American Hairless Terrier

History of origin

It must be said that the American Hairless Terrier appeared somewhat by accident and is a descendant of the Rat Terrier, a whole group of small dogs whose task was to exterminate rats on farms in the Old and New Worlds. Rat Terriers have been prone to a hairless mutation before, but only in the 70s of the last century, the breeder Edwin Scott decided to fix this trait and breed a new breed of hairless dogs. He succeeded already in 1981, but for a long time not a single cynological association recognized American Hairless Terriers, since at that time even Rat Terriers were not considered a separate breed.

But despite this, small hairless dogs quickly fell in love first with Americans, and then with citizens of other countries, because these terriers turned out to be not only very smart and friendly, but also hypoallergenic, that is, they suited even those who always dreamed of a dog, but could not start it for health reasons. Of course, due to the lack of wool, these dogs ceased to be hunters, but they became wonderful family friends for many townspeople. Currently, work on the breed continues – so, breeders are making every effort to completely eliminate the possibility of the birth of puppies covered with wool.

Today, the American Hairless Terrier is gaining popularity in our country.

Breed description

The American Hairless Terrier is a small to medium sized dog (allowable height ranges from 25 to 46 cm) with a very harmonious build. The muzzle is wedge-shaped, of the correct form, the ears are rather large, erect, or semi-pendulous (the tips hang on the cartilage). The ratio of body length to height at the withers should be 10:9. The tail is long, saber-shaped. In dogs with coat (the so-called coated variety) it can be docked at the request of the owner. The limbs are strong, muscular, the stomach is tucked up.

In the hairless variety, there is no hair on the entire body, moreover, puppies lose it by about 8 weeks. Sparse hair may remain on the body, as well as on the cheeks and chin.

Colors are acceptable in both naked and coated varieties, white spots on the body are welcome.

Photos

Character

Unlike other terriers, whose task was only to hunt, the ancestors of the AGT, the Rat Terriers, served not only as exterminators of rats, but also as family friends. This endowed them with a complaisant character, friendliness and a complete focus on the person.

The American Hairless Terrier loves its owners and is ready to do anything to please them. Moreover, he is very fond of children and other domestic animals, except perhaps for all kinds of rodents – after all, his ancestors have been hunting rats for centuries.

Like all terriers, the AGT has a cheerful and mischievous disposition, but still it is not as restless as, for example, the Jack Russell Terrier, although it often shows the stubbornness characteristic of all hunting dogs. And these dogs are incredibly smart and know how to please those they love, sometimes showing just the same supernatural instinct and intuition. Sometimes it seems that they are able to read the thoughts of their master.

Care and maintenance

Ease of care is one of the main reasons why the American Hairless Terrier is gaining such popularity. The owner of this dog will never encounter hair scattered throughout the house, the dog does not cause allergies, and prefers to live in a warm apartment rather than in the yard. AGT is unpretentious in food, has a small size and an accommodating character, so there is practically no trouble with it. Unless these dogs, having bare delicate skin, need protection from cold and direct sunlight. In the cool season, they need to put on a warm jacket for walking, at home arrange a couch near the battery, and in the summer make sure that they do not spend much time in the sun, because they, like people, can get burns. By the way, be prepared for the fact that these dogs are really capable of sunbathing, so in summer their skin becomes much darker than in winter.

Education and training

Despite the fact that the American Hairless Terrier has long been a decorative breed, the hunting instincts in him are still strong, which means that he prefers to decide for himself how to act and what to do. The task of a person is to prove himself a stronger leader than a dog, for which you need to show calmness, endurance and perseverance in the process of training. If the terrier recognizes you as a leader, the learning process will turn into a complete pleasure – these dogs grasp everything literally on the fly and are able to learn not only basic commands, but also perform complex tasks. Most importantly, remember: no matter what size your four-legged friend is, in his soul he still remains a real big dog, and you need to treat him accordingly.

Health and disease

At present, sufficient statistics have not yet been accumulated to draw conclusions about any breed diseases in AGT, but it can already be said with confidence that among hairless dogs it has the most enviable health and long life expectancy. The main thing is that your pet does not catch a cold, so make sure that he is always warm. It is also worth protecting it from sunburn – anyone who has ever sunburned on the beach knows how unpleasant it is. Also, the delicate skin of a dog is very vulnerable – not being protected by wool, it is easy to injure it and even just burn it with nettles.

Well, it is imperative to carry out the prevention of helminthiasis and make the dog annual vaccinations.

Word to the breeder

The owner of the American Hairless Terrier kennel “Extravaganza Band” Valentina Krylova from Odintsovo: “The first dogs of this breed were brought from America about 15 years ago by Kirill and Irina Bogachev (Woodnway Kennel), they are the pioneers of American Hairless Terriers in Our Country. AGTs are primarily terriers, they are agile, energetic, agile, quick-witted, and easy to train. Due to the lack of wool, they are convenient for keeping in an apartment (but there is also a “woolen” variety in the breed). In cold weather, clothes are needed, which makes the owners feel like fashion designers.

Tatyana Maslennikova, breeder of the Van Altavihont kennel, Votkinsk, Udmurtia: “Representatives of the American Hairless Terrier (AGT) breed can be increasingly seen at dog shows. The breed is relatively young for Our Country, but is gaining more and more admirers.

Dogs of this breed have practically no hair, and the skin is soft and delicate to the touch. The AGT is an energetic, active companion dog. She is easy to train, the dogs of my kennel successfully pass the general course of training, participate in freestyle competitions with dogs.

Pupils of our kennel take part in exhibitions, as well as repeatedly became winners of “Best”.

Victoria Kozhevnikova, breeder of the Adskaya Gonchaya kennel, Sevastopol: “The American Hairless Terrier is an amazing hairless dog with a lively and very pleasant temperament of a true terrier. The main character traits of AGT are activity, curiosity, attachment to the owner, high learning ability. This breed is for you if you are looking for a small companion and your main priorities are lack of shedding, friendliness and an interesting appearance.”

Evgenia Nikolaychuk, St. Petersburg, owner of the kennel “Romanika Wins”: “It is primarily a companion dog that is human oriented. Its main function is to be with the owner, play ball, watch TV together, sleep in an embrace. Our dogs travel with us on vacation all the time. They are not taken for hunting, bare skin in the forest can be injured. But their ancestors, the Rat Terriers, are indeed still used in the United States to catch rats. My husband brings fish to my dog ​​from fishing, and the dog catches them in the basin – this is such entertainment.

Popular questions and answers

For questions about the content of the American Hairless Terrier, we asked to answer zoo engineer, veterinarian Anastasia Kalinina.