The Chinese Crested Dog

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History, General Appearance and Temperament are published by The Chinese Crested Club of NSW & The Chinese Crested Dog Club of Victoria Inc. In Conjunction with Australian National Kennel Council And are Copyright Australian National Kennel Council 2006

Appearance

A small, active and graceful dog; medium to fine boned, smooth hairless body, with hair on feet, head and tail only; or covered with a soft veil of hair.

The Chinese Crested Dog, by Toy Breed Standards, is by no means the smallest Toy dog in weight. The upper weight limit of 5.5 kilograms or 12 pounds is heavier than the Affenpinscher, Chihuahua, English Toy Terrier, Griffon Bruxellois, Italian Greyhound, Japanese Chin, Pomeranian or Yorkshire Terrier; yet lighter than the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, King Charles Spaniel, Pug or Tibetan Spaniel.

The ideal upper height of 33 centimetres or 13 inches at the withers is equal to the upper height range of the Lowchen, taller than the Affenpinscher, Australian Silky Terrier, Bichon Frise, English Toy Terrier, Maltese, Miniature Pinscher, Papillon and Tibetan Spaniel; the ideal minimum height at the withers of 23 centimetres or 9 inches is smaller than the Affenpinscher, English Toy Terrier, Lowchen, Maltese, Miniature Pinscher, and Tibetan Spaniel, yet taller than the Papillon. In fact medium could be used to describe the breed in the Toy Group in the above analysis.

This breed is quite active and graceful - with their unique elongated hare feet - used for gripping whilst climbing, undoing catches or flitting around furniture they are rarely still and can entertain humans for hours. They are incredibly speedy and good fencing and training are mandatory - once in full flight they are very hard to catch.
Medium to fine boned naturally precludes any heaviness or coarseness of construction.

The skin of the Hairless is very soft - like the finest suede - and the Powder Puff has a double coat - a soft undercoat with a long silky outer coat of slightly harder guard hairs. The hair placement on the Hairless is covered in detail in the Coat sectionBoth varieties can appear in the same litter, the gene that controls hairlessness is an incomplete dominant lethal, so the genetics of Chinese Crested dog breeding is a fascinating subject.

They must be interbred because the Hairless is the result of an incomplete dominant mutation which is lethal when homozygous (carrying only the hairless gene). Puppies carrying only the hairless gene can have abnormalities so severe that few are born alive and those that are do not survive. One popular theory is that breeding Hairless to Hairless without ever introducing the Powder Puff gene into a line can result in toothless, bald headed dogs with poor bone structure.

Basically from a Hairless to Hairless mating, or Powder Puff to Hairless mating, Powder Puffs and Hairless can be born. However from a Powder Puff to Powder Puff mating theoretically only Powder Puffs can result, as the long coat is a recessive gene, with the Hairless gene being dominant.

History

It is not known where or when the first hairless dogs appeared but geneticists have designated it as Canis Africanis, which is very possibly correct for no hairless dog could exist in the wild and would not evolve in a cold climate. Something caused a gene to mutate and so the first hairless dogs appeared from their coated parents. Hairless dogs have always been rare and would have originally been regarded as curiosities and highly prized for trading purposes.

The largest assortment of hairless dogs is found in the New World, or the Americas. It is thought that the original hairless dogs went to the New World from Asia via the Bering Straits about 1500 B.C. As far as can be ascertained they have never lived in the wild state and have always been domesticated.

There are hairless dogs in Africa, the Middle East, India, Turkey, Sri Lanka, and crested types in Malaysia.

The Chinese Crested is one of those hairless breeds that have survived and is becoming increasingly popular all over the world. In all hairless breeds, except the American Hairless Terrier, coated brothers and sisters appear and it is impossible to breed just hairless as, even after five generations of hairless to hairless matings, it remains possible for a complete litter of coated puppies to be born to hairless parents.

It is believed that the Chinese Crested was developed in China during the Han Dynasty. There were two types bred - the highly prized Deer type, which were tiny, fine-boned, elegant dogs who were the Temple House Guardians (presumably to bark and raise the alarm), and the coarser, heavier, Cobby type, which were hunting and kitchen dogs - sometimes eaten on a special feast day.

