The Canadian
Hairless Terrier Association
The American Hairless Terrier Breed Standard
adapted from UKC, Continental, UKCl, NKC,
NRTA 1998-present, Toy variety adapted from 1989 - 1998 AHTC.
Current version updated and passed by CHTA June 2006.
The American Hairless Terrier is
an energetic, alert dog whose curiosity and intelligence make
him easy to train. The ancestors of this breed were bred to
hunt. Some dogs of both varieties may still have a strong
hunting instinct and many are fearless, tenacious hunters with
seemingly unlimited energy. The American Hairless Terrier
carries itself in a graceful confident manner that projects the
health and vigor. American Hairless Terriers are friendly,
social, sensitive and loyal to their families. They are
protective of their home, and when threatened will guard it as a
terrier should. The tendency to spar is acceptable, but not
preferred. American Hairless Terriers enjoy human companionship
immensely and will enthusiastically share any activity with
their owners. In Canada both varieties require protection in
winter, and in summer hairless require sun protection.
Miniature Variety
- The American Hairless
Terrier is a smoothly muscled, active, small-to-medium terrier.
The body is neat, trim and compact, resembling a small deer.
Desirable proportion of the height to length of body is 9 to 10.
Size is 12" to 16" at the shoulder. The head is broad, slightly
domed, wedge-shaped, and proportionate to the size of the body.
Ears are V-shaped, set at the outside edges of the skull, and
may be erect, tipped or button. Both varieties may have a
natural tail carried in an upward curve. Docked or bob tail in
either variety is a disqualification. The American Hairless
Terrier comes in a number of skin colors and patterns (hairless
variety) and coat colors and patterns (coated variety).
Disqualification: A
short-legged dog whose proportions vary significantly from the
10:9 ratio lacks breed type and must be disqualified. Natural
bob or docked tail must be disqualified.
Head - The head is proportionate to the size of the body.
When viewed from the side, the skull and muzzle are of equal
length and joined by a moderate stop. Viewed from the front and
the side, the American Hairless Terrier’s head forms a blunt
wedge shape.
Fault: Abrupt stop.
SKULL – The skull is broad and slightly domed. It tapers
slightly toward the muzzle. The jaws are powerful with
well-muscled cheeks.
Serious fault: Apple head.
MUZZLE – The muzzle is well filled-out under the eyes,
well-chiseled, and tapers slightly from the stop to the nose.
Jaws are powerful and hinged well back allowing the dog to open
his mouth wide enough to catch rats and other rodents. Lips are
dry and tight with no flews. Lip pigment matches nose pigment.
Fault: Snipey muzzle.
TEETH – The American Hairless Terrier has a complete set
of good-sized, evenly spaced, white teeth. A scissors bite is
preferred but a level bite is acceptable.
Faults: Missing teeth; overshot or undershot bite.
NOSE – The nose is black or self-colored.
Faults: Spotted or butterfly nose.
EYES – Eyes are set obliquely and are round, moderate in
size, and somewhat prominent. Eye rims match nose pigment.
Hairless Variety: Eyes may be any color found in the
coated variety.
Coated Variety: Eye color ranges from dark brown to amber
and corresponds with coat color. Hazel eyes are acceptable in
dogs with lighter coat color. Blue or amber eyes are permitted
in blue-colored dogs only, but a dark gray eye with gray eye
rims is preferred.
Faults: Bulgy eyes; deep-set eyes; light-colored eyes in a dog
with black coat color or black pigment; both eyes not of
matching colors; eye with iris containing more than one color;
wall or china eye.
EARS – Ears are V-shaped, set at the outside edges of the
skull. Erect ears are preferred but tipped or button ears are
acceptable. Matching ears are strongly preferred. Non-matching
ear carriage should be penalized to the degree of the variation.
Note: Ear carriage may not stabilize until a dog is mature. Dogs
under one year of age should not be penalized for variations in
ear carriage.
Faults: Erect ears with the sides curved inward forming a shape
like a tulip petal; rose ears; flying ears; non-matching ear
carriages. Variations in ear carriage for a dog up to one year
of age is not to be faulted.
Disqualification: Hanging ears.
