AMERICAN HAIRLESS TERRIERS

            WE DIFFER,               AND THAT BENEFITS YOU!

As the American Hairless Terrier evolved from the highly energized 

hunting and vermin ridding breeds of old, most directly from the

American Rat Terrier; (itself a composite of many other hunting and ratting breeds),

the American Hairless Terrier came to us with more prey drive, and, usually,

more frenetic energy than is ideal for a hairless breed or the typical home.

American Hairless Terriers cannot spend as much time outdoors as hair-coated Rat Terriers can without risking sunburn, even with sunscreen to protect their skin.

This necessarily increases the amount of time which they must spend indoors,

and, therefore, increases the need to breed them so that they can

spend more time indoors contentedly and nondestructively. 

While Rat Terriers are commonly bred to hunt and kill vermin,

compete in various athletic, field, and racing competitions; 

in which some do compete American Hairless Terriers as well,

we, at Excelsior, believe that the animation and energy levels required

to compete in such events do not generally contribute

to the most easily lived with house dog. 

Dogs bred with the need and urge for great levels of prey drive and activity  without regular opportunity to release those energies and relieve those urges   are more inclined to develop nervous conditions and become destructive of  household property in they're frustration to release the pent up energy bred into them.

Therefore, when making breeding decisions, We, at Excelsior, select calmer

and less agitated dogs with lower prey drive to parent our puppies. 

Breeding for the show ring, primarily, does not necessarily produce the optimal home companion either. Every selection of an optimal trait for the show ring or other competitive activity is at the disfavor and loss of another optional trait, that, while it may be less desirable for the show ring and athletic competition, it might be preferable for producing dogs more suitable for human companionship and the happy home.

Genes determining characteristics and traits are generally transferred from

parent to offspring in groups, with each group generally affecting multiple characteristics and traits. Therefore, when consciously selecting breeders

to pass on one trait, other traits and characteristics that one may not be seeking,

or, that may be undesirable, are simultaneously passed on by default. 

Thus, a breeder of the show ring or competitive sport dogs may adequately 

select breeders to produce a dog that will succeed in competition, but,

that might make a very unhappy house dog or dog owner. 

Likewise, breeding  American Hairless Terriers to precise recent breed standards, while breeding them with preferred temperaments and optimal household suitability, requires a constant balancing back and forth of desirable traits with less desirable traits, sometimes accepting a less than ideal trait in order to gain another very desirable trait. 

As hairless home companions, We, at Excelsior American Hairless Terriers,

place breeding emphasis on, and select for, health first, disposition second, and only then on conformation and other characteristics desired in the show ring, but, 

always against the high activity and energy level necessary for sports competition. 

At Excelsior American Hairless Terriers, after screening for health, we select for human-centric dispositions to produce the most affectionate offspring while striving not to produce emotionally needy dogs; which can be as annoying as dogs indifferent to human companionship. We also select for dogs that are friendly enough to give a stranger the cautious benefit of any doubt, when in the company of their owners, but, not so friendly that they'll eagerly jump into any passing car for the thrill of a car ride, or, hasten to run off and join in on any fun or commotion of other people in the distance. Only then do we select for show ring qualities and other aesthetic considerations. Admittedly, careful selection of breeders does not guarantee perfect home companions, any more than breeding show ring champions to show ring champions guarantee that all offspring will be show ring champions. But, it does increase the likelihood of a positive result over not carefully selecting for these traits.

The stabilizing and standardizing of desirable traits is commonly achieved by breeding those dogs together which share those traits, usually involving dogs that 

are related to each other to some degree, resulting in a 'line' of very similar dogs.

However, due to the relatively small gene pool of the relatively new 

American Hairless Terrier breed, it currently remains necessary to outcross the American Hairless Terrier to its parent breed, the Rat Terrier,

to preserve or enhance genetic vigor, health, or other desirable qualities.

When the genetic set of a line is unlocked by outcrossing, a pandora's box of  

characteristics and traits from the genetic ancestry of the outcrossed animal may emerge from the previous suppression of some genes by selective breeding,

resulting in a variety of possible appearances. While the 'official standard' for appearance and size of American Hairless Terriers; dictated to the registration and show clubs by the early breeders of AHTs, is rather narrow, their actual size

can range from eight to forty pounds, and they can appear more like breed types from their ancestral makeup than the American Hairless Terrier 'Club' standard type.

For example, from an outcrossed breeding, the puppy below looks and moves like a scent hound which likely contributed to the ancestry of the Rat Terrier,

and is now in a growth pattern to likely reach into the thirty-pound range.

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