Caring for a Hairless Dog

This is Momo.  He is my dog.  He is a Hairless American Terrier and is sometimes called a Hairless Rat Terrier.  He has also been called a "naked dog" and a "rubber dog".  He does not know he does not have fur.

Momo is hairless because he has two recessive genes.  These genes are common in rat terriers.  The first American Hairless Terrier had a mama and a daddy rat terrier with fur.  This was back when KISS was still cool and people thought they were the devil.  Momo is not the devil.

No really, he isn't.

Momo is a member of the most hairless breed of dog.  He has tiny microscopic hairs and whiskers.  He had fur when he was little, but it fell out after a few weeks.

Momo is small.  He is only 12 lbs.

Momo is a good model.  He likes his clothes because they keep him warm.  I do not have to feel bad about buying him cute clothes because he needs clothes anyway.  It is hard to find him clothes that fit because he is skinny and is a boy dog.  A lot of clothes are made for girl dogs.

Momo has white and grey skin.  If he is in the sun too long, his white skin can burn.  He needs sunscreen and t-shirts to help protect his skin.

Momo is a good boy in the bath tub because he was bathed since he was little.  He does not need baths so much, but he can have them regularly.

Momo grows long claws.  They must be clipped regularly.

Momo does not like the vet.  He has luxating patillas which is common for a dog with such thin legs.  He has also had mange but is recovered.  The breed is not known for mange.  Besides that, he is a good healthy boy.

Momo is always starving.  He would eat a moose if he could.  He eats good dog food with some vegetable oil because he uses so many calories in a day to keep his temperature normal.  He also gets greenies and chews.

Momo likes children and not just for breakfast.  Just kidding.  He is very gentle with them.  When he was growing up, he was around children a lot.

Momo is a terrier and has a high prey drive.  He would like to hunt and kill all day long.  He has lots of plush toys that he likes to destroy.

Momo does good around other dogs unless they are on a leash or behind a fence.  Then he does not do that good.  Many dogs do not like Momo because he is different.

Momo is not good in the water.  He is skinny and has small paws.  One time he jumped in a swimming pond with other dogs and sank.  He must not have realized it was so deep.  He was able to swim to shore and barf a gallon of water.  He does not like deep water anymore, and he has a life vest for going to the river.

Momo is small and loves toys, laser pointers, and terrorizing the cats.  He can get all of his exercise inside.  He should not go on very long walks or jogs.

Momo does not like his picture taken.

The American Hairless Terrier has the same personality traits as a rat terrier and terriers in general.  They must receive some special care due to them being hairless, but generally they're healthy.  Their claws do grow abnormally fast, and they do get gunk in their ears and eyes.  However, they're a breeze to bathe, and that more than makes up for the minimal grooming they require.  Obviously they don't need to be trimmed or shaved.  Originally I was told that he needed weekly baths, but I haven't found that to be the case.  He's generally very clean and really doesn't need all that much cleaning.

The most common questions I get asked are:

Did you shave him?
Does he have a disease?
How do you pet him?

I do not shave him.  He does not have a disease and does not look diseased besides a lack of fur - his skin is very clean and pretty, and dogs with a skin disease will have sores/rashes.  You pet him like you were giving someone a light back rub or like you were petting a dog with fur.

This Instructable is largely inspired by the questions I do get asked and by the misinformation that's currently out there.  I was once asked by a rescue organization worker, "What's wrong with your dog?" as he was trying to intercept my approach to the puppy pen where I could get my puppy cuteness fix.  I had to tell him that there's nothing wrong with my dog - he just doesn't have any fur but is otherwise healthy, social, and happy.