American Kennel Club (AKC)

The Proposed American Hairless Terrier Breed Standard

Foundation Stock Service (FSS) October 2011

General Appearance - The American Hairless Terrier is a small to medium sized, smoothly muscled and active terrier. Ancestors of the breed were bred to hunt rats and other vermin. The lack of coat on the hairless variety of the American Hairless Terrier renders them unsuited for most hunting activities. They have, however, retained a strong hunting instinct and excel in many other activities and sports. The breed is energetic, alert, curious and intelligent. Given early socialization and training they excel as companions, displaying great affection for their owners and family. American Hairless Terriers should not be sparred during conformation judging.

Size, Proportion, Substance

Ideal height is from 12 to 16 inches at the withers.

Proportion. Body is rectangular being slightly longer than tall with a 10:9 ratio when measured from the prosternum to point of buttocks and from the withers to the ground.

Substance. Medium bone, not so heavy as to appear coarse or so light as to appear racy and blends with the proportion of the dog. The overall appearance is strong but moderate with firm, smooth, flat muscles. While correct size is very important, it should not outweigh that of type. Too heavy or too light in bone and obesity are to be faulted.

Head - Expression is alert, curious and intelligent. Viewed from the front or side the head forms a blunt wedge shape and is proportionate to the size of the body.

The skull is broad, slightly domed and tapers slightly toward the muzzle. Skull and muzzle are of equal length with a moderate stop.

Muzzle. Muzzle is well filled under the eyes, tapers slightly from the stop to the nose and is well-chiseled. Jaws are powerful with well-muscled cheeks. Lips are tight, dry, without flews. Pigmentation of the lips match the nose.

Nose. The nose is solid colored and can be black or self-colored. Abrupt stop, snipey muzzle and a dudley or butterfly nose are to be faulted. Serious fault: Apple head.

Eyes. Eyes are expressive, set obliquely, round, somewhat prominent but moderate in size, and of matching color. Eye color varies with body color from darkest brown to amber and hazel. When eyes are brown, a darker brown is preferred. Amber eyes are permissible for a blue dog. Blue eyes are acceptable in blue or blue fawn dogs only but gray is preferred. Eye rim pigmentation corresponds with the nose color. An incomplete eye rim is only acceptable when the color around that eye is white.

Bite. The teeth are white and strongly developed meeting in a scissors bite. A level bite is acceptable. Overshot or undershot bite should be faulted.

Ears. Ears are set at the outside edge of the skull and V-shape. Erect ears are preferred however, tipped or button ears are acceptable. Both ears should match in carriage. Rose ears, flying ears, erect ears with the sides curved inward forming a tulip petal shape and non-matching ear carriages are to be faulted. Disqualification: Hanging ears.

Neck, Body and Topline

The neck is clean, moderately long, smoothly muscled, slightly arched and tapers slightly from the shoulders to the head, blending smoothly into well laid back shoulders.

Body. The body is slightly longer than tall. Length of the front leg (measured from point of elbow to the ground) should approximately equal one-half of the dog’s height.

The loin is moderately short, slightly arched, and muscular, with moderate tuck-up and the croup is slightly sloping.

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.

Brisket extends to or just below the elbow.

The chest between the forelegs is well filled and of moderate width when viewed from the front. The forechest extends in a shallow oval shape in front of the forelegs when viewed from the side.

Topline. The line of the back is strong and level when the dog is standing or moving.

The tail comes off the end of the croup, almost reaches hock and is thick at the base, tapering toward the tip. The tail is held upward in a slight curve when the dog is alert and may be carried out behind the dog or up in a slight curve when the dog is in motion.

The tail on the hairless variety should never be docked. Tail docking on the coated variety is permitted and optional. Bent tail, ring tail or curled tail are to be faulted. Disqualification: bobtail or docked tail on the hairless variety.

Forequarters
Shoulder blades are well laid back with the upper tips fairly close together at the withers.

The upper arm appears equal in length to the shoulder blade and joins at an apparent right angle. Shoulders are smoothly muscled and the elbows are close to the body.

Forelegs are straight and strong when viewed from any angle and sturdy in bone.

