Chinese Crested
Our registered Chinese
Cresteds make ideal companion dogs. They are very intelligent and make excellent
watchdogs. They are not yappy, and those who suffer with asthma may find that
they can live with a hairless Chinese Crested. They will reward you with the
affection and devotion of a very special and unusual dog. More general information
can be read or printed from the text below.
Adult Hairless top left Young
Powderpuff top right
 |
 |
| Newborn
Hairless |
Newborn
Powderpuffs |
|
8 week old Hairless
|
4 month old
|
| Adult
Powderpuff |
8
week old Powderpuff |
This information comes from several sources, including discussions
with other breeders, email, and books on the Chinese Crested dog, including
The Complete Chinese Crested, by Brenda Jones, as well from our own
experiences.
The Chinese Crested Dog's exact
origin is unknown, but it is believed to have evolved from the African Hairless
Dog which was reduced in size by the Chinese, who seem to like the smaller Toy
breeds. Records from 13th Century China have describe a Chinese Crested Dog
as a little horse. The first Chinese Cresteds were imported into Great Britain
in the late 1800s and to Australia in 1975, and are now commonly shown throughout
the country.
The Hairless and the Powderpuff are born in the same litters, and
are the same breed. The long haired Crested, called a Powderpuff, resembles
a mini Afghan. A Powderpuff and a Hairless can be in the same litter if the
parents were not both Powderpuffs. If you bred two Powderpuffs, you will get
only Powderpuff offspring. To get both types, one needs to be a Hairless and
the other a Powderpuff to get both types of Crested pups. They are exactly the
same dog, except that the coated Crested has more hair. The difference is the
hairless gene that the hairless will carry, and the Powderpuff will lack.
Due to the hairless gene, the teeth in the Hairless may be
smaller and the tiny "tusks" will extend forward, but the Powderpuff
should have a regular canine mouth. This tusk-like teeth may be due to a gene
that often is seen with other mostly hairless mammals, such as the wild boar
and the elephant. Selective breeding may help lessen the tooth problems of the
hairless.
Breeding a Hairless to a Hairless, or a Hairless to a Powderpuff
can produce either type of dog, however breeding a Powderpuff to a Powderpuff
will always produce a Powderpuff type. A caution about breeding a hairless to
hairless, one could end up with a dominant lethal gene, which is a fatal gene
causing 25% of the puppies to die, or be born dead,or to die in the uterus causing
complications for the mother.
This next section is taken directly from the aforementioned
book.
Another complication to understanding
the Chinese Hairless breed is the amount of hairlessness or hairiness shown
in individual dogs. A dominant mutation can show considerable variation of the
mutant gene. In the case of the Chinese Crested it is the amount and extent
of hairlessness that varies. Genetically hairless dogs can carry varying amounts
of hair on their bodies, as well as crest, socks and plume. Therefore, the extend
of hairlessness the puppies will inherit is quite unpredictable. The amount
of hair can vary from sparse to dense. Others can develop hair on their bodies
where it is not wanted, and that can be a headache for breeders.
This variability is unfortunately
a characteristic of the incomplete dominant lethal mutation. In order to check
whether such a dog is genetically Hairless of a Powderpuff, simply look in the
mouth. If the dog is genetically Hairless it will have forward-pointing tusks;
if it is a Powderpuff it will have a normal mouth. If that happens with two
Powderpuff breedings, then one of the Powderpuff parents was not a Powderpuff.
It was a very hairy hairless. Powderpuffs do not carry the hairless gene, so
they cannot influence the amount or lack of hair on the hairless dogs. Therefore
it should be accepted that the hair variation in the hairless is a natural occurrence."
Where the weather is dry you must keep
the hairless dogs moisturized. One should bathe your dogs about every
week or so during the summer which include a daily feet and belly rinse.
During the winter bathe them every 2 weeks. You can use a Moisturizing
Body lotion based on oatmeal that is quite gentle on their skin (for the hairless).
When we bathe ours we use shampoos that are specially formulated dog products.
For Conditioners, there are many good coat conditioners available. Some
breeders use a regular oil treatment on the show dogs. But be careful because
some dogs will have a reaction to lanolin and may loose some of their coat.
Also, some people always use thin gloves on their hairless dogs. Go gently,
because, although taking the dead skin off the body helps against black heads
and leaves the skin nicer and softer you don't want to scrape their skin off,
either.
Some Cresteds, like people, are born with fair skin and some are
born with better skin. Most of the Crested will go through a "teenage"
period. This means that you may start to see more black heads and pimples
to surface on the skin. This is normal, but some dogs will have no problem
and others will have serious problems.
Problems also have to do with bloodlines. Some bloodlines will tend
to have lovely skin and some other will have problems. Fortunately we haven't
had many skin problems. We have never had bad pimple problems, but have
found some things that they have been allergic to, and pimples may start around
the age when their hormones are changing.
With the Chinese Crested this can happen as early as 5 months of
age to the age of a year old. The best secret is to keep them clean. During
their acne period a nice daily wipe with a warm damp face cloth is sometimes
the best remedies. If the problem persist (and it can last for a few months)
or gets worst, you may try a lotion like Benzol or a gentle scrub like Noxzema.
Remember to keep the skin clean. Talk to your vet and they might suggest
a mild antibiotics, too.
Although the Chinese Crested will basically adapt to whatever lifestyle
you may have, a good daily exercise makes these dogs much happier.
Powderpuffs are fairly easy to maintain, depending upon what you are planning
to do with them. Whether you keep them as a show dog, companion, or both,
you still need to brush or comb at least every 2 to 4 days. If you are
not planning to show, and are doing a lot of outdoor activities you may choose
to clip your companion. Our Powderpuffs get shaved the same pattern that the
hairless does. We shave the body fairly close and leave the socks, plume
and the crest. As far as keeping up for show we basically do the same
with both types; regular grooming, brushing, keeping the skin smooth and clean.
In conclusion, these
dogs are very intelligent, make excellent watchdogs, are not yappy, and those
who suffer with asthma may find that they can live with a hairless Chinese Crested.
They will reward you with the affection and devotion of a very special and unusual
dog. If you are interested in owning one of the wonderful animals, please contact
us.
Phone: 903.887.6378
Fax: 903.887.6464