Mexican Hairless

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Mexican Hairless dog breed is a rare, hairless breed of dog. The dog is also known to be called Tepeizeuintli, Xoloitzcuintle(Pronounced as 'Show- low-its-queen-tli') and Xolo. The Xolos come in three sizes: Toy, Miniature and Standard sizes. It also comes in two varieties: the coated and the hairless varieties. The dog resembles a robust Manchester Terrier that has Mexican origins. These dogs make wonderful companions, service, show, obedience, agility and therapy dogs.

This dog is not for the first time owner as their skin needs proper maintenance and care. Proper socialization and obedience training should be provided for them to become happy, content and balanced dogs. They are highly trainable for their very intelligent nature. They are healthy dogs by nature and could live for many years as long as proper care is given to them along with good nutrition and sufficient exercise.

Color

The dog's coat variety can come in all hair or skin colors. For dogs to be shown, a dark, uniform color is preferred. This includes Black, Gray Black, Slate, Red, Liver or Bronze although White spots and markings are also permitted.

Coat

This dog's hairless variety only has hair on the tail and a tuft on the top of the head. The coated variety, on the other hand, has a very short and sleek coat.

Personality

The dog is very loving and affectionate. They are loyal, intelligent and have excellent hearing that they would be quick to alert you to strangers entering your yard. Early socialization should be provided to them to help make them comfortable with guests and small children. Humans should also emphasize that they are the pack leader of the family as the dog tends to become dominant. The Xolos are not prone to running off from their owner. If they are properly trained, owners can possibly walk the dog without a leash and will stay right beside them. These dogs will always come when their owners call them. Although they love being with their humans, he can be a great escape artist when he wants to be since they are known to be great climbers as well.

Care

Since the Xoloitzcuintli are either shot haired or hairless, they are very easy to groom. It is recommended that their bath products should be mild and unscented as well. In between baths, you can just rinse the dog occasionally with warm water to remove any dirt accumulated. Hairless types can experience skin problems if proper care is not provided for them. Over bathing or too much lotion on their skin should always be avoided as it strips their body of its natural protection. This also gets the dog's skin pores clogged. When they are out in the sun for a long time, sunscreen should be applied for protection. A mild sunscreen designed for babies works well. Lotion should be rubbed after bathing and should be done once a month. The coated types of Xolos require weekly brushing to minimize the dog's shedding. Occasional bathing should be done too. If the dog is light colored or has white spots in their coat, a mild sunscreen should be applied on those spots to avoid sunburns. The Xolo is generally a very hardy and healthy breed. There are no known healthy issues specific to the breed. Given the proper nutrition, sufficient exercise and regular veterinary care, these dogs should live up to about 15-20 years on the average.

Training

This dog is highly intelligent and as such, they are pretty easy to train. As playful puppies, they will require proper discipline and lots of attention for them to develop good behavior. These dogs will surely bond with the person who takes care of him, feeds him, plays with him and most especially, trains him. Thus, it is very important that the whole family is involved in this dog's care and training if you are planning to have the dog as a family dog. Otherwise, the dog will tend to become a 'one person dog.' House training is not impossible for the breed. However, paper training is more appropriately chosen by many owners especially for the hairless varieties to keep them from having to go out of the house during the winter season. If the dog really needs to go out during a very cold weather, they need to wear a sweater. Crate training is another way to house train the breed and it works well for them too. Besides being another great way to housebreak the dog, crate training provides them a bed that they will grow quite attached to. The dog has a bit of a dominant personality making it very crucial to establish dominance over these dogs. Once you have established yourself as the pack's Alpha dog, these dogs are loyal and are happy to follow your commands. Positive reinforcement works best in any training scenario but most especially during dog training. Allow the dog to commit a mistake while you wait for it and make sure that you correct it. Reward them, on the contrary, when you catch them doing something right. Proper socialization should be provided for these dogs and will work best if given at a very young age. They are wary of unfamiliar people. Any dog owner will want them to be good watch dogs but you will also want them to get along well with your friends and family. A puppy social group should allow you to meet other puppy owners as well as give your dog a chance to be comfortable around strangers and strange dogs. It is important that they get a positive experience from these meet-ups as any negative experience in this environment might bring them to become fearful of other dogs at a young age.

Activity

The Xoloitzcuintli requires plenty of exercise. Although they enjoy it the most when they are indoors with their families, they love to get out and romp around. They also love to play with toys and the younger Xolos can get a lot of exercise from playing inside the house. As long as they are protected from the weather, they are great walking or jogging companions. Younger Xolos will also be more likely subjected to higher energy to drain but as they age, their energy would be lesser.