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Peruvian Inca Orchid

The breeds · northern

AKC Miscellaneous · UKC Sighthound & Pariah · FCI standard 310

Peruvian Inca Orchid.

FCI utilization: companion dog. AKC standard: a sight hound, an elegant and slim dog whose aspect expresses speed, strength and harmony. UKC: an elegant sighthound with the appearance of speed, strength and stamina; excellent guard and watchdogs, wary of strangers but devoted to their owners. AKC page: an elegant sighthound that developed in Peru; lively and alert dogs that can be very good hunters. Wikipedia (Spanish): protection or companion; the only living breed indigenous to Peru (Wikipedia, English)..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeight · large standardall null, all null, all null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
9–66LBWeight, all lineslarge 26.4 to 66.1 lb; medium 17.5 to 26.5 lb; small 8.5 to 17.6 lb.

The lines

Within one breed the line can matter more than the breed. Where the lines differ, the page says which one a value belongs to.

large

Large size: over 19.75 to 25.75 in (about 50 or 51 to 65 cm).

medium

Medium size: over 15.75 to 19.75 in (about 40 or 41 to 50 cm).

small

Small size: 9.75 to 15.75 in (25 to 40 cm) at the withers (AKC, UKC, FCI). Hairless and coated varieties share the sizes.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

large line19.5 to 25.8 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2011

Every standard prints a range and no sex split, so center is blank. Wikipedia's inch figures are its own rounding.

medium line15.5 to 19.8 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2011

Every standard prints a range and no sex split, so center is blank. Wikipedia's inch figures are its own rounding.

small line9.8 to 15.8 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2011

Every standard prints a range and no sex split, so center is blank. Wikipedia's inch figures are its own rounding.

Weight

large line26.4 to 66.1 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2011

The FCI standard (2021) raised the large upper weight to 30 kg; the AKC standard (2011), UKC and Wikipedia stop at about 25 kg (55 lb). Both stand. kg to lb: 30 kg = 66.1.

medium line17.5 to 26.5 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2011

Ranges, no sex split, so center is blank.

small line8.5 to 17.6 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2011

Ranges, no sex split, so center is blank.

Coat

AKC standard: hairless examples show bare skin; short hair on the head and vestiges on lower tail and feet acceptable; shaving or removing hair is not permitted. Coated variety: coat short or medium length with feathering at neck, ears and body. UKC: coated dogs have a single, moderately coarse short to medium coat, straight or slightly wavy. Hairless skin may be any colour (AKC standard); the coated variety accepts all colours (AKC standard). Incomplete dentition is normal in the hairless variety; the coated variety should have full dentition (AKC standard, UKC, FCI).

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2011

Hairless and coated dogs can be born in the same litter (UKC).

Shedding

Shedding 1 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

5 of 5 · AKC standard: hairless examples have exposed skin; the standard's note says body temperature is the same as other breeds and that without hair, heat is emanated immediately and directly. Coated variety: short or medium single coat (UKC).

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2011

Derived from the coat (hairless or short single coat = 5). No source reads on sun or sunburn sensitivity, which a handler should weigh.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

AKC page bands (AKC, not measured): Energy Level 4 of 5, Mental Stimulation Needs 4 of 5. UKC: lively and alert; when mature, calm and quiet. No kennel-club exercise minutes were read.

Breed clubAKC

Energy

AKC page bands (AKC, not measured): Energy Level 4, Mental Stimulation Needs 4, Trainability 3, Barking Level 3, Adaptability 3, Affectionate With Family 5, Good With Young Children 3, Good With Other Dogs 3, Openness To Strangers 3, Watchdog/Protective Nature 3, Playfulness 3. AKC standard: noble and affectionate at home, lively and alert, wary and a good guard with strangers. UKC: intelligent, independent thinkers.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands, not measured.

Grooming load

1 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming

AKC page bands (AKC, not measured): Coat Grooming Frequency 1 of 5, Shedding Level 1 of 5, Drooling Level 1 of 5. AKC standard: shaving or other hair removal is not permitted in the hairless variety.

Breed clubAKC

No kennel-club grooming band or skin-care guidance was read, so grooming_load is left out.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI utilization: companion dog. AKC standard: a sight hound, an elegant and slim dog whose aspect expresses speed, strength and harmony. UKC: an elegant sighthound with the appearance of speed, strength and stamina; excellent guard and watchdogs, wary of strangers but devoted to their owners. AKC page: an elegant sighthound that developed in Peru; lively and alert dogs that can be very good hunters. Wikipedia (Spanish): protection or companion; the only living breed indigenous to Peru (Wikipedia, English).

Breed clubFCI Standard No. 310, 2021

Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Also used on

AKC page: lure coursing, rally and agility, and 'very good hunters' (quarry not named). AKC standard and UKC: good guard and watchdog in the presence of strangers. UKC: the ears may be folded at rest, gaiting or coursing.

EditorialAKC

No source names what the breed hunts; this row records only what is stated.

Field trial standard

FCI: Group 5 Spitz and primitive type, Section 6 Dogs of primitive type, without working trial. AKC page: lure coursing, rally and agility. AKC lure coursing rules were not read.

Breed clubFCI Standard No. 310, 2021

Cold water

1 of 5 · AKC standard: hairless examples have bare skin, short hair on head and vestiges on tail and feet; heat leaves the body directly. No water work is described by any source.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2011

Derived from the coat (hairless skin or a short single coat gives little insulation). No source describes cold or water work.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia (English): the gene that causes hairlessness also gives the dogs fewer teeth than other breeds, mostly lacking molars and premolars. AKC standard, UKC and FCI: incomplete dentition is normal in the hairless variety, while the coated variety should have full dentition. AKC standard note: the hairless variety's skin is smooth with a few rounded lines on the head and face.

EditorialWikipedia (English)

This records a breed trait that the standards accept, not a disease list or a prevalence. No VetCompass paper or club survey was read.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 4; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 1; Coat Grooming Frequency 1; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 4 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Peruvian Hairless Dog, Perro Sin Pelo del Peru, Viringo, Inca Hairless Dog

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

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