Mexico, a country flooded with a vast culture inherited from its indigenous ancestors, with an exquisite and varied gastronomy, a country that maintains great respect for loved ones that departed from this world. But it is also the cradle of a very peculiar canine species, which has been represented in Mexican culture throughout its history. This is called Xoloitzcuintle And it is seen very frequently in the rural areas of Mexico as well as in some Central American countries.
This Interesting dog race Born in Mexican lands, also known in some regions as a Aztec dog, it has its origin about 3500 years ago in a place called "Huapalcalco". When the Spaniards arrived to colonize Mexico, they confused the animal with a kind of dwarf horse. During the Spanish colonization this canine reached the edge of extinction because in some areas it was used as food. But thanks to the collaboration of the members of the "Canophilic Federation of Mexico”A movement for preservation was created. Today it is considered a symbol of Mexican culture and of its history.
Characteristics
Next we will see the most outstanding characteristics of the curious Xoloitzcuintle that will make you want to take care and pamper yours.
Physical
This species has the peculiarity of have almost hair in your body and the coloration of Your skin is a mixture between black and brown In some areas. It is of thin conformation and elongated legs. Genetically These dogsThey tend to lose their teeth and hair As they develop, this is known as Canine ectodermal dysplasia, this gene is not of a sexual nature but of the genotype as such and is partially dominant. In some cases heXoloitzcuintlecan keep the fur And this is because the dominant gene of hair loss does not affect the entire offspring, but still the canine still retains that part in its genetic material.
These, having almost hair, They usually suffer scratches and lacerations, but they have a rapid regeneration capacity before this type of wounds. They are usually cold for their scarce fur and their body has to maintain an internal temperature of around 40 degrees Celsius. That is why they are very comfortable in warm climates. The Xoloitzcuintle regularly weighs 4 to 20 kg. They have triangular ears, which can move forward or backward at will. It has elongated eyes and a long and slender neck.
Behavior
The Xoloitzcuintle is A dog that demonstrates affection and fidelityto its owner, in their miniature version, these are usually more playful and curious being able to climb up to 2 meters and get into holes where you fit your head. These dogs are territorial, so They are very good to perform work as a surveillance and protection dog, this is able to die defending its owner and home. Its coexistence with other animals is usually threatened (this will depend on the type of training) no matter if they are dogs, cats or birds, the Xoloitzcuintle will not generate discomfort none of these.
General care
The average life of Xoloitzcuintle is about 12 to 14 years old, but if your life expectancy is well cared for and can increase about 2 more years.
The food
As for food, it really doesn't usually get out of normal standards. In its puppy stage you can feed it with a good meal for dog puppies will suffice. Now, it is true that because it does not have numerous teeth, it is advisable to add soft and semi -flags to its diet. As in its adult dog stage, The Xoloitzcuintle has to change the type of food to one who adapts to the characteristics of this, which will depend on the size you have, and in the same way to introduce soft food in your diet for your comfort.
Xoloitzcuintle hygiene
It is very important for any owner to keep his pet clean, and in the case of Xoloitzcuintle it is of the utmost importance Be constantly care your skin, since, as with humans, these can also suffer dry or greasy skin. It is recommended that, in the Xoloitzcuintle puppy stage, they are carried out weekly exfoliations and moisturizing creams are applied, this because the puppy's skin usually has a large number of wrinkles.
In the event that a lot of exposure to the sun will receive, a layer of sunscreen must be applied in order to keep your skin protected in the face of the impact of UV rays. In a logical way, it must be anticipated that these animals are very susceptible to the cold, so at the moment having prolonged exposure to the icy climates, a coat should be placed to minimize the loss of its body heat. In the case of Xoloitzcuintle dental hygiene, emphasis has to be emphasized in your care and surveillance, it is recommended at least to visit the veterinarian once a year so that you can take control of inspections in the snout and teeth.
BATTERY AND DRYING OF THE CANINO
Because dirt and bacteria tend to stay in the pores of the Xoloitzcuintle with some frequency, it is recommended to perform 2 monthly baths so that the appearance of grains and eruptions is avoided. It would only be enough to use a special dog shampoo and a sponge, if it is of much better plant origin, and then a moisturizing cream for your skin.
Vaccines and deworming for the Xoloitzcuintle
When the dog is adopted, a letter must be delivered with the vaccines that were placed and the date of the application. This is to keep control of vaccines that the animal requires and know the time to re -apply vaccines. In the case of parasites that all other dog breeds suffer, it can be said that Xoloitzcuintle only needs an intestinal deworming, since it does not suffer from ticks or fleas.
