Meet the Chinese Crested
FINE-BONED, ELEGANT, AND GRACEFUL
“Gigi” GCHB Candela Myangel Glitz & Glamour
Hairless or powderpuff, the Chinese Crested is one of the most unique-looking Toy breeds, with either silky tufts or a full flowing coat. Known for their elegance, expressiveness, and quirky charm, Cresteds thrive on attention and affection. These lively, alert, and affectionate dogs are devoted companions and adore being close to their people. They do best, however, in homes where they won’t be left alone too often.
Movement has improved tremendously since the breed entered the AKC ring. You rarely see a Crested with hackney movement. Not all have great reach and drive, but most trot efficiently. Down and back movement is pretty good, with the occasional cow-hocked dog. Powderpuffs tend to look closer in the rear as they go away, but this is almost certainly because of the heavy hock coat, in most cases, more profuse than the socks on the Hairless. Toplines are overall good and level. The Hairless can’t hide anything, but artful brushing on the Powderpuff topline can hide dips and rises that shouldn’t be there.
The Chinese Crested is rectangular, not square and not off-square! The wording in our Breed Standard is misleading. It states, “Body length from withers to base of the tail is slightly longer than the height at the withers.” Some judges seem to glance at this and think, “Slightly longer than tall.” No! The measurement is from the withers, not from the front of the dog! You’re talking inches here from the chest to the withers, and this means rectangular, which is also the first word in the Standard after “Proportions.” Rectangular! There aren’t as many square Cresteds as there used to be and I have never seen one I thought was too long.
“The Chinese Cresteds” by Shelley Hennessy SHOWSIGHT May 2017
Please visit showsightmagazine.com to learn more about the Chinese Crested.