October 7, 2026
When someone sees a few small pimples or black spots on a Xolo puppy for the first time, the first thought is often:
“Is something wrong with the skin?”
Not necessarily.
The skin of a hairless Xoloitzcuintli is special. There is no dense coat covering the hair follicles, sebaceous glands and small irregularities of the skin. Everything that happens on the skin is therefore much easier to see.
During the first year of life, a puppy's skin can go through several noticeable stages.
At certain ages, some puppies may develop small bumps, comedones, black spots or occasional inflammatory lesions. Then they disappear. A few months later, they may appear again.
This does not automatically mean that the puppy is sick.
In fact, some of these changes can simply be part of the normal development of Xolo skin.
This is probably the most important thing I want future Xolo owners to understand.
Perfectly clear skin without a single black spot, comedone or small irregularity is not necessarily a realistic goal.
Even a Xolo with excellent skin quality — very soft, elastic and pleasant to the touch — may occasionally have a few comedones.
That is normal.
Skin has pores, sebaceous glands and hair follicles. In hairless Xolos, the particular development of the follicles can make these structures especially visible. Veterinary sources also describe a tendency toward clogged follicles and comedone formation in hairless breeds.
So a few black spots do not automatically mean poor skin.
And they certainly do not automatically mean that the dog is sick.
This is a very early period that we sometimes observe in puppies.
When puppies begin opening their eyes, around the second week of life, some of them may develop small, rounded bumps on the head.
They can look like tiny little fatty lumps or small bumps underneath the skin.
Not every puppy develops them.
And this is important: we should not expect every Xolo puppy to go through this stage.
In the puppies we observe, these changes usually gradually disappear over the following days.
The exact reason for this particular early episode cannot be reliably attributed to one single factor. The skin, follicles, sebaceous glands and the puppy's entire body are developing very rapidly during this period.
For this reason, I consider it primarily one possible stage of skin development, rather than a disease.
The next period may occur at approximately 4–6 weeks of age.
Some puppies may again develop small changes in their skin.
You may notice:
Again, they may appear and then gradually disappear.
This is one reason why a breeder who observes puppies every day may see changes that a future owner never even notices.
Today the skin may look perfectly clear.
A few days later, several small bumps may appear.
A little later, they may be gone again.
This does not always mean that treatment is necessary.
Another period we sometimes observe is approximately four months of age.
At this time, the puppy is continuing to grow and develop rapidly. The skin and hair follicles are also changing, together with the puppy's hormonal and developmental processes.
Some puppies may again develop small spots or comedones.
They can be particularly noticeable on:
Again, this does not mean that every puppy should have this stage.
Xolo skin is highly individual.
The adolescent period is when the term “age-related acne” becomes especially easy for people to understand.
Many things are changing in the puppy's body at the same time.
The skin can also respond to this period of development.
You may see:
In many cases, a small number of these changes should not cause panic.
It is important to look at the overall condition of the skin rather than one individual pimple.
If the dog feels well, does not have severe itching or pain, and there is no large amount of pus, unpleasant odor or widespread inflammation, a few age-related skin lesions do not necessarily indicate disease.
At the same time, genuine acne, comedones and follicular problems can have different causes, including follicular blockage, allergies or secondary infection. Unusual or severe skin changes should therefore be evaluated by a veterinarian.
This is another characteristic feature that Xolo owners often notice.
Small black dots may appear on the skin with what looks like a very short hair or hair fragment sticking out of the follicle.
They can look very similar to an open comedone.
However, they are not necessarily the same thing as an ordinary blackhead.
Because of the particular follicular development associated with hairlessness, individual hairs or follicular structures can become very visible on the surface of the skin. Veterinary references describe abnormal follicular development in hairless dogs as being associated with comedone formation and follicular problems.
Therefore, I would not call every one of these black spots “trichostasis.”
They may represent a different follicular feature, and the exact terminology depends on what is actually present in the skin.
If the hair has already emerged from the skin and comes away very easily, it can be gently removed.
