|
|
Chinese crested dog
The Chinese Crested Dogs belong to the family of toy dogs and is popular for its unusual physical characteristics and entertaining personality. It is a very small dog weighing no more than ten to thirteen pounds.
Appearance:
The same litter of dogs of this family can have two types of pups- the Hairless and the Powderpuff. Hairlessness is, however, the most dominantly found breed of the Chinese Crested Dog. They almost have skin as soft as humans. Besides, the paws are as if covered with socks with the tuft on its paws. It has a plume like tail and is hairy on the head. They are mainly heterozygous. This is because, other than being the dominant trait, it is also lethal when homozygous. Being hairless does not mean that the breed does not have hair on its body at all. In fact often it is difficult to identify the hairless breed from the powderpuff when the hairless dog is very hairy.
The only way you can distinguish between a powderpuff and a hairy hairless pup is by checking the number of coats. The powderpuff has two coats of fur whereas the hairless has only a single layer.
The way that a powderpuff looks depends heavily on how it is groomed. With hair fully grown on its face a powderpuff often strongly resembles a terrier. However, its face is generally shaved around the snout, considering it as the most standard cut for the powderpuff variety of Chinese Crested Dogs.
Temperament:
The Chinese Crested Dogs are generally very affectionate, playful and energetic, always finding new ways to be active and bring a smile on your face. They indeed are endearing in their personalities and are known to be great family pets. However, at times they tend to get attached to a certain person in the family and as obvious it is the person whom it gets maximum of love and affection from.
Grooming:
Grooming of the Crested Dogs is indeed a regular bit of work. While the very hairy, powderpuffs have to be brushed everyday so that the soft fine double coat does not get matted. Though the puffs do not grow their fur too fast, they need to be trimmed from time to time as per preference of the owner.
The maintenance of hairless ones requires as much care as human skin as it is prone to dryness, acne and sunburn. They should be bathed twice a week in the least. Hypoallergenic or mild moisturizers may be applied besides sunscreens.
Heallth:
There are not too many diseases to be found. However, many dogs of the hairless breed and some of the powderpuffs suffer from poor dentition. Progressive retinal atrophy is one major concern for the Crested Dogs as this may lead to blindness. Allergy and autoimmune diseases have often found to cause premature death in this breed. This is something breeders must keep in mind. A properly cared Crested Dog can live almost till fifteen years.
So, bring home a properly bred Crested and enjoy!!
|
|