Chinese Crested: The Breed

          (AKC Toy Group)

A fine-boned, elegant toy dog that craves human companionship, the Crested comes in two varieties. The Hairless has soft, silky hair on its head (crest), tail (plume) and feet (socks). Wherever the body is hairless the skin is soft and smooth. The Powderpuff is entirely covered with a double soft, straight coat. The two types often come from the same litter. Any color or combination of colors is allowed.

Chinese Crested AKC Breed Standards

General Appearance
A toy dog, fine-boned, elegant and graceful. The distinct varieties are born in the same litter. The Hairless with hair only on the head, tail and feet and the Powderpuff, completely covered with hair. The breed serves as a loving companion, playful and entertaining.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Size - Ideally 11 to 13 inches. However, dogs that are slightly larger or smaller may be given full consideration. Proportion – rectangular-proportioned to allow for freedom of movement. Body length from withers to base of tail is slightly longer than the height at the withers. Substance – Fine-boned and slender but not so refined as to appear breakable or alternatively, not a robust, heavy structure.
Head
Expression - Alert and intense. Eyes - Almond-shaped, set wide apart. Dark-colored dogs have dark-colored eyes, and lighter-colored dogs may have lighter-colored eyes. Eye rims match the coloring of the dog. Ears - Uncropped large and erect, placed so that the base of the ear is level with the outside corner of the eye. Skull - The skull is arched gently over the occiput from ear to ear. Distance from occiput to stop equal to distance from stop to tip of nose. The head is wedge-shaped viewed from above and the side. Stop - Slight but distinct. Muzzle - Cheeks taper cleanly into the muzzle. Nose - Dark in dark-colored dogs; may be lighter in lighter-colored dogs. Pigment is solid. Lips - Lips are clean and tight. Bite - Scissors or level in both varieties. Missing teeth in the Powderpuff are to be faulted. The Hairless variety is not to be penalized for absence of full dentition.
Neck, Topline, Body

Chinese Crested with Hair

Neck - Neck is lean and clean, slightly arched from the withers to the base of the skull and carried high. Topline - Level to slightly sloping croup. Body - Brisket extends to the elbow. Breastbone is not prominent. Ribs are well developed. The depth of the chest tapers to a moderate tuck-up at the flanks. Light in loin. Tail - Tail is slender and tapers to a curve. It is long enough to reach the hock. When dog is in motion, the tail is carried gaily and may be carried slightly forward over the back. At rest the tail is down with a slight curve upward at the end resembling a sickle. In the Hairless variety, two-thirds of the end of the tail is covered by long, flowing feathering referred to as a plume. The Powderpuff variety's tail is completely covered with hair.
Forequarters
Angulation - Layback of shoulders is 45 degrees to point of shoulder allowing for good reach. Shoulders - Clean and narrow. Elbows - Close to body. Legs - Long, slender and straight. Pasterns - Upright, fine and strong. Dewclaws may be removed. Feet - Hare foot, narrow with elongated toes. Nails are trimmed to moderate length.
Hindquarters
Angulation - Stifle moderately angulated. From hock joint to ground perpendicular. Dewclaws may be removed. Feet - Same as forequarters.
Coat
The Hairless variety has hair on certain portions of the body: the head (called a crest), the tail (called a plume) and the feet from the toes to the front pasterns and rear hock joints (called socks). The texture of all hair is soft and silky, flowing to any length. Placement of hair is not as important as overall type. Areas that have hair usually taper off slightly. Wherever the body is hairless, the skin is soft and smooth. Head Crest begins at the stop and tapers off between the base of the skull and the back of the neck. Hair on the ears and face is permitted on the Hairless and may be trimmed for neatness in both varieties. Tail Plume is described under Tail. The Powderpuff variety is completely covered with a double soft and silky coat. Close examination reveals long thin guard hairs over the short silky undercoat. The coat is straight, of moderate density and length. Excessively heavy, kinky or curly coat is to be penalized. Grooming is minimal-consisting of presenting a clean and neat appearance.
Color
Any color or combination of colors.
Gait
Lively, agile and smooth without being stilted or hackneyed. Comes and goes at a trot moving in a straight line.
Approved June 12, 1990
Effective April 1, 1991

