These dogs are kind of funny-looking because they don't have much hair. Well, except some of them
do have hair, and in the very same litter, you can have dogs with hair and dogs without hair. Which is kind of confusing, if you ask me.
Anyway, the hairless kind of Chinese crested has more dominant genes than the "powderpuff" kind, which is what the hairy ones are called. The hairless dogs have what's called "furnishings," and these are cute little tufts of hair on their feet, tail, and head. The hair on their feet is called "socks," and the hair on their tail is a "plume," and the hair on their head is a "crest." Which is why they are called "crested," of course.
Some hairless Chinese crested dogs have more hair than others, and the ones with more hair are called "hairy hairless." Which is a funny phrase because it makes your brain kind of do somersaults. But even if a hairy hairless dog has quite a bit of hair, you can still tell it apart from a powderpuff because the powderpuff has a thick double coat. Sometimes the owners of hairy hairless dogs shave them to make them look more hairless. I think this is probably more true for show dogs than for pet dogs, but I could be wrong about this.
Anyway, the hairless Chinese cresteds have very smooth, soft skin, like human skin, and it can come in all sorts of colors. People who have hairless dogs need to put lotion on them every day to keep their skin soft. Also if they are going to be out in the sun, they need to put sunscreen on their dogs. Powderpuffs need to be brushed every day so that they don't get matted.
You may think that Chinese crested dogs started their history in China, but this is not really true, although the breed might have got popular there by the 13th century. For a long time, people thought the Chinese crested was related to the Mexican hairless dog, with maybe some chihuahua mixed in, but now scientists have figured out that the Mexican hairless dog was around for 2000 years or so before the Chinese crested showed up.
Another theory was that the Chinese crested was actually from Africa, and now that we can do DNA testing to show if these theories are right, guess what! It turns out that the Chinese crested not only came from Africa but it also has some of the same genes as basenjis!
Anyway, here are some other things I can tell you about this breed: They are about 12 inches tall and weigh 10 pounds or less. They are good dogs for people with allergies or for people who live in apartments. They are very friendly dogs who love to be around people. They are generally happy and like to sit in people's laps. They are energetic, playful, smart, and can learn to do lots of tricks.
Hairless cresteds have what is called a "primitive mouth," which means that all their teeth are pointy, like canine teeth are. And sometimes the way their teeth grow in makes them have a bunch of dental problems. Powderpuffs have teeth that are more like regular dogs' teeth. Both kinds of cresteds can get PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy), which is what Gabe has, but his isn't too bad. And they can get luxating patellas, which is what I had. But if their health is mostly okay, a Chinese crested can live to be 12 to 14 years old.
I've never met a Chinese crested personally, and neither has Mom. Generally I don't get too excited about toy breeds, but now that I know that the Chinese crested is related to basenjis, I am more interested. In fact, I told Mom that maybe we should get one of our very own, since they are small and wouldn't eat much. But Mom said no. As usual.