The chronicles of Christopher Columbus and the Conquistadors mentioned hairless dogs. Records from 13th Century China describe a Chinese Crested Dog called “Little Horse” having jade beads plaited into his mane with gold and silver threads, he also had a fur lined coat for cold weather.

In 15th Century China five Cresteds were included in the inventory of a wedding gift.

There have been hairless dogs in Europe for centuries. A 15th Century painting by GERRARD DAVID - “CHRIST NAILED TO THE CROSS” shows a hairless dog with crest, socks and tail plume, indistinguishable from a present day Chinese Crested. Also a painting by JACQUES LAURENT (1767 - 1849) shows a fine Deer type male eminently suitable for today’s show ring.

Mr W. K. Taunton a collector of rare breeds exhibited Chinese Emperor (pictured at right) at Maidstone in 1881.

“THE DOGS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS”, edited by “STONEHENGE”, 4th edition 1882 pages 262-263 shows engravings of typical modern Chinese Crested. It says: “The Chinese edible dog has been well known in this country as a curiosity, but the variety furnished with a crest and tufted tail is by no means common, like the ordinary breed it is quite hairless on the body, save only a few scattered and isolated hairs (about a dozen or eighteen on the whole surface) hence the thick tufts on the two extremities are the more remarkable. The skin is spotted as shown in the engraving.”

In 1894 “THE KENNEL GAZETTE” listed a hairless Chinese Terrier named “Tangy” in the Foreign Dog Section. There was no attempt at this time to
establish the breed in Britain. It was regarded as a curiosity and exhibited at the Zoological Gardens in London.

The first Crested to enter the English Kennel Club Stud Book was “Fatima” registered as “Crested North Chinese”. She was born on 23rd November 1901, sired by “Chino” out of “Jamita” (both of unknown pedigree). There was no registered progeny of these early dogs and consequently they have no influence on the present day Chinese Crested.

CASSELL'S New Book of The Dog Volume 14 Special Edition 1909 pages 539-540 & 541 also mentions the Hairless Dog. “Hairless Dogs - here may be mentioned the curious hairless and semi-hairless dogs which occur in Central and South America, The West Indies, China, Manila and certain parts of Africa.”

The stripper Gypsy Rose Lee had quite a successful breeding program in the 1950's, from which many American foundation lines were built. The late Mrs Harris of Staround imported three dogs in 1969 from Gypsy Rose Lee who accompanied the dogs to England herself. They included Staround Ahn Ahn Lee, a dog to have considerable influence in the breed. It was Miss Lee's dogs, along with the Crest Haven dogs, that ALL the English foundation lines were reportedly built on. But it was Miss Lee's sister, June Havoc that literally saved Fu Manchu (the first Lee Crested) from being destroyed at the hands of the animal shelters. Miss Lee was the first President of the Chinese Crested Dog Club of England founded in 1969.

Mrs Ruth Harris of Staround first imported Chinese Cresteds to England for breeding or show purposes. The first litter born in Britain was whelped 16th April 1967. Mrs Harris obtained her stock from Mrs Deborah Wood, of Crest Haven Kennels in Florida and Gypsy Rose Lee. Mrs Wood appears to have been the doyenne of the breed and it would appear she gathered or obtained almost all of the hairless dogs then known. Mrs Wood maintained the American Hairless Dog Clubs Breed Register, until a later dispute with the American Kennel Club. Mrs Wood died in 1969 and her Kennel records were sold to Mr & Mrs Orlick.

The first CC’s awarded to Cresteds in Britain were at Crufts in 1982.

The first Chinese Cresteds imported to Australia were (Aust Ch) Staround Zorro and (Aust Ch) Staround Yinga brought in by Mrs Win Jackson of Miniatura Kennels, Perth Western Australia. These were imported in 1973 at a reported cost of two thousand dollars.

From the first litter born 22nd April 1974, Miss Marie Olive of Lismore purchased Miniatura La Streaker. Miss Olive campaigned him successfully gaining his Championship on 4th October 1975. (Aust Ch) Miniatura La Streaker was the first Chinese Crested in the world to gain the title of Champion and also the first Chinese Crested in the world to gain an All Breeds Best Exhibit in Show award.

