed piebald dogs are often seen, but this coloring is unofficially preferred and is not a must for breeding.
• White or pink skin with dark spots (dark brown, light brown, black, reddish) a few centimeters wide is most common.
• Brindle coloring can also be seen in hairless terriers.
• Sable is also a common coloring not found in other hairless dogs.
• All colors should have white markings, which should be as large as possible for dogs with hair.
• Albino and merle coloring are disqualifying colors.

Hairless with hair: The coated variant of the American Hairless Terrier

• Hairless Terriers are almost indistinguishable from Rat Terriers.
• The fur is short, smooth, and close-lying.
• There are also similarities to the Jack Russell Terrier and the Feist.

Hairless since 1988: Hairless Rat Terrier Josephine and her descendants

The American Hairless Terrier only came about in 1988, when a Rat Terrier bitch named Josephine was born in Louisiana, and all of her hair fell out after a few weeks. Since hairless dog varieties are in high demand, breeders tried to get as many naked offspring as possible from Josephine in order to breed their own variety. In nine litters there were three naked puppies, which were crossed with each other in order to get further specimens without fur. Despite this not very long ago inbred mating, a separate breed developed, which was officially recognized in 2004.

Other relatives

• The Hairless Terriers descend directly from Rat Terriers.
• Rat terriers are the result of crossing Manchester terriers and short-haired fox terriers. They were bred for rat pits: rats were released in closed arenas, which should kill the dogs in the shortest possible time. This bloody dog ​​sport was very popular in England and later in the USA until the 19th century.
• Beagles and whippets were also crossed in the USA to make the dogs more robust, smaller, and less numerous.
• Among others, Teddy Roosevelt, who was enthusiastic about the breed and owned several specimens, contributed to the spread of the Rat Terrier. In the 1920s, Rat Terriers were among the most popular domestic dogs in the United States.
• In Europe, Rat Terriers and American Hairless Terriers have not yet been recognized as independent breeds, so breeding here is limited to a few hobby breeds.

Advantages of recessive inheritance

Actually, hairless dogs cannot simply be mated with one another: If you cross two dogs with the H allele of the FOXI3 gene, 25% of the offspring will die during the gestation period. This is not the case with the American Hairless Terrier. Hairless specimens can be bred to each other without any problems, so breeding is much less complicated and less dangerous than hairless breeds with crests.