Portraits of popular breeds at home and abroad: American Hairless Terrier

As the name of this breed suggests, you can’t expect much hair on an American hairless terrier. This small or medium size muscled dog has hair only on its muzzle and eyebrows. But the interesting thing is that puppies are born with an undercoat which falls out only around week 8. But there is also a version of an American hairless terrier with hair. These dogs have short, soft and non-shedding hair approximately 3 mm long. Both versions, with and without hair, have very soft and warm skin without wrinkles.

American hairless terrier is extraordinarily friendly. If you have children (these dogs usually love them), you will also like its playful and energetic nature it usually uses to entertain them and both dogs and children get tired. The result is a sleeping child and a happy tired dog. These dogs are also very curious, so they will accompany children when exploring the world. But they can also be calm and cuddly dogs with a strong bond with their masters. They will happily warm their masters’ feet at night as they love sleeping together.

But you have to look out outdoors where its hunting instinct awakens. After all, it is a terrier and you can’t do anything about that. These dogs struggle to control themselves not to dig holes and hunt mice. This quality inherited from ancestors can be useful if you live in the countryside or even on a farm. An American hairless terrier can compete with any cat when it comes to getting rid of damage-causing animals.

It can also be a good companion for sports people and long walk lovers. It loves running and is fine with a more demanding physical activity. It will also be good in agility, once you throw a ball, it will definitely fall in love with fetching and you will have hard time trying to attract its attention by something else than a tennis ball.

But if you’re looking for a dog coach potato, look for another breed. Such life is not suitable for this one. An American hairless terrier is the happiest with many activities and movement and when something is happening all the time. Thanks to its sharpness, balance and intelligence, this breed is suitable for training even though you have to consider certain amount of stubbornness typical to terriers. It will also be a good watchdog as it is fearless and one of its favourite activities is barking.

For the owners of American hairless terriers, it is essential to choose a puppy with which they will create a good bond from the very beginning. Because the individuals from this breed are quite different in nature from each other. You can find cuddly ones as well as headstrong individualists. It is necessary to start with consistent upbringing early on and practice discipline every day.

Even if this breed is not so popular in the Czech Republic, there are a few breeding stations focusing on it. Do you have an American hairless terrier in your surroundings or even at home? Is it really so fun as it is said to be?