Peruvian Hairless Dog (Perro sin pelo del Perú)

The Peruvian Inca Orchid (Inca Hairless Dog) is an exotic breed native to Peru. This dog is renowned for its peculiar appearance with one of two its varieties being completely hairless. In its homeland it seems to be a highly valued and honoured dog and has the status of the National Patrimony. The breed comes in three varieties:

• small (weight – 4 to 8 kg; height – 25 to 40 cm);
• medium (weight – 8 to 12 kg; height – 40 to 50 cm);
• large (weight – 12 to 25 kg; height – 50 to 65 cm).

It’s strongly believed that the dog arrived to the Peru with the first human colonizers around 11 thousands years ago. These indigenous peoples used their dogs as hunting assistants, guardians and home pets. Other theory holds that the Xoloitzcuintli (hairless dog native to Mexico) and the Peruvian Inca Orchid were developed in one region and later expanded to the others. That means these dogs have common ancestry. Nonetheless Mexico and Peru are separated by many kilometres of tough terrain so the possibility of some kind of interactions between these areas is pretty low.

The dog was initially noticed by the Western people in the beginning of the XVI century. It was then the Spanish conquistadors invaded the Inca Empire in the 20’s of the XVI century in their quest for Inca’s valuables. The adventurers described in their journals a medium-sized naked dog that they met in houses, temples and palaces of the Inca Empire. The local people believed that the Peruvian Inca Orchid had a power of healing and can alleviate stomach pains, along with different other diseases, for instance asthma.

The invasion of Spanish led to substantial drop in the number of the Peruvian Inca Orchid but gradually it regained its previous position. The dog was known in three sizes: a small, medium and large. It was the first original American dog whom the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) granted its full acceptance in 1955. The breed reached America in 1966 and less than a dozen specimens based a foundation of development of the Peruvian Inca Orchid in this country. Nowadays it appears regularly at rare breed shows.

The United Kennel Club (UKC) gave the breed its recognition in 1996 and the American Kennel Club (AKC) signed it up for the Sight hound & Pariah Group. In 2010 the AKC registered the Peruvian Inca Orchid into its Miscellaneous Class. In recent years the dog is permitted to take part in virtually all club’s events except for conformation.

The Peruvian Inca Orchid requires fair amount of socialisation with strange people too and even in this case its behaviour will differentiates from being quite suspicious to a kind of amicable. The territorial feeling as a rule manifests itself strongly in this dog that’s why it will become a reasonable watchdog that will dependably alert the master about a probable intruder. This brave and steadfast breed is also capable to be a guard dog and will defend the owner’s property in his absence with outmost diligence.

The vast majority of the Peruvian Inca Orchids will tolerate other dogs and feel themselves most comfortable in the household with other sight hound. The dog has mixed reputation with non-canine animals. The home cat which was its neighbour in the same dwelling since puppyhood will be spared from the dog’s harassment. Nevertheless it preserved its hunting impulses mostly intact and will in most cases pursue unfamiliar cats or other creatures.

• missing teeth;
• cold intolerance;
• sunburn;
• skin allergies and other skin problems;
• pesticide sensitivity, especially insecticides;
• injury prone, specifically cuts;
• irritable bowel disease/IBD;
• epilepsy.

The hairless Peruvian Inca Orchid is believed to be well suited for allergy sufferers since it doesn’t shed. The same argument also applies for those who prefer to have meticulously tidy homes. It’s important to mention that majority of humans have allergy not to a dog’s fur, but to its skin so no dog is in essence hypoallergenic.

This breed responses negatively to correction-based methods and it may reject to go on the training session because of the lack of self-confidence. The best results in training of the Peruvian Inca Orchid bring methods that are founded on gentle reinforcement and food treats.