The health of this breed
After the problems of your loss of teeth and the care of your skin, The Xoloitzcuintledoes not suffer from any other disease Race characteristic, it can be said that they have an excellent immune system and enjoy vitality and energy.
How should an Xoloitzcuintle be trained?
This breed too is characterized by beingextremely intelligent, if your affectionate behavior is added to this, the result It is an easy training dog and obedient at the orders of its owner. Training at very early ages should begin, around 4 or 6 months, so that it can assimilate the information and memorize it. If you do not train in your puppy phase, it may be difficult to assimilate new concepts and rules in adulthood. It must be remembered that the Xoloitzcuintle must not only strive to learn by itself, but also the owner must have two fundamental characteristics when teaching him. These aspects are patience and dedication, it is useless to try to train the canine without keeping this in mind.
When training the Xoloitzcuintle, some basic criteria must be taken into account:
Understandable and firm standards: To prevent the dog from understanding something and confuses, it has to be firm when giving an order. An example would be that if you do not want the Xoloitzcuintle to rise in bed, the "no" order must be used and always maintain it.
Make short sessions to train it: Because dogs consist of a high ability to easily be distracted by short training sessions (about 10 minutes) so that they do not forget what they learned.
Keep calm during training: If the dog fails to perform an action, you should not punish, you just have to keep calm and wait for the order to successfully make.
Implement training sessions before eating time: This will create in the Xoloitzcuintle a relationship between action and reward. This system is the best when training any animal.
He Xoloitzcuintle is a canine with a large amount of energy, so it is recommended that routines of walks and game times be sought. In this way, the dog can drain all that energy and will be calmer when you return home. If these training routines cannot be programmed, you must spend time with it and perform small physical activities inside the home. Thus, even if not all the energy, our friend will feel better when giving him a little attention.
Curiosities about these companions
Etymology of the name Xoloitzcuintle
In Mayan mythology the name of Xoloitzcuintle comes from the meanings of the words "Xologtl"What is the name of the God of the twins and the sunset. And the word"Itzcuintli"What does dog mean, so the union in these ways"Xologtl dog”.
Art
The famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, along with Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo, had one of these dogs as a pet. And it was so influential for her that several of her works are marked by the Xoloitzcuintle.
Cinema
In the Pixar animated studio film called Coconut You can see how the protagonist is accompanied by his faithful dog called "Dante." This is an Xoloitzcuintle, and its name "Dante" comes from the name of the main character in "The Divine Comedy" and the relationship between them is that they travel to the underworld (although the Dante of the Divine Comedy travels through the Catholic underworld).
Mythology
In Mayan mythology It was believed that theXoloitzcuintle was a sacred dog, which had divine qualities, one of them said that if an Xoloitzcuintle rubbed you with its leg in a wound it was going to heal quickly. In some ethnicities The Xoloitzcuintle was treated as a god, since it was thought that this was God Xologetl.
As a nationalist symbol
After the Mexican revolution, it was decided to use the Xoloitzcuintle as a representative symbol of Mexican culture Before it was impregnated with European culture, also representing the legacy of its ancestors. Today we have Xoloitzcuintle as a representative image of all of Mexico.
In canine competitions
Thanks to the Great intelligence of the Xoloitzcuintle and its ability to assimilate orders, this breed could participate in several canine beauty competitions in the United States in the 80s. Although due to its physical appearance he could not obtain greater acceptance among American society. Today it is very common to see them in several canine beauty competitions and an acceptance and affection have been achieved by the world's population.
Approximate age of race and intervention with man
Some specialists agree that the age of Xoloitzcuintle is approximately 7000 years. The incredible thing is that after so many years of existence this curious dog has not suffered any genetic mutation due to human factors. You could say that theXoloitzcuintle belong to the group of older dogs of the planet and also of those that still retain its natural purity.
General analysis of the Xoloitzcuintle
As you can see, this breed of dogs has unique qualities and characteristics that make it an ideal pet, since their behavior with family members, friends and acquaintances is very quiet and affectionate, to the point of becoming a bit "sticky." The Xoloitzcuintle as a surveillance dog is very effective because its auditory capacity and intelligence makes it one of the best security alarms, always attentive to any strange sound or movement. They have great resistance to diseases due to their strong immune system, in addition to not suffering flea or tick infestations due to their little hair. They are always full of energy to perform any physical activity, either outdoors or inside the house. And although the Xoloitzcuintle is a rather unknown breed outside of Mexico and that some people dislike their physical appearance, it can be concluded that it is a great dog, an affable and friendly partner.
