Federation Cynologique Internationale Secretariat General: 13, Place Albert l - B6530 Thiun, Belgium FCI Standard no. 234 / 22.05.1995 / E XOLOITZCUINTLE MEXICAN HAIRLESS DOG

Origin: Mexico Date of publication of this Standard: January 24, 1998 Utilization: Standard: Guard Dog Intermediate: Guard Dog Miniature: Companion FCI Classification: Group V: Spitz and Primitive Types. Section 6: Primitive Type a) Standard Variety. b) Intermediate Variety. c) Miniature Variety. Without working trial. BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: The origin of these dogs goes far back into history. The indigenous people consumed itÍs meat, which was greatly sought after. The breed was regarded as the earthly representative of the god ñXolotl,î from which the breed name obviously originates. ItÍs task was to accompany the souls of the dead to their eternal resting place. The breed is also known by the name ñMexican Hairless Dog.î GENERAL APPEARANCE : It is a very attractive dog; itÍs most important characteristic and peculiarity is the complete or almost complete lack of any hair, with a smooth and soft skin. ItÍs body has harmonious proportions, chest is broad, rib cage roomy, limbs and tail long. IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: ItÍs body is slightly longer than it is high. Approximately 10:9. Females may be slightly longer than the males. Elongated dogs with short legs should be penalized. TEMPERMENT: It is a quiet and tranquil dog that is happy, alert and intelligent. They mistrust strangers and as such make a good guardian and companion. CRANIAL REGION : •Head: The cranium is lipoid. Seen from above it is wide, strong and elegant; thinning out towards the snout with an occipital crest that is not well defined. •Frontal-Nasal Depression (stop): Slight but well defined with cranial-facial axis almost parallel. FACIAL REGION : •Nose: It should be dark in dark colored dogs, brown or rose colored in blond and bronze colored dogs and spotted in spotted dogs. Snout: Seen in profile it is straight with a strong mandible and maxillary. •Lips: Tight and together. •Cheeks: Slightly developed. •Teeth: Incisors close tightly in a scissor bite. Over and undershot bite as well as any other anomaly in position of the jaws is to be categorized as a serious fault. Absence of molars and premolars is not penalized. •Eyes: They are medium sized and almond shaped with an alert and smart expression. Color of eyes differs according to skin color and ranges from black, coffee-brown, red-brown and amber to yellow. Color as dark as possible preferred and both eyes should be the same color. Color of eyelids ranges from black to brown to gray. Paler color or pink patches on the lids are permitted but not very desirable. •Ears: The ears are long, large, expressive and very elegant with a delicate texture (batsÍ ears). They should always be erect in an alerted state. In this position their axis should be 50-80 degrees in relation to a horizontal line. Cut or droopy ears are not allowed and should be disqualified. NECK: •Upper Profile: Held high. •Length: Proportionally large. •Shape: Thin, flexible, with muscles, slightly arched and very elegant. •Skin: The neck skin is tight, firm, elastic without a double chin. Puppies have wrinkles that disappear with age. BODY: Strong build. •Withers: Not very defined. •Torso: Straight; the upper line of the back should be perfectly straight. Dogs with arched or sunken backs as well as long backs with short legs are not desirable. •Loin:Strong and muscled. •Hindquarters: The upper profile of the hindquarters should be slightly convex with an incline of approximately 40 degrees. It should be solid, muscled and very slightly rounded. •Chest: Seen in profile it is deep and long, dropping down to the elbows. The ribs are slightly arched but never flat. Seen from the front the upper chest is of a good size. The sternum should not be prominent. •Abdomen: The lower profile is elegantly marked, starting at the lower chest and finishing at the ventral retraction, which is muscled and tucked up. •Tail: It is long, thin and complete with some tufts of hair. From the base to the tip it gets thinner. In movement it is happily held up in a curve never drooping over the back. When resting it should hang with a hook at the end. Sometimes it is placed between the legs which is a sign of shyness. FRONT LEGS: Seen from the front they are straight and perpendicular, proportionate to the body and of a good length. The shoulders are flat and muscled with a good scapula-humerus that allows a long, free and elegant stride. Elbows should be strong and close to the thorax, never turned outward. HINDQUARTERS: Seen from behind they are perfectly straight and parallel to each other. Wide thighs that are muscled but never touching. The angles of the coxes-femur, femur-tibia-knee and tibia-tarsal are wide which is indispensable to allow a free and powerful leg movement. Cowhocks are to be strongly penalized. Feet: The feet are semi-long (hareÍs foot) with compact and tight toes having tufted hair. Nails are short and black in black colored dogs, lighter colored in bronze or blond dogs. The foot pads are strong and resistant to any terrain. Inter-digital membranes are well developed. Dewclaws must be removed on all four limbs. MOVEMENT: According to the angles they should move with long, elegant and flexible steps; at a fast trot they should unfold with the head and tail held high. SKIN: Due to a total absence of any hair on the body the skin of this breed is of great importance. It is smooth and sensitive to touch as well as being warmer than other haired breeds where heat is let out through natural ventilation. The skin required more care from exposure to the sun and elements due to itÍs lack of natural protection. Accidental scars are not penalized. The dog tends to sweat through the foot pads and inter-digital membrane and as such tends not to pant. COAT: The characteristic of this breed is the lack of hair although there are some short tufts of hair on the forehead and back of the neck that may be any color but should not reach the length or softness of the Chinese Crested of Tai-Tai. It is common to find odd hairs on the feet and at the end of the tail, however if they do not exist this should not be penalized. Any dogs with long hair will be disqualified. COLOR: Solid, uniform and dark colors are preferable. There are variants from black, dark gray, light gray, red, liver, bronze and blond. There are also spotted dogs of any color including white spots. SIZE: There are three sizes for males and females. a) Standard: 46-55 cms and up to 60 cms in high quality specimens. (18î - 21.5î up to 23.5î) b) Intermediate: 36 to 45 cms. (14.25î - 17.75î) c) Miniature: 25 to 35 cms. (9.75î - 13.75î) Specimens larger than 60 cms (23.5î) or smaller than 25 cms. (9.75î) are disqualified. FAULTS: Any deviation from the aforementioned criteria must be considered a fault and as such the gravity of the fault will be measured against the standard. - Very wide head - Very long body - Shy or aggressive character - Exaggerated poor pigmentation (Albino) - Hair in non-specified regions - Flabby, loose or wrinkled skin. - Double chin - Clear, round and bulging eyes. - Short Tail. - Very long body with short legs. DISQUALIFYING FAULTS: - A dog with a coat of hair covering the body. - Cropped or droopy ears. - Over or undershot bite. - Taller than 60 cms. (23.5î) or smaller than 25 cms. (9.75î). - Docked tail. -Tufts of hair on the forehead long or soft, as with Chinese Crested Dog. N.B. Males should have two testicles of normal appearance that have completely dropped into the scrotum.