Chinese Crested Health Issues

The crested is not affected by many of the congenital diseases found in toy breeds. They are, however, prone to some of the conditions below.
Cresteds have what is called a "primitive mouth". This means that most of their teeth are pointy like their canines. Hairless varieties of the Cresteds can be prone to poor dentition. Poor dentition may include missing or crowded teeth and teeth prone to decay when not properly cared for. Most dogs of the Puff variety have few, if any, dental defects.
Eyes are a concern within the breed, having at least two forms of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) which can eventually lead to blindness. For one of these forms of PRA, there exists a genetic test, prcd-PRA. Since this test can only reveal the existence of affected or carrier status of this one form of PRA, breeders and owners of the breed should still have regular eye exams by veterinary ophthalmologists.  The breed also suffers from another eye disease called Keratoconjunctivitis sicca or dry eye syndrome (DES)
Along with Kerry Blue Terriers, Cresteds can develop canine multiple system degeneration (CMSD) also called progressive neuronal abiotrophy (PNA) in Kerry Blue Terriers. This is a progressive movement disorder that begins with cerebellar ataxia between 10 and 14 weeks of age. After 6 months of age, affected dogs develop difficulty initiating movements and fall frequently. The gene responsible has been mapped to canine chromosome 1.
As with all other toy breeds, the Cresteds can be prone to patellar luxation. This inheritable condition is caused by shallow knee joints (stifles) and results in kneecaps that pop out of place. Its onset is often at a young age, and can cause temporary to permanent lameness based on the severity. Breeders should have their stock certified free of patellar luxation. Many countries' kennel clubs maintain a centralised registry for health results.
Allergy and autoimmune diseases have been observed in the breed. The severity of these ailments, which can lead to the premature death of the dog, means this is something breeders need to take seriously in order to avoid it becoming a problem for the breed.
The lifespan of a Chinese crested dog can be very long. Many Cresteds live 12 to 14 years or more. 

Chinese Crested Temperament

Gay and alert the Chinese Crested is probably most well known for their tendency to be playful, affectionate and bounding with energy. The dog will certainly grow unhappy if neglected regular attention and exercise, but luckily, the breed is also known as something of a family dog, usually being equally attached to everyone he or she lives with and generally having no real favorite, so these duties can be divided up without risking feelings of estrangement, as long as attention is given on a regular basis.

Did You Know?

• The Chinese Crested is AKC's 132nd breed.
• The exact origin of the Chinese Crested is unknown, but it believed to have evolved from African hairless dogs which were reduced in size by the Chinese.
• Earlier names of the Crested include: Chinese Hairless, the Chinese Edible Dog, the Chinese Ship Dog, and the Chinese Royal Hairless.
• The Crested is believed to have accompanied Chinese sailors on the high seas, hunting vermin during and in between times of plague; today the breed can still be found in port cities worldwide.
• By the mid-19th century, Cresteds began to appear in numerous European paintings and prints.
• Entries of the Crested breed in American dog shows began in the late 1800's.
• The Crested come in two varieties: Hairless and Powderpuff (Powderpuff is genetically recessive).

Chinese Crested History

The Chinese Crested is believed to have evolved from the African hairless dogs. These dogs were traded among merchants and sailors thereby making their way to ancient port cities around the world. The Chinese, who seemed to favor dogs of smaller size, selectively bred the African hairless to a smaller size and continued an active trade. Explorers, as early as the 1500s, found these dogs in ports throughout Central and South America as well as African and Asian cities.
Chinese Cresteds joined the breeds depicted in European art and architecture in the 19th century. The breed is also represented in photos of English competitions from the era, but no breeding program was evidenced.
The Crested acquired an active and enthusiastic following in the United States in the early 1900’s. Breeders kept an extensive stud book and registry beginning in the 1930’s. Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous stage personality, acquired a Crested in the 1950’s and became an ardent breeder helping considerably to publicizing the breed. The Chinese Crested was first registered with The American Kennel Club in 1991.

Chinese Crested Pics

AKC Registered Breeders

Chinese Crested

Parent Club: American Chinese Crested Club, Inc.
Breeder Referral: website
Breeder Directory: website
Regional Clubs: website  

   

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