Xoloitzcuintli Myths and Standards

This Breed is an Ancient Natural Breed from The Aztec Days and in Mexico that comes in 2 Varieties, Hairless and Coated. We breed for all 3 sizes. There are many Legends of the Breed having a reputation as a healer. The breed and it's warm leather skin are often thought to ward off and cure ailments like Rheumatism, Asthma, Toothaches, and Insomnia. The Xolo's were also believed to safeguard the home from Evil Spirits and ward off intruders.

The Xoloitzcuintli is AKC's 170th breed. In February 2010 Boarding the Xoloitzcuintli became eligible for AKC registration, December 1, 2010, and was eligible for competition in the Non-Sporting Group, effective January 1, 2011. At the May 2008 Board Meeting the Xoloitzcuintli was approved to compete in the Miscellaneous Class this became effective January 1, 2009. At the April 2006 Board Meeting, the Xoloitzcuintli became eligible to compete in AKC Companion Events effective January 1, 2007. Other names for the breed include Mexican Hairless and Tepezcuintli. The name is pronounced show-low-eats-queen-tlee. The Xolo has three sizes - toy, miniature, and standard.  The word Xoloitzcuintli is derived from the name of the Aztec god Xolotl and the Aztec word for dog, itzcuintli Known to exist in Mexico for over 3,000 years, the Xolo can justly claim the distinction as the first dog of the Americas. The Xoloitzcuintli was AKC registered from 1887 until 1959 (listed as Mexican Hairless). Me Too (#6074) was the first Mexican Hairless registered with the AKC. Owner: Mrs. Hubert T. Foote, New York City. Whelped 1882. Black. Won 1st and spec. New Haven; 1st New York; 1st Philadelphia; 1st New York; 1884. 1st and spec. New Haven; 1st Boston; 1st New York; 1st Philadelphia, 1885. 1st New Haven; 1st Boston; 1st and spec. Hartford; 1st New York, 1886. Chinito Jr., bred and owned by Valetska Radtke of New York City became the breed's first and only AKC champion (from 1887-1959) on October 19, 1940. Efforts to establish the Xolo as a purebred met with little success. No large-scale breeding programs existed to promote good quality. Neither country of origin nor the breed standard (at that point in time) offered direction to breeders. Interest waned and in April 1959, the AKC voted to drop the Mexican Hairless from the Stud Book. Xolos appear in paintings by famous Mexican artists such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. The breed is viewed as a national treasure in Mexico.

Xolo Coated Variety

Of course, past history shows that the Xolo dogs bred naturally in order to live in the wild. At that time the dog still needed some dentition even though they had missing teeth. In the Xolo breed the hairless dogs bred to coated dogs since there were more coated dogs than the hairless variety on the streets. Still as of today the hairless xolos is favored over the coated worldwide.  We currently know that as of today repeatedly breeding hairless xolos to hairless xolos will produce a hairless dog with little to no teeth. The lack of teeth can also lead to a defective bottom jaw.   The coated Xolos are worthy of breeding because they are known to keep bone, head size, and dentition in the breed.  We know the Mutation gene is attached to the hairless gene which alters the number of teeth that each dog has. If you have a healthy coated Xolo it should not carry the defective hairless gene that affects the hairless dogs dentition. If you breed a hairless xolo with the defective mutation to a healthy coated Xolo you are capable of keeping more teeth in the hairless xolo. This has been proven time and time again. 

In the breeding xolo world people seek out the hairless to hairless breedings hoping to get more hairless and less of the coated.  This type of breeding is known to produce hairless dogs that have little to no teeth and have a tongue that hangs out of their mouths. Lack of teeth and a tongue hanging out is not healthy for the breed or the individual dog. This problem causes the dog's inability to hunt and or eat correctly.

In my breeding program I use coated xolos as much as I do the hairless.  Had the dogs that we have in our homes today been in the wild, they would still be breeding hairless to coated and retaining more of their teeth.  

The Butterfly Xoloitzcuintli 

In ancient times, Xoloitzcuintlis were buried with the newly departed.  Most of the time it was with their master, But sometimes it was a stranger to them.  In any event, the dog was tied to the deceased with a red ribbon so that the dog wouldn't get "loose" in the Afterworld.  The Xolo's job was to guide the soul of his or her master through nine levels to reach Mictlan (heaven), then help him cross the Chiconahuapan, a river that was the last level before getting to Mictlan.

According to the belief, the Xolo would swim across the river with the soul of the person on their back.  A red dog was preferred because black ones were too "dirty" and lighter-colored dogs were too "Pure" but whatever color the dog, crossing the river with the soul of his or her master got the dog dirty from the water.  Once the pair reached heaven, they met Mictlantecchtli, lord of the underworld. Mictlantecuhtli always asked the Xolo if they wanted to stay in heaven or return to earth, but dogs who had been sacrificed for someone they didn't know had no particular loyalty to them and chose to go back to earth.

In order to return to earth, however, they had to cross the river one more time.  Instead of making the dogs dirty the second time they crossed the river the water cleansed them. These dogs returned with white marks on their legs, chests, tail, and sometimes the face because that's where the water splashed them the most.  Back on earth, everybody knew that a Xolo Marked this way had returned to earth from the underworld.

Now when you see a butterfly Xolo you know that the dog is a blessing sent directly from heaven.

AKC Breed Standard

FCI Breed Standard      FCI Breed Standard Spanish

UKC Breed Standard