[2] In hairless examples the skin may be any one of a wide variety of colors, with or without limited unpigmented areas, usually the legs, tail or chest; any hairs may be of any colour.

Ceramic hairless dogs from the Chimú, Moche, and Vicus culture are well known.

[6][page needed] Peruvian Hairless Dogs are now a symbol of Peru and part of its national heritage, celebrated in art and literature.

[citation needed] In 2018, an analysis of DNA from the entire cell nucleus indicated that dogs entered North America from Siberia 4,500 years after humans did, were isolated for the next 9,000 years, and after contact with Europeans these no longer exist because they were replaced by Eurasian dogs.

[9] The dog may have short hair on top of its head, on its feet, and on the tip of its tail.

In Peru, breeders tend to prefer completely hairless dogs.

[10] The gene that causes hairlessness also results in the dogs often having fewer teeth than other breeds, mostly lacking molars and premolars.