Chinese Crested

The Chinese Crested is a small companion dog from the toy group, typically weighing between 3.5 and 5.5 kg and standing around 28 to 33 cm at the shoulder. Two coat types occur within the breed, often within the same litter. The Hairless has smooth skin over most of the body, with hair limited to the head (called the crest), the feet (socks), and the tail (plume). The Powderpuff carries a full, soft double coat over the entire body.

The breed's name points to China, though its documented history is really tied to trading ports rather than one specific region. Small hairless dogs travelled aboard ships over long distances, picking up the Chinese association along major trade routes. Today the Chinese Crested is bred almost exclusively as a house companion, registered in South Africa through the Kennel Union of Southern Africa (KUSA).

The breed is affectionate, playful, and forms a tight bond with its household. It tends to fix on one family and can be standoffish around strangers at first. It stays alert to visitors and will let you know when someone's at the gate, but it has neither the size nor the temperament for guarding work.

Who it suits

The Chinese Crested does best in a home where someone is around for most of the day, since it wants close contact and can struggle with long stretches alone. Flat and townhouse living suit it well, given its modest exercise needs. The Hairless variety needs its skin looked after and protected from both the harsh African sun and the cold snap of a Highveld winter, so it suits owners prepared to manage sunscreen, bathing, and the odd dog jersey. A household with very young or boisterous children is a poorer match, as the breed is light-boned and sensitive to rough handling.

Hairlessness is an old, naturally occurring trait that has turned up in dog populations across several parts of the world, not only in China. Exactly how it arrived at the breed we know today isn't fully documented, but small hairless dogs became associated with Chinese trading vessels and were recorded in port cities through the nineteenth century. Sailors kept them aboard as ratters and companions, which spread the dogs along shipping routes.

By the late 1800s, hairless dogs were appearing at exhibitions in Europe and North America, frequently shown under assorted names that lumped together hairless types from different parts of the world. Written records and illustrations from this period label some of these dogs as Chinese, though the naming of the day was inconsistent at best.

Much of the breed's present-day form was fixed during the twentieth century by breeders in the United States and the United Kingdom, who standardised the two coat varieties and settled the breed's proportions. Their work also involved managing the genetics behind the Hairless and Powderpuff coats, since the trait behaves in a particular way when passed on.

Formal recognition through national kennel clubs followed over the second half of the century. The Kennel Union of Southern Africa registers the breed today, and in South Africa, as elsewhere, it's kept purely as a companion rather than for any working role.

The Chinese Crested is small, fine-boned, and moves with a light, graceful outline that's slightly longer than it is tall. The head is wedge-shaped, the eyes range from dark to medium in tone, and the ears stand large and erect in the Hairless variety. The tail is long and carried up or out on the move, and the gait overall looks free and unforced.

Coat is what sets the two varieties apart, and both can turn up within a single litter. Beyond that, they share the same build and standard.

Coat and colours

In the Hairless variety, most of the body is smooth, bare skin, with soft hair confined to the head, lower legs, and tail. Skin colour can be anything from pale to dark, and it's often spotted or mottled rather than one solid tone. The Powderpuff carries a long, soft double coat over the whole body and needs regular brushing to stay tidy. Both varieties come in a wide range of colours and patterns, and the standard doesn't favour any single one. Hairless dogs vary in how much body hair they carry, and breeders factor this into routine grooming.

At heart, the Chinese Crested is a companion breed through and through. It seeks out close contact and often wants to sit on, or right next to, its favourite people. Indoors it's playful and lively, and it enjoys gentle games without needing much space to do so. It attaches firmly to its household and can pick up on changes in routine or mood faster than you'd expect.

Around family, the breed is warm and openly affectionate. With strangers, it tends to hang back and take its time warming up, though outright aggression isn't typical. Calm, early socialisation goes a long way toward keeping that natural reserve from tipping into shyness. It stays alert to visitors and unusual noises and will bark to flag them, though how vocal an individual dog is varies quite a bit.

With other pets, the Chinese Crested usually settles in fine, particularly with dogs of a similar size and cats it's grown up alongside. Given its small, light frame, keep an eye on things around larger, boisterous dogs. The breed doesn't take well to harsh handling or sharp correction, so a calm, gentle household suits it far better than a strict one.

Grooming needs differ sharply between the two coat varieties, but both call for routine attention. The Hairless variety needs its skin looked after; the Powderpuff needs its coat looked after.