In 1975 Stuart and Wendye Slatyer imported an English dog and bitch (Aust Ch) Heathermount Blaze Away and Heathermount Yasmin into New South Wales. In the mid to late seventies imports were Staround Marsa and Staround Ohso imported by Miss Olive; (Aust CH) Heathermount Notorious imported by Mrs Aileen Goller and Mr F Vallely's Acambos Tang. In 1978 Mrs Chris Carroll of South Australia brought in imports Langshava Lindy Lou and Langshava Larry Lam, with Langshava Lucy Lockett joining them in 1979. In 1978 Stuart and Wendye Slatyer and Peter Warby imported St Erme Wild Orchid and (Aust Ch.) St Erme Crested Pony who took out Best Exhibit in Show two days after leaving quarantine.


THE CHINESE CRESTED DOG CLUB OF VICTORIA INC. was founded in 1989, affiliated in 1990 and had their first Open Show in 1991. Their first Championship Show was held in 1992 and the club was incorporated in June 1997.

THE CHINESE CRESTED CLUB OF N.S.W. was founded in 1993, affiliated in 1994, holding their first Championship Specialist Show on 17th December that year with an entry of eighty two Chinese Crested Dogs

Temperament

The breed is happy, intelligent and alert and can be quite self-possessed. This should be apparent in correct head, neck and tail carriage particularly on the move. Whilst they can be real extroverts in familiar surroundings they can, however, be apprehensive of strangers and rather aloof in manner, and may react to provocation.

Any viciousness or extreme nervousness is obviously directly opposed to the Breed Standard requirements.

Care / Grooming

http://crestedlinks.2n3055.com/ is a great site if you haven't already seen it. Also you could source out these books - The Complete Chinese Crested by Brenda Jones, Hairless Dogs - The Naked truth by Amy Fernandez and Kelly Rhea. Sometimes E-bay comes up with them or try Amazon - if you want one there is a book seller here that has the first one at $60 and one of our breeders had a consignment of the second at $100 each. The latter is much more focused on all Hairless breeds than just Chinese Cresteds.

One of the best sites on maintenance around - www.crestars.com - is Canadian and very useful. Martine gives an illustrated guide on preparing Cresteds.

HAIRLESS Skin is SKIN. Treat it like your own - in adolescence you would wash your face every day & treat for acne & blackheads and then moisturise. Also Pore cleansers work well - some blackheads are actually dead hair follicles and the only magic treatment is to gently squeeze them and treat with Rosa's Scarless Healer (Health Food Shop) to prevent scarring. Chinese Cooks use it for burns. Use something like the 10-O-6 range if there is an acne problem. If it is cold wipe the skin with a wet one, then use a good quality human moisturiser, AVOID ANY LANOLIN content, some adverse reactions have been reported. A lot use Aloe Vera Gel. Hairless do need a regular bath - human shampoo and conditioner. Also as the Hairless can sun burn (particularly the lighter coloured ones) you need an SPF sun screen - but one of the baby varieties that contain NO ALUMINIUM as they lick and there is as yet an unproved theory that Aluminium adversely affects the Liver.

POWDERPPUFF A Powder Puff in full mature show coat is a glorious sight to behold and a credit to the care given by the owner and/or handler of the dog. Care and conditioning must be started from the time the puppy is a few weeks old.
At this early age the puppy can be laid on its back and its tummy rubbed with a finger. The coat can then be brushed with a soft bristle brush.

It is important that the dog be trained to lie on its side whilst it is being groomed. If this training is started early, the dog will lie in a relaxed fashion when it is in full coat, which demands a much longer period of brushing time.

A truly correct textured coat must be an inherited factor within the dog itself, and is genetic in origin. Some lines carry a fast maturing coat, some are dominant for a large quantity of coat, and others lack this characteristic. Some lines are slow maturing. The mature coat should be apparent by 2 years of age. At this stage the slightly harder overcoat or veil compliments the softer undercoat. It helps to know the lineage of your puppy so you know what to expect in the coat growth. Hopefully the breeder will know the lines well enough to tell you what to expect.

