El Perro Xoloitzcuintle de Barro: Una Raza con Raíces Culturales

The Xoloitzcuintle de Barro, a breed with a rich cultural heritage. This ancient dog has a history that dates back thousands of years in Mexico, specifically in the region of Mesoamerica.

Its name, Xoloitzcuintle, is derived from the Aztec language, with "Xolotl" meaning "moon dog" and "itzcuintli" meaning "dog". This breed was highly valued by the Aztecs for its loyalty and companionship.

In fact, the Xoloitzcuintle was often buried with its owners to ensure their safe passage into the afterlife. This practice was a testament to the strong bond between humans and dogs in ancient Mesoamerican cultures.

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The Xoloitzcuintli, also known as the Mexican Hairless Dog, has a rich history with the American Kennel Club (AKC). It was one of the first breeds registered by the AKC.

The breed was initially recognized by the AKC in 1887, with a dog named 'Mee Too' making history as the first Xolo registered with the AKC.

The Federación Cinológica Internacional (FCI) played a crucial role in recognizing the Xoloitzcuintli as a pure breed. La FCI, founded in 1940, wasn't prepared to declare the Xolo as a pure breed at that time.

The FCI finally recognized the Xolo in 1956, after a concerted effort to save the breed from extinction. A comité headed by Norman Pelham Wright was responsible for creating the first official standard for the breed.

In 1954, the FCI launched the Expedición Xolo, a widely publicized mission to discover if purebred Xolos still existed in remote areas of Mexico. The expedition found ten structurally strong Xolos, which formed the basis of the Mexican program to revive the breed.

These ten Xolos were the foundation of the breed's revival, and their discovery marked a turning point in the breed's history.

The genetics of the Xoloitzcuintle breed are quite fascinating. The lack of hair and some teeth in hairless Xoloitzcuintles is due to a condition called displasia ectodérmica canina, which is inherited as a monogenic autosomal semidominant trait.

This means that the absence of hair is determined by a single gene on a non-sex chromosome, and that gene has partial dominance. As a result, hairless Xoloitzcuintles often have a small amount of hair on their head and tail.

Xoloitzcuintles without hair are always heterozygous (Hh), meaning their genotype consists of a dominant gene (no hair) and a recessive gene (hair). They can't have two dominant genes because it would be lethal.

The gene responsible for this condition is called FOXI3, and it's essential for the formation of the ectoderm. If a Xoloitzcuintle inherits two copies of the dominant gene, it won't develop properly and likely won't be born.

Breeding two hairless Xoloitzcuintles together has a 50% chance of producing hairless offspring and a 25% chance of producing offspring with hair. The remaining 25% chance is of producing offspring that won't develop properly and won't be born.

Interestingly, the Xoloitzcuintle is the only breed of dog that results from a recessive gene, aside from the American Hairless Terrier.

The Xoloitzcuintle de Barro is a unique breed with a rich history. They originated in Mexico and are also known as the Mexican Hairless Dog.

This breed comes in three sizes: toy, miniature, and standard. Their weight can range from 10 to 23 pounds.

One of the most distinctive features of the Xoloitzcuintle de Barro is its hairlessness. They can be either hairless or have a short, smooth coat.

Their skin can be a variety of colors including red, blue, black, and fawn. They can also have a combination of these colors.

Their eyes are almond-shaped and can be a range of colors including brown, blue, and amber.

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The Xoloitzcuintle de Barro requires regular skin care due to its sensitive skin. Its skin is extremely sensitive and needs to be moisturized with cream or warm ointments 2-3 times a week.

You'll also want to protect its skin from the sun, as it can easily get burned. This means applying sunscreen or sunblockers to prevent damage.

To keep its skin healthy and shiny, you can use almond oil.

The perro xoloitzcuintle de barro is a fascinating topic, and its history and culture are steeped in tradition.

Frida Kahlo often featured xolos in her paintings, showcasing their importance in Mexican culture.

Xolos have also made appearances in various forms of entertainment, such as the Royal de Luxe street theater performances in Guadalajara, Nantes, and Liverpool.

A xolo even won first place in the "Animal Framer" Life Framer contest in 2015, with a photograph of the breed.

In the Disney and Pixar animated film Coco, a computer-simulated xoloitzcuintle named Dante appears.

El Camino de Xico, a Mexican animated film, centers around a xolo named Xico who is destined to save his home.