Pasterns are strong, short, and nearly vertical.

Feet. Feet are slightly oval in shape and compact. The two middle toes are slightly longer than the other toes. Toes may be well split up but the foot is not flat or splayed. Removal of front dewclaws is optional but rear dewclaws must be removed. Flat feet, splayed feet or rear dewclaws present are to be faulted.

Hindquarters The hindquarters are muscular.

Upper and lower thighs being approximately equal in length. Angulation of the hindquarters and forequarters are in balance with each other.

Stifles are well-bent and the hocks are well let down.

The short, strong rear pasterns are perpendicular to the ground and when viewed from the rear they are parallel to one another.

Coat - The breed is hairless but has a coated counterpart.

Coated: The coated variety is covered with a short, smooth and dense coat that has a sheen. Whiskers are not removed.

Hairless: Hairless puppies are born with a soft, vestigial ‘down’ known as the ‘birth coat’. This generally covers the body but diminishes over time and puppies should be completely hairless by approximately 8-10 weeks of age. A mature, hairless dog should be free of hair with the exception of whiskers and guard hairs on the eyebrows and muzzle. Short, very fine (vellus) hair may be present on the body of a mature dog. The skin is smooth and warm to the touch.  Disqualification: A wire, broken or long coat.

Color
Any color or combination of colors is allowed with the exception of albino or merle.  Disqualification: Merle, albinism.

Gait - Movement is smooth and effortless, showing good reach and drive. The forequarters move without any hint of being hackney and the rear drives with power and with the hocks fully extending. This breed moves smoothly but with a jaunty attitude that suggests a dog of agility, power and speed. The legs do not turn in or out and the feet do not cross or interfere with each other. As speed increases, feet tend to converge toward centerline but do not cross.

Temperament
The breed is energetic, alert, curious and intelligent. Aggressiveness or extreme shyness is to be faulted.

Disqualifications: Hanging ears, docked tail on the hairless variety, bobtail, a wire, broken or long coat, merle color and albinism.

United Kennel Club (UKC)

American Hairless Terrier - Terrier Group

Recognized by UKC Jan. 2004 Revised July 26, 2006

General Appearance - The American Hairless Terrier is a smoothly muscled, active, small-to-medium terrier. The preferred ratio of length of body (prosternum to point of buttocks) to height (withers to ground) to is 10:9. 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, or the tail may be docked in dogs of the coated variety. 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.

Characteristics - 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. The lack of coat makes the hairless variety unsuited for hunting, but both varieties still have a strong hunting instinct and the coated dogs are fearless, tenacious hunters with seemingly unlimited energy. The American Hairless Terrier is an exceptionally friendly companion, getting along well with children, other dogs, and even cats. American Hairless Terriers enjoy human companionship immensely and will enthusiastically share any activity with their owners. The hairless dogs require protection from the sun and winter cold weather. American Hairless Terriers should not be sparred during conformation judging.

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: Dudley or butterfly nose.  EYES - Eyes are set obliquely and are round, moderate in size, and somewhat prominent. Eye rims match nose pigment.  *NOTE*  Hairless Variety: Eyes may be any color found in the coated variety.  *NOTE*  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.  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 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 be removed. Rear dewclaws must 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. The tails of the coated variety dogs may be docked. If so, docking should be between the second and third joint of the tail.  Faults (both Varieties): Bent tail; ring tail.  Disqualification (both Varieties): Natural bobtail.

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.  *NOTE*  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.
*NOTE*  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 eye rims), chocolate (ranging from dark liver to light chocolate with self-colored nose and eye rims), blue and blue fawn (with self-colored nose and eye rims), apricot (ranging from orange to faded yellow with black nose and eye rims), and lemon (ranging from orange to faded yellow with self-colored nose and eye rims).  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. (both Varieties): Albinism.

Height and Weight - The American Hairless Terrier ranges in height from 10 to 18 inches tall.  Faults: Height under or over allowed range; obesity.

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. Wire or broken coat. Long coat. Albinism. Merle.

Click Here for the AHT Illustrated Breed Standard