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The Peruvian Hairless Dog or is a Peruvian
breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...
of
hairless dog A hairless dog is a dog with a Genetics, genetic disposition for hairlessness and hair loss. There are two known types of genetic hairlessness, a Dominant gene, dominant and a recessive type. The dominant type is caused by ectodermal dysplasia a ...
. It is the only living breed of dog indigenous to Peru. As in other hairless breeds, coated examples can also occur. In hairless examples the skin may be any one of a wide variety of colors, with or without limited unpigmented areas, usually the legs, tail or chest; any hairs may be of any colour. In coated dogs, the coat may be of any colour but
merle Merle may refer to: People and fictional characters *Merle (given name), a list of men, women and fictional characters *Merle (surname), a list of people Others *Merle (dog coat), a pattern in dogs’ coats *Merle (grape), another name for the w ...
. Hairless dogs are associated with the
Andean civilizations The Andean civilizations were South American complex societies of many indigenous people. They stretched down the spine of the Andes for from southern Colombia, to Ecuador and Peru, including the deserts of coastal Peru, to north Chile and no ...
. The modern breed is recognized as a part of the national
cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...
.


Naming

The dog has been known by many names, among them ''Allqu'' (in Inca times), , , (which may derive from , 'woman', rather than indicating a Chinese origin), , , , and .


History

The Peruvian Hairless Dog is often perceived to be an Incan dog because it is known to have been kept during the
Inca Empire The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
(the Spaniards classified them as one of the six different breeds of dogs in the empire), and they were also kept as pets in pre-Inca cultures from the Peruvian northern coastal zone. Ceramic hairless dogs from the
Chimú Chimor (also Kingdom of Chimor or Chimú Empire) was the political grouping of the Chimú culture (). The culture arose about 900 CE, succeeding the Moche culture, and was later conquered by the Inca emperor Topa Inca Yupanqui around 1470, fi ...
, Moche, and
Vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...
culture are well known. Depictions of Peruvian hairless dogs appear around A.D. 750 on Moche ceramic vessels and continue in later Andean ceramic traditions. Peruvian Hairless Dogs are now a symbol of Peru and part of its national heritage, celebrated in art and literature. The
Fédération Cynologique Internationale The (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). History The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...
(FCI) accepted the breed and adopted an official
breed standard In animal husbandry or animal fancy, a breed standard is a description of the characteristics of a hypothetical or ideal example of a breed. The description may include phenotype, physical or morphology (biology), morphological detail, genotype, g ...
. Before that time, in the United States, some enthusiasts created another type of Peruvian hairless dog, the Peruvian Inca Orchid. The Peruvian Inca Orchid is recognized by the AKC and all recognized dogs are descendants of 13 dogs brought from Peru in the early 20th century. In 2018, an analysis of DNA from the entire
cell nucleus The cell nucleus (; : nuclei) is a membrane-bound organelle found in eukaryote, eukaryotic cell (biology), cells. Eukaryotic cells usually have a single nucleus, but a few cell types, such as mammalian red blood cells, have #Anucleated_cells, ...
indicated that dogs entered North America from Siberia 4,500 years after humans did, were isolated for the next 9,000 years, and after contact with Europeans these no longer exist because they were replaced by Eurasian dogs. The pre-contact dogs exhibit a unique genetic signature that is now gone.


Characteristics

According to the FCI
breed standard In animal husbandry or animal fancy, a breed standard is a description of the characteristics of a hypothetical or ideal example of a breed. The description may include phenotype, physical or morphology (biology), morphological detail, genotype, g ...
, the most important aspect of its appearance is its hairlessness. Hairless dogs are often used in research for testing of various conditions such as dermatitis and other immune-related conditions. The dog may have short hair on top of its head, on its feet, and on the tip of its tail. In Peru, breeders tend to prefer completely hairless dogs. The color of skin can be chocolate-brown, elephant-grey, copper, or mottled. They can be totally one color or one color with tongue pink spots.
Albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of ...
is not accepted. The eye color is linked to the skin color. It is always brown, but dogs with light colors can have clearer eyes than darker-skinned dogs. Peruvian Hairless Dogs come in three sizes: *Small *Medium *Large Weight is also varied according to size : *Small 4 – 8 kg (9 – 18 lbs) *Medium 8 – 12 kg (18 – 26 lbs) *Large 12 – 25 kg (26 – 55 lbs) The dogs should be slim and elegant, with the impression of force and harmony, without being coarse. The ears should be candle-flame shaped and erect with the possibility to lay flat. Proportions of height (at
withers Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...
) to length (withers to base of tail) are 1:1. The gene that causes hairlessness also results in the dogs often having fewer teeth than other breeds, mostly lacking molars and premolars. The hairlessness trait is a dominant double lethal mutation , which means that homozygotic hairlessness does not exist. Homozygous embryos, those with two copies of the gene, do not develop in the womb. This results in an average birthrate of 2:1, hairless:coated.Hans Räber "Enzyklopädie der Rassehunde" T.I


References

{{Authority control Dog breeds originating in Peru FCI breeds Hairless dogs Indigenous topics of the Andes Rare dog breeds