American Hairless Terrier

Overview

Overview of American Hairless Terrier

The American Hairless Terrier (AHT), the only hairless breed founded in the United States, is a naturally occurring offshoot of the Rat Terrier, affectionately known as 'feists' (because of their feisty ratting prowess)! People say that President Theodore Roosevelt adored his feist, Skip, so much that he even coined the name Rat Terrier. The breed origins begin with married couple, Edwin and Willie Scott bringing home a hairless rat terrier they named Josephine, who melted their hearts with her charming personality and spotted skin so they decided to start a new hairless dog breed in America. After many years of selective breeding, the American Hairless Terrier was finally born! Due to the gene being recessive for the hairlessness in these pooches, it took quite some time to produce two parents that could consistently sire hairless puppies. American Hairless Terriers’ unique genetic makeup means that many of these hairless pups are born with all their teeth (missing teeth can sometimes be an issue for hairless dog breeds.) These hairless ratters come in all colors and patterns except for merle or albino.