American Hairless Terrier | Dog Breed Information & Facts – Pictures

The American Hairless Terrier perfectly combines inexhaustible vitality, friendliness, intelligence and courage. If in the past he was appreciated as a skillful rat-catcher, in the modern world he is popular as a companion dog, a devoted friend and just a pet.

The lack of hair makes the American Hairless Terrier an ideal pet for those with hair allergies. The specified breed is hypoallergenic. It belongs to the rare species.

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The American hairless terrier is similar in every way to its ancestor Rat Terrier. There are two differences between these two species – the coat and the tail. The first has no hair and has a long tail, the second has hair, and the tail is docked.

According to growth, they are divided into two types:

1. Standard – the height at the withers is not less than 33 cm, can reach 45-46 cm.
2. Miniature – height at the withers 25-32 cm.

The weight of mature dogs is about 4-7 kg.

• The physique is slightly elongated, with well-developed muscles.
• On a not too long, smooth neck, a medium-sized wedge-shaped head is held. The skull is slightly convex, rather wide.
• Ears are allowed erect and semi-erect, hanging on the cartilage. V-shape.
• The eyes are not large, round, slightly protruding. Eye color depends on the variety:
• Hairless variety – any eye color allowed.
• The coated variety is dark brown to amber. Most often, AHT with gray eyes are found.
• The muzzle is rather wide, slightly tapering towards the nose. The nose is of medium size. The jaws are strong, one might say powerful, which is typical of all terriers. The bite is straight or scissor bite, the second option is preferable.
• The length of the body is slightly greater than the height at the withers. The topline is straight. The back is strong. The croup is slightly sloping. The loin is muscular, short, with a slight bulge. The rib cage is quite wide and deep, oval in shape. The abdomen is moderately tucked up.
• The tail is long, thick, gradually tapering towards the end. In the covered variety of AHT, tail docking is allowed.
• The limbs are straight, of medium length. The muscles are well developed. The bone is strong. Feet are oval, compact. The middle two fingers are slightly longer. The lucrative fingers are to be amputated.

The American Hairless Terrier is slightly inferior to other types of terriers in terms of energy, activity, but also differs in mobility and the need for physical activity.

AHT is, first of all, a companion dog, a loyal pet. It is not used for hunting, like many other terriers.

He is endlessly devoted to the owner and to all household members. Has a friendly, cheerful disposition. Prolonged separation from the owner is very stressful for the Hairless Terrier. He cannot stand loneliness and suffers when left alone.

He gets along with children. With the right upbringing, AHT becomes a loyal, cheerful friend and reliable guard for the child, able to defend himself. She tolerates children’s pranks quite tolerantly. The task of adults is to teach kids how to handle a dog properly.

American Hairless Terrier is very open and communicative enough. He treats strangers tolerantly, without an obvious manifestation of aggression. His behavior in the company of strangers can be called polite, calm. It will not work as a watchdog; it does not have power and an evil disposition. But the hairless terrier will always inform the owner in time with a loud bark that a stranger has come to their territory.

With other dogs and even with cats, he easily gets along in the same house. But the innate instinct of the rat catcher prevents them from coexisting with small pets, for example, with decorative rats, guinea pigs, squirrels.

The American Terrier is prone to loud, non-stop and often unreasonable barking. From this habit, the pet should be weaned from a little, otherwise, over time, such behavior will become a problem.

American Hairless Terriers are classic healthy dogs that have avoided the genetic diseases of their ancestors and, with good care, live to be 14-16 years old. However, some exceptions are possible. So, for example, in some individual’s hereditary deafness can make itself felt, which tests in veterinary clinics can identify. Hypothyroidism and Perthes disease are also inherited by a small percentage of puppies.

A fairly common disease of American Hairless Terriers is patella luxation (patella luxation), which causes lameness in dogs. If you notice that your pet has started hobbling abnormally, get it checked out to the vet immediately. It will be necessary to take into account the predisposition of the breed to demodicosis. The unprotected undercoat skin of American Hairless Terriers is especially prone to this nasty disease, which manifests as scaling and abscesses.

As you understand, in individuals that do not have a coat of wool, there is no need for combing. Those individuals that have short hair need a maximum of combing once a week. You need to bathe the dog at least once a week, choosing a shampoo with the right pH. The nails are trimmed about 3 times a month, the ears are cleaned 2-3 times a week, the eyes are cleaned daily. By the way, the breed does not have sweat glands on the skin.

• The American Hairless Terrier is particularly good-natured. He easily contacts with both people and animals. Interestingly, the cat is the best friend for such a dog, of course after the owner.
• AHT has expressive and varied facial expressions. All feelings (joy, surprise, sadness, etc.) are very clearly displayed on the terrier’s face.
• Of all the hairless dog species, the American Hairless Terrier is considered the most problem-free and healthy dog.

The homeland of the American hairless terrier is America. This type of terrier appeared in the seventies of the twentieth century. The breed is relatively young, its history can be clearly traced, since the pedigrees were compiled from the very beginning for all AHT puppies.

The direct ancestors of the American Hairless Terrier are Rat Terriers. At one time they were brought to America from Belgium.

The advent of AHT was not planned in advance. It all started with the fact that in the small American town of Trout in the house of Edwin Scott, puppies without a coat were born from a pair of purebred Rat Terriers. This event was attributed to the consequence of a mutation.

Naked Terriers interested Scott with their unusual exterior, ease of care when kept indoors and, of course, hypoallergenic. He, having absolutely no experience as a breeder, decided to start breeding a new species of hairless dogs.

The work took a long time. At first Edwin was pleased with the presence of at least one hairless puppy in the litter, but after him several litters could have been given by ordinary Rat Terriers.

Over time, the number of hairless puppies in litters increased. This consistency made Scott happy. In the eighties of the twentieth century, he officially registered the Trout Creek Kennel.

Having studied the gene pool, the breeder realized how small he is. Noting his genetic patterns, Edwin in breeding work uses the genes of other Rat terriers, crossing his dogs with strangers.

Interest in the new breed of terriers has increased. The American Hairless Terrier gained popularity, finding their admirers and connoisseurs.

For a long time, the breed bred by Scott has been registered under the same name “Rat Terrier”. It would seem that she will not be able to obtain the status of an independent one.

But over time, it was possible to prove the uniqueness of the American Hairless Terrier. This was facilitated by scientific genetic research.

Today the American Hairless Terrier remains a small, rare, expensive species.