But there is no reason to dig into the skin, squeeze deep lesions or try to extract something that is still underneath the skin.
This is another pattern we observe in our experience.
In young Xolos, these follicular spots can be much more noticeable.
As the dog matures, they often become less prominent.
In many dogs, by around one year of age the skin already looks considerably clearer.
And in adulthood, especially by around two to three years, there may be very few of these black spots or protruding follicular hairs left on the body.
In other words, puppy skin and adult Xolo skin are not the same thing.
You should not judge the future quality of an adult dog's skin only by how it looks at a few months of age.
Not every pimple is age-related.
Puppies can also develop reactions to food or other environmental factors.
For example, a sudden change of food or introducing something the puppy does not tolerate may be followed by skin changes.
These reactions can be more widespread.
However, it is important not to diagnose an allergy based on pimples alone.
A rash does not automatically mean an allergy, and an allergy does not always look like ordinary pimples.
If the rash spreads, becomes very itchy, the skin becomes significantly red or inflamed, or the puppy constantly scratches, licks or damages the skin, the cause should be investigated with a veterinarian.
Food allergy in dogs can cause itching, inflammation and recurrent bacterial or yeast skin infections, among other signs.
There is another interesting observation from our own experience with Xolos.
Red, copper and light-brown Xolos tend, in our experience, to have more allergy-prone skin than black Xolos.
At the same time, black Xolos tend to be more prone to developing comedones and black follicular spots.
This is an observation from our breeding experience, rather than a rule that applies to every individual dog.
Every Xolo has its own skin.
And color alone should never be used to diagnose a skin condition.
No — not every pimple should be squeezed.
This is one of the most common mistakes owners make.
If a small open comedone is already on the surface and can be cleaned very gently, simple skin care may be enough.
But if a lesion is deep, closed or inflamed, do not squeeze it.
Mechanical trauma can increase inflammation and create another problem.
If there are numerous comedones or significant inflammation, it is better to determine the cause before choosing more intensive treatment.
There is a simple distinction.
A small number of blackheads, comedones or occasional age-related spots is one thing.
But if you see:
it is time to consult a veterinarian.
Skin diseases can look very similar to ordinary “pimples” while having completely different causes.
This is probably the most important message of this entire article.
Healthy skin does not necessarily mean perfectly clear skin without a single black spot.
Human skin also has pores, sebaceous glands, comedones and small imperfections.
The same is true for Xolos.
Even a dog with one of the best possible skin types — very soft, thin, elastic and pleasant to the touch — may occasionally develop a small comedone.
A few black spots do not make the skin poor quality.
And a few pimples during adolescence do not make the dog sick.
When you choose a hairless Xoloitzcuintli, you are not choosing a perfectly polished picture.
You are choosing a living dog.
The skin will change color.
It may become darker in summer and lighter in winter.
Comedones may appear.
A few small pimples may appear.
An individual follicular hair may become visible.
A puppy's skin may look completely different from an adult dog's skin.
And that is normal.
Our job is not to demand impossible perfection from Xolo skin, but to understand it, care for it correctly and learn to distinguish normal breed-related features from a genuine skin problem.
That is what responsible Xolo skin care is really about.
Age-related skin changes can appear at different stages of Xolo puppy development.
In some puppies, we may observe them around:
10–15 days → 4–6 weeks → around 4 months → adolescence.
Not every puppy goes through all of these stages.
Comedones and individual follicular spots can also be part of the particular skin characteristics of a hairless Xolo.
And as the dog matures, the skin often becomes considerably clearer.
So don't panic over every black spot.
Observe. Care for the skin gently. Do not traumatize it unnecessarily. And contact your veterinarian when the changes look unusual or the dog is uncomfortable.
Most importantly, love your Xolo not because its skin is perfect, but because of who your dog is.
Is a mono-breed Miniature Xolo kennel.
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We choose only the best Xolo bloodlines in the world for the breeding purpose in our kennel.
Our graduates live in more than 15 countries in Europe, the USA and Canada.
All our breeding dogs get tested for genetic diseases and are in excellent health condition.
