It scarcely pants because it mainly sweats through its paws, and its skin feels warm: that is the FCI standard’s description. The Xoloitzcuintle, or Xolo, is hairless because a single gene makes it so. The same gene usually costs it teeth too.
| FCI | Group 5 (Spitz and primitive types), Section 6 Primitive type, Standard No. 234, without working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Mexico |
| Size (height at the withers) | three sizes for males and females: standard 46 to 60 cm (plus 2 cm tolerance for optimal quality), intermediate 36 to 45 cm, miniature 25 to 35 cm |
| Weight | not specified in the FCI standard |
| Life expectancy | no reliable study figure found (N/A) |
| Coat | hairless: bare body, soft, smooth skin, short hair possible on forehead, neck, feet and tail tip; coated: short, dense, smooth, without undercoat |
| Colours in the standard | solid dark preferred: black, blackish grey, slate grey, dark grey, reddish, liver, bronze or blond, also with patches of any colour including white; merle disqualifies |
Companion of the dead, emblem of a federation
The name comes from Nahuatl and, according to the standard, refers to the god Xolotl. In pre-Hispanic Mexico, the dog was considered his image and a companion of the dead; its meat was eaten at ceremonies. This nearly drove it to extinction. The Mexican canine federation saved the breed, which the FCI recognised in 1961. The same inherited trait occurs in the Peruvian Hairless Dog.
Quiet, watchful, never aggressive
Calm and quiet, cheerful, watchful and intelligent, perhaps suspicious of strangers: that is its temperament according to the standard, which lists the two larger sizes as watchdogs and the smallest as a companion. It initially sizes up visitors; early, calm encounters with strangers help. Ordinary walks and search games suffice.
One gene for skin and teeth
Hairlessness is caused by a FOXI3 change shared with the Peruvian Hairless Dog and Chinese Crested (Drögemüller et al. 2008). The gene also regulates tooth development. Historical hairless-dog skulls lacked permanent canines and premolars, sometimes incisors too, and their molars were malformed (Kupczik et al. 2017). The standard therefore does not penalise missing teeth. Dogs with two copies of the variant have never been found and are considered non-viable in the womb (Parker et al. 2017). Nevertheless, the standard prefers pairing two hairless dogs; theoretically, a quarter of embryos then inherit two copies. Section 11b of Germany’s Animal Welfare Act prohibits breeding where inherited missing or unfit body parts cause pain, suffering or harm.
Skin without natural protection
The standard says skin without fur lacks protection from sun and weather. UV-related skin tumours typically develop in sparsely haired areas; sunscreen containing non-nanoparticle zinc oxide is considered safe if the dog barely licks it off (Granados-Soler et al. 2026). Provide shade, keep it indoors at midday and use a coat in winter.
Who can meet its needs
People seeking a calm guardian, planning daily skin care and asking about both parents’ teeth and skin. Often overlooked is the coated Xolo, which must have all 42 teeth under the standard.
Less suitable if
you want an easy-care dog for every weather or are especially attracted by the bare skin.
Before choosing a hairless dog, try the breed quiz; our book offers more detail: “Welcher Hund passt WIRKLICH zu dir?” (book in German). Slender, short-haired primitive dogs without this gene include the Cirneco dell’Etna and Pharaoh Hound; find more in the Dog Breed Encyclopedia. Shelters and breed rescues also occasionally rehome Xolos. For the first weeks, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack.
Further reading
- Pug: what a nose bred away means in daily life
- The socialisation period: why “as much as possible” is the wrong advice
- The first 30 days with a puppy: a plan for weeks 1 to 4
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI-Standard Nr. 234 Xoloitzcuintle (fci.be, German version dated 04.10.2021, valid standard published 08.10.2012); Drögemüller C et al., A mutation in hairless dogs implicates FOXI3 in ectodermal development, Science 2008; Kupczik K et al., The dental phenotype of hairless dogs with FOXI3 haploinsufficiency, Scientific Reports 2017; Parker HG et al., The bald and the beautiful: hairlessness in domestic dog breeds, Phil Trans R Soc B 2017; Granados-Soler JL et al., Ultraviolet Light-Induced Skin Cancer and the Safety of Sunscreen Use in Pets, Veterinary Sciences 2026; McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024 (breed not analysed); Tierschutzgesetz § 11b.
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