Curly Tails

Love them or hate them, curly tails are deeply ingrained in the Xoloitzcuintle breed. Even when breeding straight-tailed dogs together over multiple generations, a curly tail can still occasionally appear. This is simply part of the breed’s genetic makeup.

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We do not believe in throwing the baby out with the bathwater. If we have a quality dog with a curly tail, we will choose to breed thoughtfully, pairing that dog with a straight-tailed mate and continuing to make sensible selections over time. 

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For us, health, temperament, and overall quality will always take priority over a non-serious breed standard fault, particularly one that has no impact on a dog’s well-being.

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Our curly tail comes from Belmont, our Czech import - his daughter, Nora, whom we kept, and 2 of his coated offspring developed the curl.

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The curl is not always obvious whilst they are still with their breeder, it sometimes does not develop until closer to 5 months of age.

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Curls in the show ring
Belmont has achieved every title currently available in Australia in the conformation ring, so his tail has clearly not impeded his success. While there will always be judges for whom it may be a personal bugbear, a good judge will not fault-judge and will assess the dog as a whole.

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In 2025, we campaigned a minor puppy bitch for another breeder whose tail curled over her back, a more pronounced curl than that seen in Belmont and Nora. Despite this, she enjoyed considerable success in the ring, thanks to her many other virtues.