Neck - The neck is clean, moderately long, smoothly
muscled, slightly arched, and tapers slightly from the shoulders
to the head. The neck blends smoothly into well laid back
shoulders.
Forequarters Shoulders are smoothly muscled. The shoulder
blades are well laid back with the upper tips fairly close
together at the withers. The upper arm appears to be equal in
length to the shoulder blade and joins it at an apparent right
angle. The elbows are close to the body. Viewed from any angle,
the forelegs are straight, strong, and sturdy in bone. The
pasterns are strong, short, and nearly vertical.
Body - A properly proportioned American Hairless Terrier
is slightly longer (measured from prosternum to point of
buttocks) than tall (measured from the withers to the ground),
and length of the front leg (measured from point of elbow to the
ground) should approximately equal one-half of the dog’s height.
Whether the dog is standing or moving, the line of the back is
strong and level. The loin is moderately short, slightly arched,
and muscular, with moderate tuck-up. The croup is slightly
sloping. The ribs extend well back and are well sprung out from
the spine, forming a broad, strong back, then curving down and
inward to form a deep body. The brisket extends to or just below
the elbow. Viewed from the front, the chest between the forelegs
is well filled and of moderate width. Viewed from the side, the
forechest extends in a shallow oval shape in front of the
forelegs.
Hindquarters The hindquarters are muscular with the
length of the upper and lower thighs being approximately equal.
The angulation of the hindquarters is in balance with the
angulation of the forequarters. The stifles are well-bent, and
the hocks are well let down. When the dog is standing, the
short, strong rear pasterns are perpendicular to the ground and,
viewed from the rear, parallel to one another.
Feet The feet are compact and slightly oval, semi-hare in
shape. The two middle toes are slightly longer than the other
toes. Toes may be well split up but not flat or splayed. Front
dewclaws may not be removed unless deemed medically necessary.
Rear dewclaws may be removed.
Faults: Flat feet; splayed feet; rear dewclaws present.
Tail - The tail is set on at the end of the croup. The
natural tail is thick at the base and tapers toward the tip.
When the dog is alert, the tail is carried in an upward curve.
When relaxed, the tail may be carried straight out behind the
dog.
Faults (both Varieties): Bent tail; ring tail.
Disqualification (both Varieties): Natural bobtail or docked
tail.
Coat - Hairless Variety: Puppies are born with a soft,
vestigial down that generally covers the body. This “down”
gradually diminishes until age 6 to 8 weeks, by which time the
pup should be completely hairless. A mature American Hairless
Terrier, Hairless variety, is free from hair except for whiskers
and guard hairs on the muzzle, and eyebrows. Short, very fine (vellus)
hair may be present on the body of a mature dog. The skin is
smooth and warm to the touch. The hairless variety may sweat
when overheated or stressed, but this is not to be faulted in
the ring.
Coated Variety: The coat is short, dense, and smooth,
with a sheen. Whiskers are not removed.
Serious faults (Hairless variety): Vellus hair longer than 1mm
on a dog over six months of age.
Disqualifications (both varieties): Wire or broken coat; long
coat.
Color - Hairless Variety: Any skin color is acceptable.
The skin is usually parti-colored with an underlying skin color
and freckles or spots of contrasting color. Freckles enlarge
with age, and skin color will darken when exposed to the sun.
Coated Variety: The coated American Hairless Terrier may
be solid white, bi-color, tri-color, sable or brindle, but must
always have some white, which may be of any size and located
anywhere on the dog. The white area may be ticked as long as
white predominates. The remaining accepted colors are: black,
tan (ranging from dark tan to very light tan and from intense
dark mahogany red to light red with black nose and eyerims),
chocolate (ranging from dark liver to light chocolate with
self-colored nose and eyerims), blue and blue fawn (with
self-colored nose and eyerims), apricot (ranging from orange to
faded yellow with black nose and eyerims), and lemon (ranging
from orange to faded yellow with self-colored nose and eyerims).
Faults (Coated variety): Fawn (pale yellowish tan with
self-colored nose), cream (pale yellow to off-white), fallow
with black mask (very light yellowish tan with black mask), and
silver (the extreme dilution of blue).
Disqualifications (Coated variety): Merle; absence of white; any
solid color other than white.