The dog should be washed frequently enough to maintain a long clean coat; even while it is young and the coat is growing. A show dog is usually bathed once a week with no harm being done, if it is looked after properly. It is suggested that you keep your dog confined to clean cement or stone runs, wire bottom exercise pens or on linoleum floors where there is nothing sharp to break off the coat. Your dog's coat can pick up burrs and twigs, which will cause matts and breakage. So avoid letting it run through the shrubbery. Some carpets with nylon content cause static electricity in the coat and there have been reports of allergy to pure wool carpets. Ceramic tiles are good but you must balance this against possible injury through slipping on the unforgiving hard surface.

It is important that the dog be worm free, as they rob the dog of needed nutrition. It should of course be flea free, as this leads to scratching, matts and coat damage.

Diet plays a very important part in coat maintenance. Needing to be very well fed ( here you have a conflict with the 5.5kg weight limit required by the Standard) preferably with non-moist food. Moist food (ie canned) sticks to the head furnishings causing breakage. It must have an oil supplement in its food daily to aid in supple skin and shiny hair. This could be a teaspoon of corn oil, brand name pet oils - cold pressed oils work well. If you feed raw chicken, the fat content could replace the oil. This is an important aid to prevent scratching so don't neglect this.

The eyes should be cleaned daily, and the hair kept tied away from the dogs eyes. This can be achieved in the early stages by a single ponytail on the top of the head (Shih Tzu fashion) and as the hair grows longer, divided into two ponytails, or pulled back and held by clips. A small rubber band may be used to secure the ponytail, twisting over and over (over tissue paper wrapped around the ponytail to minimise breakage) until the hair is held snugly. Be careful that the eye is not bulging because the hair is pulled too tightly. Remove the rubber band daily by cutting it off (here the tissue paper saves cutting any hair), brush through and then secure with a new rubber band, Or you can be lazy and keep the hair back with a specially developed ear snood.

Also as the ear fringes develop, sometimes up to 13 inches in length, you need to safeguard them from being chewed off. Afghan type snoods don't seem to work very well; causing matting and leaving no room for air circulation to the ear canal. You could wrap the ears like the ponytail, but these little wraps can be very tempting for other dogs whilst playing, and head rubbing could do damage. A very light airy snood allowing the ear fringes to be loosely held under the throat works well. Dinner snoods are a must to save both the ear fringes and the head fall. The dog adjusts to these aids very well and quickly.
Basic Grooming Equipment

Pure bristle brush (if Maison Pearson stretches the budget, Altesse, a German brand is less expensive, and Lady Jane has one at $20 that feels reasonable).

Pin brush (with the longest possible pins), Slicker brush.

Metal combs (both wide and narrow toothed, and for the "over coated", a collie comb with tapered tips, if you can find one in Australia). A wide toothed plastic comb (for wet grooming).

Spray bottle (with the finest misting action possible).

Nail clippers. Scissors.

Shampoo and conditioner ( the best human quality you can afford, which is based on hydrolysed animal protein not vegetable protein, as the latter merely coats the hair shaft while the former penetrates, and preferably with Vitamin B5 for strength).
Coat clippers.
Grooming Spray.

To prepare the dog for grooming when in show coat, the following method is suggested. Before you start, allow the dog out to exercise and relieve itself. The dog's coat must be brushed out completely before bathing, or any matts in the coat will join together like steel wool.

IF THERE IS ONE GOLDEN RULE IN GROOMING If IS: NEVER BRUSH DRY!!

This is where your fine mist spray bottle is invaluable even if it is only filled with water - but a mixture of conditioner and water is preferable or a special grooming spray - all reduce coat static. One or two sprays at approximately a ten-inch distance from the coat will mist the coat lightly. Spray each area of the coat you are working on first thing and it soon becomes second nature. Brushing dry breaks coat!!

General order of equipment usage:
1. Bristle brush
2. Pin brush
3. Wide tooth comb 3a. Collie comb (for the over coated)
4. Narrow tooth comb
5. Slicker

The legs of the dog can be more easily groomed with the pin brush followed by the combs or slicker. With the dog lying on its side, do the inside and outside of the upper legs, then the inside of the lower legs. Push the hair away from you, and then brush the hair towards you, working from the foot up to the body in approximately one-inch sections. Break apart the matts with your fingers by gently pulling the hair apart one way and then the other (i.e. east and west, then north and south) more or less breaking each matt in half, then in half again, as you work it out. Brush with the slicker next, but be very careful not to brush too hard against the skin, as it can scratch very easily.
If you need to conserve your back, train the puppy at a very early age to lie on its back in your lap and groom the legs this way.

