Delaware Valley Chinese Crested Club, Inc. History Of The Chinese Crested Breed Much of the history of this fascinating breed, the Chinese Crested, cannot be stated as factual as much of it has become obscure over the centuries. As is the case with many of our very old breeds, the early development of the Chinese Crested is undocumented therefore permitting spread of many tales and theories. The origin of the Chinese Crested has been one of speculation over the years. Some historians have theorized that the Chinese Crested is the result of the cross breeding of the Mexican Hairless and the Chihuahua causing the root of origin being Mexico, others have theorized that the Chinese Crested had evolved from African Hairless Dogs which were reduced in size by the Chinese. While either theory may be possible, there is pictorial confirmation during the 16th century as early as 1550 that Chinese traders obtained the Chinese Crested either from the ports of Mexico or Africa and in turn sold or bartered them at ports throughout the world. In the 1800’s the Chinese Crested appeared in Central and South America as well as various ports in Asia. The Chinese Crested were of great value to the Chinese Sailors, during the time of the plague, the dogs were stowed away on board ships to hunt vermin which were greatly infested with fleas carrying the disease. The Chinese Crested also served as a hot water bottle for those suffering from stomach pains and needing warmth, the final conclusion for this breed with the sailors, would be being served as a meal for the sailors, thus the breed was also known as the Edible Dog, the Chinese Ship Dog, the Chinese Hairless, and the Royal Chinese Hairless. The Chinese Crested had started to appear in paintings by the mid-19th Century. Photos began to appear of the breed in the 1850’s and 1860’s at this same time there were some dogs exhibited at zoological shows in England. At this time, there was no known established breeding program. In the 1800’s dog shows became an organized sport throughout the world with an occasional Chinese Crested being entered in competition. Three Chinese Crested’s were shown in 1878 at the Gilmore Garden (predecessor to Madison Square Garden) 7th show. A picture of both the Powderpuff and Hairless appeared in Harpers Weekly, at this time a well-known journalist of the time, Ida Garrett became interested in the Chinese Crested thus turning into a love of the breed spanning over the next 60 years. In 1885, a Chinese Crested was shown at Madison Square Garden from April 28th through May 1st under the auspices of the Westminster Kennel Club’s 9th Annual Bench Show. Ida Garrett bred, exhibited and wrote extensively about the Chinese Crested Breed with precedence being the Hairless variety. In the 1920’s Mrs. Garrett had befriended Debra Woods who in the mid 1960’s founded the American Hairless Dog Club, this club eventually served as a Registry for all Hairless breeds. There had been ladies of the entertainment industry that were responsible for rekindling an interest in the breed. Gypsy Rose Lee had acquired her first Chinese Crested from her sister, June Havoc, in the early 1950’s. June Havoc had obtained the dog from an animal shelter in Connecticut and it soon became Gypsy Rose Lee’s first Chinese Crested. It is believed that the Chinese Crested was abandoned when the owner had died while in port. Through the diligent efforts of Ida Garrett, Debra Wood, Gypsy Rose Lee, June Havoc and Florence Gorsky they began promoting the Chinese Crested. The Chinese Crested was in the Miscellaneous Class of the American Kennel Club in 1955 when the first breed list was printed in the American Kennel Club Dog Show Rules. The revised list in 1965 dropped the Chinese Crested due to lack of an acceptable registry, no National Specialty Club or reliable standard. At the time there were 200 Chinese Cresteds registered. Ardent friends and supporters of the breed formed the American Chinese Crested Club in 1979. A reliable Standard was developed as well as a dependable Registry. Through intense work and commitment to the breed by the membership of the American Chinese Crested Club, the Chinese Crested were once again in September of 1985 able to compete in the Miscellaneous Class at American Kennel Club shows. From 1979 to February of 1991, the Chinese Crested was shown as separate varieties, both needing to adhere to the same Standard with the only difference being the hairlessness of one variety and the coat of the other variety. While both varieties may appear to be different breeds, upon familiarity of both varieties it becomes easy to see that they are the same breed with the differences being the lack of hair on the Hairless and complete hair covering the Powderpuff. The Chinese Crested became eligible for full American Kennel Club registration on February 1, 1991, 2 months later on April 1, 1991 the Chinese Crested was given full recognition by the American Kennel Club to be shown at American Kennel Club shows in the Toy Group. On this momentous day, 2 Chinese Cresteds had won Best In Show, the first was Ch. Darshire Sun Nee Dal of Luvan and the second was Ch. Razzmatazzmanian Stripper, both hairless females. While the Chinese Crested is an old breed, it is still yet a young breed. Still a young breed, with the establishment of the breed, with just the past 25 years of meticulous breeding programs and promotion of the breed. The evolution of the Chinese Crested has been a fascinating one; it has grown from being an almost extinct breed, to being in 2001, ranked 62 with 1790 Chinese Crested registered, out of 150 American Kennel Club Register able Breeds. Chinese Crested Breed Standard Effective June 1962 Prepared by the American Hairless Dog Club There are two distinct types of this dog which are purebred and recognized by the American Hairless Dog Club. The Deer type: very slender, long slender legs, fine bone; somewhat similar to the Italian Greyhound. The Cobby type: Heavier body, medium length legs, medium-boned; somewhat similar to the