American Hairless Terrier: Breed Characteristics, Care & Exercise Needs

Group: Terrier

About American Hairless Terrier

History of the Breed Reputedly, the breed started when one hairless puppy appeared in one Rat Terrier litter in the state of Louisiana, United States, in 1972. Edwin and Willie Scott, the owners, liked the dog's look and temperament, and upon maturity bred her hoping to reproduce the hairless quality. They were eventually successful; a litter produced in 1981 provided the foundation stock of the breed. Description of the Dog The American Hairless is a well-muscled dog with a deep chest, strong shoulders, solid neck, and powerful legs. The ears are carried erect when the dog is alert. Tails must be full length. The skin is pink with gray, black, golden or red spots.

Hairless-to-hairless breeding always produces completely hairless puppies. Hairless-to-coated mating is producing variable results. Hairless pups are born with a bit of sparse fuzzy hair all over their body. The pup will shed this fuzz, starting with the head, proceeding backwards, becoming entirely and eternally hairless by the age of six weeks. They do not have tufts of hair on the head, feet and end of tail. They do however, have normal eyebrows and whiskers.

Height: 7-16 inches (18-41 cm.)

Weight: 5-16 pounds (2.5-7 kg.)

Personality

Temperament of the Breed

American Hairless Terriers are intelligent, alert, playful, quick, loving, inquisitive, affectionate, fearless, lively, eager to please, good watchdog and an excellent companion, even for children. The American Hairless Terrier, unlike other dog breeds, will break out in a sweat when hot or scared. They are fairly territorial, stubborn and for the most part friendly with strangers.

Activity Level

Exercise Need

The breed enjoys challenging games and outdoor romps. They need to be taken on a long daily walk. They love to dig. They are easy to train.

The AHT will do ok in an apartment so long as they get enough exercise. They are fairly active indoors and should have at least a small to medium sized yard.

Grooming

Because of their lack of hair, they do need protection from the sun. Sunscreen should be applied or a shirt should be worn during summer. The dog must be given a sweater during the cold months. They should be bathed one to three times a week. Their nails should be trimmed weekly. If their skin becomes dry, lotion (without lanolin) can be applied.

This breed obviously does not shed and they do not get fleas, but they do shed skin cells about every 20 days, therefore there is some dander but it is very minimal. Scratches and cuts need to be attended to by hydrogen peroxide or any other antiseptic agent. This breed is very good for allergy sufferers.

Health Issues

These dogs do not have absent premolars or any of the breeding complications associated with the hairless breeds. The AHT does not have the major skin problems commonly seen in hairless dogs.

Sometimes they will get a rash on their skin. AHT's do have sweat glands and will get pimples! Rashes due to grass allergies and other allergies are not that uncommon.

Life Expectancy: About 14-16 years.