Behavior
The Chinese Crested Dog Chinese Crested is an elegant and graceful dog who makes a loving companion, playful and entertaining. The Puff's coat is long and silky soft. Ears are large and erect. It is a family friendly breed, not aggressive toward children or other animals. They do not make good kennel dogs, since they love the companionship of their family. This breed tends to be on the timid side with strangers if not properly socialized at an early age. Odorless, non-shedding, and hypo-allergenic, these are great dogs for allergy sufferers. They have been described as having "a supermodel look, with a saint personality." Chinese Crested Dogs are very affectionate, lively, playful, and love to be cuddled. This breed is exceptionally loving and likes to hug & smile. Many are known to be wonderful "singers." They are great with children, very forgiving, therefore should not be taken advantage of with rough handling. They are an entertaining companion, intelligent, and very willing to learn. He needs firm but gentle training beginning when he is still very young.
Both varieties require certain amounts of grooming. The Powderpuff is entirely covered with a double, very soft, straight coat. Although a Powderpuff's coat does not continuously grow, it can grow to be quite long at full length. A weekly bath and frequent brushing will help prevent matting. For an optimal coat, never brush when dry or dirty. A light spray of water or grooming spray to their coat is recommended before brushing. Many choose to shave their Powderpuff in a "Pony Cut" leaving long hair on the bottom of legs, tail, head and crest for an easy care coat. Powderpuffs are very clean and have no odor. This breed has "little to no shedding".
Maintenance of the Hairless variety's skin is similar to maintaining human skin and as such it can be susceptible to acne, dryness, and sunburn. Hypoallergenic or oil-free moisturizing cream can keep the skin from becoming too dry when applied every other day or after bathing. Burning can occur in regions that are subject to strong UV radiation, especially in lighter-skinned dogs. Many owners apply baby sunscreen to their pets before spending time in strong sun. Some Chinese Crested Dogs have skin allergies to lanolin, so be cautious when using any products that contain it.
Unless the dog is a "true" Hairless (one with virtually no hair growth on non-extremities), trimming and/or shaving is often performed to remove excess hair growth.
The Chinese Crested Dog is further distinguished by its hare foot (having more elongated toes), as opposed to the cat foot common to most other dogs. Because of this the quicks of Cresteds run deeper into their nails, so care must be taken not to trim the nails too short to avoid pain and bleeding.
Powderpuffs enjoy getting outdoors for daily exercise, although they are not a high energy breed. They are great for apartment or city living, but being very versatile, also love country living and long hikes.
Being a very intelligent breed, this dog does well in obedience type sports. Consistency is a must, however this breed can be relatively sensitive and should have a gentle trainer. The Powderpuff is great at learning and performing tricks.
Health
The Powderpuff is not affected by many of the congenital diseases found in other toy breeds. They are, however, prone to some of these conditions listed. Eye problems such as lens luxation, glaucoma, and PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy), luxating patellas, and Legg-Perthes disease. The Powderpuff should have full dentition, not missing or crooked teeth, as is accepted in their sibling the Hairless variety.
Chinese Crested Dogs 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 Powderpuff variety have few, if any, dental defects.
Eyes are a concern within the breed, with many suffering from a painful and blinding inherited eye disease called Primary Lens Luxation (PLL). The Chinese Crested Dog can also have at least two forms of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) which can eventually lead to blindness as well. For PLL and also one of the forms of PRA, there exists a genetic test, to determine if a dog is a "carrier, clear, or affected." prcd-PRA. Since the test for prcd-PRA 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, Chinese Crested Dogs 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 Chinese Crested Dog 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. Some food allergies can also cause skin breakouts, like excess blackheads, pimples and dryness. It has been observed that this breed has an allergy to chicken and many owners opt for a chicken free diet or a homemade one. 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.