Be sure you brush from the skin out, in smooth even strokes. Do not flick the brush up at the end of each stroke, as this will cause breakage. Work upward in layers on the body coat toward the spine, using the grooming equipment in the sequence as above and this too will soon be automatic. Turn the dog over and repeat the procedure on the opposite side. The dog could sit up while you brush the chest, between the front legs, the neck and behind the ears. These are the worst areas for matting (along with rear armpits). The head fall can be done using the pin brush and combs, being very careful around the eyes. Always point the teeth of the comb away from the eyes.

Stand the dog to brush the rear skirts of the legs and the tail. While the dog is standing those wishing to part the coat should comb the hair out down the spine and part the hair down the middle. This can be accomplished most easily with a small knitting needle or comb. Guide the comb down the spine, separating a small section of the hair at a time. Work either from head to tail, or vice versa, whichever suits. It helps to spray the coat and finish by brushing firmly downward from the spine towards the ground as you divide the coat, to help you secure the part.

Some scissoring of the dog's coat, done in moderation, can greatly enhance the appearance of the dog and tidy its coat. It is usually recommended that the hair around the anus be trimmed to keep the area clean and to prevent stools from sticking to the coat. Trim the hair that grows between the pads of the feet and remove any matts. A round-headed pair of scissors will prevent accidental cutting of the feet. The feet look nicer if the hair is trimmed in a somewhat rounded manner, to rest on the ground about one inch ahead of the foot.

Do this trimming on a coat that is not just freshly washed, as the hair shrinks and will appear shorter after washing and drying. Scissor with the blades held flush with the table or other smooth surface that the dog is standing on, so that the dog does not have a layered "cocker spaniel" look. Before trimming be sure that the dog is held in a show pose with the head up and the legs square. Lift up the excess outer coat area so that you trim only the area around the foot. When trimming the front feet lift and clip the chest coat out of the way. Comb the hair in its growth direction and trim. The backs of the front feet don't require trimming.

For rear feet, lift the outer coat, comb through and trim excess so the judge can see the rear movement. If the hair gets too long on the front of the back feet, the dog may trip and this will affect movement. Even puppies benefit from a tidy up. Hair grows unevenly and the shoulder area usually grows to the ground before the middle and rear areas. This will look less untidy if the shoulder and front leg area is evened off, level with the ground. Don't overdo it.

When a dog is retired from showing, often it is more convenient to cut the finished dog down, to reduce grooming time. There are several pet trims to choose from, resembling a Bichon or a Schnauzer. The hair on the ears and tail is left reasonably long, the top of the head is puffed round like short bangs, legs shaped to a cylinder. More the usual is a total clip off.
No dried food is a complete diet for a dog - feed raw meat, a bland kibble (no red dye - just like kids and red cordial) with kelp additives and the correct fat, phosphorus and calcium ratios. Box One Gold is good. But for a puppy use the Optimum (supermarket) one for a while. Fresh fruit & veggies (no onion, potato), pasta etc. Also 4 x 2 inch Greyhound (no colour) biscuits to chew and save your furniture. Bones (RAW) are hard with long coated breeds also but do use them under supervision. RAW Chicken necks can be used, but as they supposedly caponise the necks with growth hormones, this is a personal decision.

Chinese Cresteds have the attributes of sight hounds and they can be very quick. Good fencing is mandatory, as they use their elongated hare feet to climb and can be escape artists. Both varieties are ideally indoor dogs, and in cold weather the Hairless need protection with coats.

Health

This breed is quite robust, Padgett reporting only four possible Genetic Diseases including alopecia! Missing teeth are part of the Hairless gene and present sometimes in the Hairless with missing pre molars evident. Several years ago the NSW Club held a number of Eye Clinics and of over 100 tests conducted no serious conditions were found

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