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Hairless Khala
Puppies for Sale
Hairless Khala
(Hairless Khala Medio) (Hairless Khala Grande) (Pila)
Photo Courtesy of Casa
Verdad Calata (House of the Naked Truth)
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Pronunciation |
COW-la |
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Description |
There is a Hairless Khala
Medio (short legged, also called the pottery type) and a Hairless Khala Grande
(long legged or sighthound type.) The Medio is a medium sized hound, powerful
yet graceful. The Grande gives the impression of a sighthound, well coordinated
and able to move with ease and agility. Color is immaterial, but most Khalas are
a dark gray at maturity. |
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Temperament |
Loving and docile with
family and friends. Aloof, standoffish even unfriendly with strangers. Tolerant
and packish with household animals, but not submissive.
The Khala is not pushy with other dogs but they are not submissive either. Since
they don't have hair and adult teeth are usually few and far between, they tend
to walk (or run away) from a serious confrontation. When startled, they
freeze... which is great for stacking in the show ring! This is a primitive
breed, it needs very little in care BUT requires an owner with dog experience to
understand them. Generally,
because of the lost of protection provided by hair and good dentition, flight is
preferable to fight. The Khala tend to identify very closely with others of
their kind (most hairless dogs do) and are happiest when there are at least two
of them in a home. |
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Height, Weight |
Height: Medio 14-17 inches
(36-41 cm.)
Height: Grand 17-20 inches (43-51 cm.)
Weight: Medio 15-30 pounds (6.8-13.9 kg.)
Weight: Grande 18-30 pounds (8-13.5 kg.) |
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Health Problems |
By necessity, Khalas
are a naturally healthy breed. In the countries of origin, veterinary care is seldom
available or affordable to the Indian peasants the dogs live with. As with most
hairless dogs, adult dentition is very bad. The root system is shallow and even
puppy teeth are primitive. |
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Living Conditions |
Coats/sweaters as well as
protection from the sun may be necessary, depending on the weather ALTHOUGH
little is provided for them in their homelands where they live from the seaside
to high in the mountains. One owner/breeder of the Khala states "When the
temperature is too extreme for them, hot or cold, they let you know! (Each of
ours has a complete wardrobe of sweaters and sweatshirts with a different color
for each dog; when it's cold out and I pick up a sweater the dog who has that
color comes up to get dressed! If I don't go for the dog clothes, one... or all
of them... will bring me a sweater and they usually bring their own. They are
uncanny... and I'll never again believe that dogs can't see colors!)" |
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Exercise |
A fenced yard is suggested
as, being a hound, the Khala tends to give chase without thought.
This breed needs to be taken on a daily
walk. |
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Life Expectancy |
Unknown in the US where they
are provided for and protected. |
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Grooming |
An occasional bath. The
Khala's nails are described as 'heavy claws somewhat longer than most breeds'
and the dogs are very sensitive and resistant to having them trimmed. |
Origin |
From the American Khala
Association standard for the breed: "The hairless hound is indigenous to
Latin America from Mexico throughout Central and South America. Almost every
Latin country has a variety, whether the medium sized, somewhat heavy bodied
'pottery' type or the taller, leaner 'gazehound' type. The difference between
the two is more of substance than of height. Both types can and do appear in the
same litter and no attempt has been made, as yet, to breed selectively for one
type or the other. The dogs are known by different names, even within the same
country. We have only recently classified them simply as KHALA which is the
Bolivian Quechua Indian word meaning 'without clothing.' The Peruvian Quechua
word for the breed is 'caa allepo' which translates to 'without vestment.' In
other countries, the Indian names translate similarly, which would indicate a
difference in dialect rather than in the breed. The Khala is a naturally
healthy, hearty animal that survives without pampering from the coastline to
high in the Andes. It is a dog of the people and shares their meager existence
with affection and a willingness to make do that is common to most unrefined
canines. Like their human's family tree, Khala pedigrees are seldom written down
and are more of common knowledge and spoken word. It is normal for the entire
village to know the names, and a lot more, of any dog's parents, grandparents,
and so on for many generations. Some effort is being made in several countries,
most notably Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, to track and record pedigree and to
exchange breeding animals between geographic locations. Exportation to the US
and Europe is limited but not impossible." |
| Group |
- |
| Recognition |
AKAR, CKC, APRI |
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AKAR = American Khala
Association Registry
CKC = Continental
Kennel Club
APRI = American Pet Registry
Inc. |
Hairless Khala found wandering in Peru at an Inca
ruin site
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Hairless Khala Grande found
wandering around in the pre-inca ruins just
south of Lima, Peru
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Hairless Khala in Bolivia, and yes, the
yellow hair is natural. |
Hairless Khala Pictures Page 1
Hairless Breeds
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