Disqualification (both Varieties): Albinism.
Gait - The American Hairless Terrier moves with a jaunty
air that suggests agility, speed, and power. American Hairless
Terrier gait is smooth and effortless, with good reach of
forequarters without any trace of hackney gait. Rear quarters
have strong driving power, with hocks fully extending. Viewed
from any position, legs turn neither in nor out, nor do feet
cross or interfere with each other. As speed increases, feet
tend to converge toward center line of balance.
Disqualifications
Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness or extreme
shyness. Unilateral or bilateral deafness. A short-legged dog
whose proportions vary significantly from the 10:9 ratio.
Hanging ears. Natural bobtail or docked tail. Wire or broken
coat. Long coat. Albinism. Merle.
Toy Variety
General appearance: The dog's body is neat and trim,
resembling a very small deer. The dog's carriage and confident
manner should give the appearance of vigor and self-importance.
They are very active, lively, and alert.
Height: From withers to the ground 7 1/2 to 11 inches
Weight: 6 to 10 pounds
Head: A rounded skull, cheeks and jaws are lean. A well
defined stop is formed where the muzzle joins the skull. The
muzzle is thinner than the head, tapering to the nose. The
length of the muzzle from the tip of the nose to the stop is
approximately one half the length of the head from the tip of
the nose to the occiput.
Ears: Moderate size, naturally erect or tipped
Teeth: The American Hairless Terrier has a complete set
of good-sized, evenly spaced, white teeth. A scissors bite is
preferred but a level bite is acceptable.
Eyes: Round, full, slightly bulging with an alert
expression, eyes may be any color
Nose: Self colored
Neck: Medium length with a graceful arch
Body: Length of body is slightly longer than height, rump
curving slightly to tail set, long straight front legs,
moderately angulated back legs.
Tail: Carried up or back, moderately long
Feet: Small slender toes well split up, but not spread. A
dainty foot with nails medium length
Coat - Hairless Variety: Puppies are born with a soft,
vestigial down that generally covers the body. This “down”
gradually diminishes until age 6 to 8 weeks, by which time the
pup should be completely hairless. A mature American Hairless
Terrier, Hairless variety, is free from hair except for whiskers
and guard hairs on the muzzle, and eyebrows. Short, very fine (vellus)
hair may be present on the body of a mature dog. The skin is
smooth and warm to the touch. The hairless variety may sweat
when overheated or stressed, but this is not to be faulted in
the ring.
Coated Variety: The coat is short, dense, and smooth,
with a sheen. Whiskers are not removed
Color - Hairless Variety: Any skin color is acceptable.
The skin is usually parti-colored with an underlying skin color
and freckles or spots of contrasting color. Freckles enlarge
with age, and skin color will darken when exposed to the sun.
Coated Variety: The coated American Hairless Terrier may
be solid white, bi-color, tri-color, sable or brindle, but must
always have some white, which may be of any size and located
anywhere on the dog. The white area may be ticked as long as
white predominates. The remaining accepted colors are: black,
tan (ranging from dark tan to very light tan and from intense
dark mahogany red to light red with black nose and eyerims),
chocolate (ranging from dark liver to light chocolate with
self-colored nose and eyerims), blue and blue fawn (with
self-colored nose and eyerims), apricot (ranging from orange to
faded yellow with black nose and eyerims), and lemon (ranging
from orange to faded yellow with self-colored nose and eyerims).
Gait: Graceful, kind of cocky
Faults: Missing teeth, severe underbite or overbite, hair on any
part of the body other than whiskers or eyebrows, hound dog or
hanging ears, docked or natural bob tail.
Standard Variety
The standard for the
standard size shall be identical to the miniature variety with
the exception of height. Height is between 16" to 20" at the
shoulders.
Summary
Faults: The foregoing is a description of the ideal American
Hairless Terrier any fault listed must be penalized to the
extent of the deviation. Old scars and injuries resulting from
work or accident shall not prejudice the American Terriers
chances in the show ring, unless it interferes with movement.
Disqualifications: Monorchid or Cryptorchid males. Cropped ears,
dropped ears. Natural bob or docked tails. Vellus hair longer
than 1 mm in length or any other type of hair in the hairless
variety.
