Peruvian Inca Orchid Dog Breed

The Peruvian Inca Orchid is a cute, odd, and remarkable-looking dog, but they are not for everyone. They can be used for hunting, they serve well enough as a watchdog, and they are fine as companions, but they require a lot of care. They are emotionally as well as somewhat physically sensitive. Their play — especially when playing rambunctiously with others dogs — must be closely supervised so that the typical nipping dogs do doesn't break the hairless PIO's skin.

If you are planning on adopting one of these striking-looking dogs, you should be aware of many things:

PROS

• Easy to train
• Good watchdog
• Great sense of smell
• Comes in three basic sizes
• Can be trained to flush game
• Exercise requirements are moderate

CONS

• Can be expensive
• Very few available
• Not hypoallergenic
• Special grooming needs
• Extremely sensitive to cold
• Shouldn't be left in unshaded areas when outside
• May not get along with cats and other non-canine pets
• Skin is extremely sensitive to toxins, sunlight, and scratches

Peruvian Inca Orchids were trained for a variety of work. These sleek, fast, and somewhat versatile dogs come in a variety of sizes and colors. They are best-known for being hairless, but there are coated PIOs too, just not nearly as many.

These dogs are fairly intelligent, and they can be used for hunting. Long ago, they were used as messenger dogs. Highly alert, PIOs can be trained for various competitions. They love learning new agility tricks, and while they do like a good game of fetch, they can get bored of that kind of repetitive play often and quickly. Peruvian Inca Orchids also make good watchdogs.

These dogs have small, rabbit-like feet that are webbed. These features are easily seen on the hairless variety. Because of the great swath of colors that occur in their coats, you can find these dogs in colors and combinations perhaps like no other breed.

Peruvian Inca Orchids are energetic, and they do need at least a fair amount of daily exercise. They aren't lazy dogs but they do enjoy being calm home companions.

There are a fair amount of ancient dogs around the world, and even a few in South and Central America, but there may be none as well-documented as this remarkably old as this breed. Peruvian Inca Orchid history is rich, filled with art and is supported by detailed pottery, statues and other artifacts starting around 750 B.C. when the Chimú, Moche, and Vicus cultures were dominant in the region now known as Peru. During that time, the dogs were believed to have been companions but were almost certainly used for food by the humans in the area.

During the 13th-15th centuries, the Incan empire claimed the Peruvian coastal areas and prohibited the dogs as food. In time, the dogs gained a mystical appeal. When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, the dogs were flourishing. This changed as the Spaniards took to eating the dogs as well as using them for easy targets for their own dogs that were bred for war. Perhaps the one thing that did come from the Spanish Conquistadors invasion was that they had noted the hairless dogs elsewhere. These historical accounts have fueled speculation that the dogs, having been seen by Spaniards in Africa, Asia, and central America, may have first come from Asia, then spread through Africa and down through the Americas. Others claim it was the other way around, and that like maize being spread north through the Western hemisphere, so too did these dogs travel.

In any case, the breed was nearly killed off, and there are many arguments regarding this near-extinction too. Some say they were deliberately targeted by the Spaniards who sought to replace the natives' religions with Catholicism — which meant the dogs were intentionally killed due to the spiritual value they held. Others say that as the Incan empire was obliterated, the dogs' population dwindled significantly with the Incans.

There appears to be very little history and accounts kept after the Spaniards took control. The breed re-emerged in the mid-20th century when the FCI recognized the breed. It took several more decades before the AKC took formal notice, and in 1996 it placed the breed in its Foundation Stock Service. This didn't happen easily, as the Peruvian Inca Orchid Dog Club of America worked hard for the placement.

Although the Peruvian Inca Orchid is a distinct-looking breed that nevertheless has a number of styles, they basically look like little Greyhounds. Most of these dogs are hairless, and some are coated. They come in a very wide range of colors and markings, and there are three size groups. Any of these features can mix with any of the other aspects.

The head is broad, long and tapers down to a point. Only the hairless ones have dentition, which is a genetic "loss" of teeth when the dogs mature. In other words, not all the teeth they had as puppies are replaced when they mature. They have a sleek body, long, spindly legs, and webbed, somewhat flat feet. The tail is of medium length. The skin of the hairless dogs is leathery and should be supple.

The hairless-coated ones have an obvious tuft of hair on their head and medium-sized, pointy ears that look all the larger on the small and medium-sized varieties. The coated Peruvian Inca Orchids, however, have rosebud ears that are a bit smaller.

There are very few breeds that have the peculiar health problems possessed by the PIO.

• Because most of these dogs are hairless (only about 33% of PIOs are coated), they are extremely sensitive to toxins on their skin. This problem is made worse by the dog's low body fat, as body fat helps to lessen the impact of poisons on the intestines causing Irritable Bowel Disease.
• The hairless dogs are also highly sensitive to sunlight, and if they get sunburned, a number of skin problems can follow.
• You also need to be extremely careful when grooming. Many shampoos and soaps will cause dry skin and other issues. Scratches and other injuries can also be far worse for hairless PIOs than dogs whose hair tends to protect them from such things.

It should be noted that the dentition in the hairless dogs is not considered a health problem but a genetic trait. The Peruvian Inca Orchid has a somewhat short lifespan for dogs of this kind and basic size, and they typically live for about 11 to 13 years.