Hairlessness is recessive in the American Hairless Terrier. A hairless to hairless breeding results in all hairless pups who are born with a soft, vestigial ‘down’ known as the ‘birth coat’ which eventually diminishes over time so that by the age of 8-10 weeks, puppies are completely hairless.
The breed, however, has a coated variety that is covered with a short, smooth and dense coat with a sheen, and a coated dog that lacks a full coat is to be seriously faulted. A coated to hairless breeding results in an average of 50% hairless 50% coated carrier. There are no problems with dentation in the breed as there is when hairlessness is dominate genetically.
The only difference between the two (aside from the obvious) is that the coated dogs are quite willing to down or sit on a cold floor, whereas the hairless dogs tend to prefer a rug or pillow if available, unless they are warm and looking to cool down.
Photo of a piebald, solid, coated and hairless American Hairless Terrier, all in one image. Photo by Karyn Pingel