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Isis is as true a True Hairless as they come! (Pictured at 3 Days old.) Her mother is Abbie, the Powderpuff!
Cyd, pictured below at 9 weeks, was born in the same litter as our true hairless Isis... and he's a Puff! Amazing, huh?
Myths Debunked** Hairless and Powderpuffs are the same dog. ** Hairless and Powderpuffs can be born in the same litter. ** It is not true that two hairless dogs can't mate because all the babies will die, and it isn't true that Puffs will ONLY produce puffs! ** However, a double hairless gene is fatal--but this is a luck of the draw kind of deal and not a result of every Hairless to Hairless mating. ** Two Puffs will always produce all Puffs, but a Puff and a Hairless can produce both. Cresties Love Kids! |
Chinese Crested Breed InformationThe Chinese Crested is a rare & beautiful dog, usually less than 13 pounds and under 14 inches tall. They come in both hairless and powderpuff varieties, and are prized for their unwavering loyalty, sweet dispositions, intelligence, grace, and agility. This breed is considered one of the few hypoallergenic dogs, which is a huge blessing for allergy sufferers like myself! They don't have that 'dog' smell, rarely bark (if socialized properly), and don't need a lot of room.
HAIRLESS
The "hairless" isn't completely hairless, and often that classic look is really just a hair cut (called a pony cut.) They are considered "hairless" if they lack the double coat that the Powderpuff has. When you get a "hairless" crestie you will be getting a dog with a single coat of hair. The crest, boots, and plume will be from fairly short to very long and flowing, and there could be body hair from just a few random sprigs or patches to a very fine layer of hair over most of the body. Lilly, pictured above, is a "Hairy Hairless" though she really doesn't have much body hair at all. I consider her a Hairy Hairless because she has a few patches on her rear end and a fuzzy face--she's naked everywhere else though! She's right on that edge of "True Hairless" and "Hairy Hairless". Most breeders would consider her a True Hairless, but not me--guess my standards are more strict--of course, not everyone has a True Hairless in the flesh to compare to. Check out Isis on the left.... POWDERPUFF |
DETAILED description of Hairless Classification:
There's a lot of confusion about the types of coats on the Chinese Crested dog. I′d like to take a moment to explain in greater detail what the types are & how you can help your breeder understand what you really want in a Chinese Crested (& how YOU can identify a fraudulent claim by unscrupulous breeders!)
There are only 2 varieties of Chinese Cresteds, according to the AKC: Powderpuffs (double silky coat) & the Hairless variety (single coat, bald spots.) We breeders break the hairless down into more categories to help our clients choose the right dog. Common cats. are True Hairless, Hairy Hairless, & Very Hairy Hairless. While these are common cats most of us share, there's a wide range of what dogs fit into each cat. Much like in the show ring, the evaluation of each dog is HIGHLY INDIVIDUAL--meaning it is NOT scientific, it is NOT foolproof, & it is NOT "standard" among breeders or fanciers. That′s why YOU, as the buyer, MUST be armed with knowledge!
The best way I can illustrate the differences is to tell you my personal requirements for each category:
True Hairless (TH): A few hairs - zero body hair; thin, short hair on the feet (you should be able to clearly see the toes); some - no hair on the tail, some - no hair on top of the head. Face should be thinly covered to completely bald--NO thick hair; the skin of the face should be plainly visible through hair, & there should be bald patches. There should NEVER be substantial hair on the neck, shoulders, or back (the "mane".) THL will NEVER produce the long, thick furnishings you see in the show ring. Tail and top of the head MAY get long hair, but it won't be thick, & it will not cover the whole tail or go down the neck.
Hairy Hairless (HHL): Light - moderate body hair, light - moderate hair on the face, moderate - heavy furnishings (you may still be able to see the toes), & a mostly to fully covered tail. Hair should be thick & grow to be fairly long--though you can still easily see the skin. HHL often produce beautiful furnishings.
Very Hairy Hairless (VHHL): This type is easily confused for a Puff! They have very thick hair all over the body, with a few small bald patches. However, they LACK the double coat of the Puff so are STILL considered "hairless" by AKC standards. The VHHL will produce the very best furnishings of all the hairless variety. They should have THICK, long, silky, furnishings.
ALL Cresteds need a haircut of some sort to achieve the classic ″Pony″ look--even the True Hairless! Once you get the hang of it though, it won′t take you more than 5 - 10 minutes to trim down a VHHL or even a Puff into the ″hairless″ Pony Cut!
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