History

The 3,000-year-old Xoloitzcuintli (pronounced “show-low-eats-QUEENT-lee”), the ancient Aztec dog of the gods, is today a loving companion and vigilant watchdog. The alert and loyal Xolo comes in three sizes, and in either hairless or coated varieties. ¿The Xoloitzcuintli (show-low-eats-queen-tlee) comes in three sizes (miniature, intermediate and standard), and two varieties (hairless and coated). The 3,000-year-old Xoloitzcuintli (pronounced “show-low-eats-QUEENT-lee”), the ancient Aztec dog of the gods, is today a loving companion and vigilant watchdog.

Personality:

Xolos are bright, alert, independent, loyal, and protective

Best with:

• A loving home that can provide vigorous daily mental and physical exercise, and a regular routine. Xolos are extremely smart. Thus, their intelligence and energy need to be directed.
• People with active lifestyles. The larger the Xolo, the more exercise they need.
• Owners willing to use positive training only.
• Depending upon the size, homes with a 6 foot solid wooden fence or secure farm fencing. Unless a Xolo is well trained, even an intermediate can easily scale a 6 ft fence if they want to.

Not for:

• People who are not willing to take the time and money to train.
• Due to high training needs, not recommended as a first dog
• People with sedentary lifestyles should stick to older or smaller Xolos
• People with noisy or chaotic householdsPros:

Pros:

• Incredibly loyal and loving.
• Extremely smart, quick learners.
• Very protective of their family.
• Very observant and sticky. (Don’t ever expect to go to the bathroom alone again…)

Cons:

• Can be overly protective of family.
• Takes time to warm up to strangers and other animals.
• Strong and powerful. If not trained, can be hard to handle.

More Info:

www.akc.org

Xoloitzcuintli Club of America

Characteristics

Size:

The Xoloitzcuintli (show-low-eats-queen-tlee) comes in three sizes (miniature, intermediate and standard), and two varieties (hairless and coated).

Color:

The hairless has tough, smooth, close-fitting skin. The coated variety is covered by a short, flat coat. Both varieties come in dark colors, ranging from black, gray-black, slate, to red, liver, or bronze.

Energy Level:

Extremely high

Life Expectancy:

10 to 14 years.

Children:

Great with their own children. Their highly protective nature and cautiousness of strangers makes them leary if you have kids coming and going on a regular basis.

Other Animals:

High prey drive. No cats unless raised with them. Cautious around small dogs unless raised with them. Primitive. Will stalk and hunt animals/birds. Swift and strong.

Abilities:

Excel at performance sports such as agility, obedience, fly-ball.

Shedding/Grooming:

• Hairless: Regular skin care including washing, dealing with breakouts, need lotion and sunscreen. If doing winter activities, consider a jacket or thermal layer.
• Variety of coats. Most are wash, comb and blow dry. No professional grooming or trimming needed.

Health:

Overall, Xolos are rare and reasonably healthy. Please see Xolo club website.