Grooming

• Hairless: bathe on a regular schedule and moisturise the skin to stop it drying out; watch for blackheads and small breakouts, and clean the skin gently
• Hairless: apply pet-safe sunscreen before any time outdoors, and use a jersey or coat in cold weather
• Powderpuff: brush several times a week to stop the soft double coat from matting
• Both: trim nails every few weeks and check the crest, socks, and plume hair
• Both: brush teeth often, as the breed runs into dental problems fairly easily

Exercise

• One or two short walks a day, about 15 to 30 minutes in total
• Indoor play sessions to burn energy and keep the dog mentally occupied
• Avoid overexertion in extreme heat or cold, particularly for the Hairless variety

Environment

The Chinese Crested is an indoor dog, well suited to flats and smaller homes. It's sensitive to temperature: the Hairless variety chills quickly and burns just as quickly in strong sun, so it needs a warm, draft-free spot indoors and proper protection outdoors, especially through a Highveld winter. Keep a blanket or jersey on hand for load-shedding evenings when the heating's off. The breed wants company and doesn't do well left on its own for long stretches, whether that's a full workday or a long weekend away.

Feed a complete and balanced diet formulated for small or toy breeds. Because the dog itself is so small, portions are modest, and even small measuring errors can lead to weight gain. Split the daily amount across two or three meals to keep energy steady, since very small dogs, puppies especially, can be prone to low blood sugar if meals are spaced too far apart.

Treats and supplements

Keep treats to a small slice of the day's calories so the dog stays lean. A diet labelled complete and balanced generally covers everything a healthy dog needs, so routine supplements aren't necessary on top of that. Fresh water should be available at all times. Run any supplement past a vet before adding it, whether it's for joints or skin, particularly given the specific skin needs of the Hairless variety.

The Chinese Crested is a long-lived toy breed, typically reaching 13 to 18 years of age. Most live full, healthy lives given routine veterinary care, decent dental hygiene, and sensible weight control. A handful of conditions do show up more often in the breed and are worth keeping an eye on.

Preventive care

• Annual vet check-ups, more often for seniors
• Daily or near-daily tooth brushing, plus professional cleans as your vet advises
• Keep the dog lean to protect joints and heart
• Buy from breeders who test breeding stock for eye and knee conditions
• For the Hairless variety, a consistent skin and sun-care routine year-round

The Chinese Crested is sharp and keen to please, which makes it a trainable breed, but it's also sensitive and can shut down under harsh handling. Keep sessions short, calm, and upbeat. Food rewards, praise, and play all work well. House-training may take patience, much as it does with most small breeds, so a steady routine and consistency count for a lot. Early exposure to different people, places, and animals helps soften the breed's natural wariness of strangers.

Basics

1. Start with the dog's name and simple attention cues in a quiet room
2. Teach sit, down, and come using small treats and short repetitions
3. Build house-training around a fixed schedule and frequent breaks outside
4. Introduce calm handling for grooming, including skin and tooth care
5. Add gradual exposure to new people and settings to build confidence
6. Keep sessions to a few minutes and finish on a win

Breeding the Chinese Crested is best left to experienced, responsible breeders, given the breed's small size and the genetics involved in its coat. Dogs generally reach physical and behavioural maturity between one and two years old, and responsible breeding programmes hold off until a dog is mature and health-tested. Pre-breeding screening usually covers eyes and knees.

Gestation runs about 63 days, as with most dogs. Litters are small, often just two to four puppies, in line with the breed's toy size. The Hairless trait is carried on a single dominant gene that also affects the embryo, so planned pairings frequently include a Powderpuff parent, and both coat types can turn up in the same litter. Newborn puppies are tiny and need a warm, clean whelping area with close monitoring through the first weeks. Hairless puppies in particular need extra attention to warmth and skin care as they grow.

Chinese Crested registration and microchips in South Africa

Load your Chinese Crested's details once and be done with it: name, date of birth, photo, your cell number, save. The profile is free for his whole life, and it takes a chip number the day the vet supplies one. Dog registration is the start of the paper trail.

A chipped Chinese Crested still needs the number loaded into a registry, because the vet's job ends with the implant. Register the microchip on the free lifetime plan: any brand a local vet uses qualifies, updates stay free when you relocate between provinces, and the record answers the lookups SPCA branches run daily. Create your free account and settle both records today.