Chinese Crested Dog

The Chinese Crested Dog is a graceful and elegant little creature around 10-13 inches at the withers. There are two coat varieties within the breed: the hairless, which has long feathering on the head, tail, and feet; and the Powderpuff, which is covered with long and dense hair. There are also so-called “haired hairless” dogs with bodies covered with long fur. It’s not a separate variety of the breed, but a varying expression of the hairless gene. It’s easy to distinguish between Hairless and Powderpuff dogs. While the former have no undercoat, the latter have a dense and puffy undercoat.

The Hairless variety of the Chinese Crested Dog has hair on the top of the head (crest,) on the lower part of the tail (plume,) and feet (socks.) Ears and face can also be hairy, but in this case, the hair should be trimmed for a neat look. Overall type is more important than the placement of hair. The hair should be silky, soft, and flowing. In this breed, the coat should be straight, but never curly. Areas with hair should taper off slightly. The skin in these dogs should be soft and pleasant to touch. Any color and pattern is accepted in the Chinese Crested Dog.

The Chinese Crested Dog is very fine boned and slender, but not fragile and sickly looking. The body length of these dogs is longer than the wither height. The body is rectangular. The muzzle of the Chinese Crested Dog is long and tapering, with an alert and intense expression. The stop should be slight, but distinct. The eyes are large, set wide apart, almond-shaped, and dark in color. The ears are large and carried erect. Scissors or level bite is preferred. In the Hairless variety, missing teeth is allowed, since it’s a common genetic problem.

Dogs of this breed are characterized as lively, agile, playful, and very loving. They make good pets for children, active people, and the elderly. The disadvantage of the hairless dog is that it lacks the protective hair layer and gets injured easily. In spite of the small size, the Chinese Crested Dog should be socialized and obedience trained like all other dogs.