Terrier. General Appearance: A small, active and graceful dog; medium to fine-boned; rather harrow in the shoulders, body and quarter; smooth hairless body, with hair on feet, head and tail. Head: Long skull, slightly rounded, slight stop; moderately long muzzle; cheeks lean. Crest: Flat, high or long-flowing; sparse crest acceptable, full crest preferred. Ears: Large upstanding ears, with or without ear fringe. Eyes: Medium size, set wide apart. Teeth: Level or scissor bite. Canine teeth or tusks extend towards front. Fewer teeth than most dogs. Premolars absent. Neck: Long graceful neck, slightly arched, carried high. Sloping gracefully to shoulders. Body: Should be medium to long. Rump slightly rounded. Chest deep and fairly broad. Belly moderately tucked up. Tail: Up or carried high, usually over the back. Plume on lower-eighths of tail. Sparse plume acceptable. Full plume preferred. The hair in the plume may be either long or short. Forelegs: In Deer type: long straight legs, small delicate bones. Cobby type: straight legs, medium length, slightly heavier bone. Hind Legs: In Deer type: hocks well let down. Feet: Hare foot, long with nails moderately long. Nails: color of toes or black or white. Sox should not come above first joint from floor. Color: Any color, plain or spotted. Skin: Smooth and soft. Warm to touch. Weight: In size they vary considerably but should not be over fifteen pounds. Disqualifications: Broken down or cropped ears; cropped tail; no visible crest; jaw much overshot or undershot. Chinese Crested Breed Standard Effective 1979 Prepared by the American Chinese Crested Club Chinese Crested Hairless General Appearance: Slender, fine-boned, active and graceful. The body smooth and hairless except for the hair on head, lower legs, feet and plume on tail. Head: Slightly rounded skull. Distance to slight stop equal to distance from stop to tip of nose. Cheeks taper cleanly into muzzle. Ears: Large and erect placed so that the base of the ear is level with the outside corner of the eye. Eyes: Dark, almond shaped and set wide apart. Nose: Black or self-colored in livers and lighter in lighter colored dogs. Teeth: Level or scissor bite, with pre-molars absent. Neck and Body Neck: Neck is lean and clean, slightly arched from the withers to the base of the skull, carried high. Brisket: Extends to elbow – breastbone not overly prominent. Chest: Deep, tapering to a moderate tuckup at the flanks. Length of the body slightly longer than height at withers. Topline: Level. Tail: Long straight and tapered – carried gaily or straight out when in motion. Two-thirds of the end of the tail is covered by a long, flowing plume. Forequarters: Shoulders clean and narrow, angulated to allow good reach. Elbows well knit. Pasterns fine and strong. Legs long slender and straight. Feet: Hare foot, narrow and long; small bones between joints elongated. Nails moderately long. Hindquarters: Stifle moderately angulated, firm and long. Hocks straight – set wide apart. Declaws may be removed. Feet: Same as forequarters. Coat: Head Crest: Begins at the stop and tapers off between the base of the skull and back of neck. Texture is soft and silky, flowing to any length. Socks on Feet: Ideally confined to toes, but should not extend above pastern or hock joint. Color: Any color or combination of colors. Gait: Smooth and flowing. Size: Males not to exceed 13 inches at the withers; females not to exceed 12 inches at the withers. Temperament: Gay and alert. Chinese Crested Powderpuff The Powderpuff is judged by the same standard as the Hairless except: Coat: Undercoat of hair all over is very short; guard hairs are thick and longer, creating a veil-like effect. Teeth: Level or scissor bite with full dentition. A.K.C. Chinese Crested Breed Standard Approved June 12, 1990 Effective April 1, 1991 General Appearance – A toy dog, fine-boned, elegant and graceful. The distinct varieties are born in the same litter. The hairless with hair only on the head, tail and feet and the Powderpuff, completely covered with hair. The breed serves as a loving companion, playful and entertaining. I. Size, Proportions and Substance: Size – Ideally 11 to 13 inches. However, dogs that are slightly larger or smaller may be given full consideration Proportions – Proportion rectangular – proportioned to allow for freedom of movement. Body length from withers to base of tail is slightly longer than height at withers. Substance – Fine-boned and slender but not so refined as to appear breakable or alternatively, not a robust, heavy structure. II. Head: Expression – Alert and intense. Eyes – Almond shape, set wide apart. Dark Colored dogs have dark colored eyes, and lighter colored dogs may have a lighter colored eyes. Eye rims match the coloring of the dog. Ears - Uncropped large and erect, placed so that the base of the ear is level with the outside corner of the eye. Skull - The skull is arched gently over the occiput from ear to ear. Distance from occiput to stop equal distance from stop to tip of nose. The head is wedge-shaped viewed from above and the side. Stop - Slight but distinct. Muzzle - Cheeks taper cleanly into the muzzle. Nose – Dark in dark colored dogs, may be lighter in lighter colored dogs. Pigment is solid. Lips – Lips are clean and tight. Bite – Scissor or level in both varieties. Missing teeth in the Powderpuff are to be faulted. The Hairless variety is not to be penalized for absence of full dentition. III. Neck, Topline and Body: Neck – Neck is lean and clean, slightly arched from withers to base of the skull and carried high. Topline – Level to slightly sloping croup. Body – Brisket extends to the elbow. Breastbone is not prominent. Ribs are well developed. The depth of the chest tapers to a moderate tuck-up at the flanks. Light in loin. Tail – Tail is slender and tapers to a curve. It is long enough to reach the hock. When the dog is in motion, the tail is carried gaily and may be carried slightly forward over the back. At rest the tail is down with a slight curve up-ward at the end resembling a sickle. In the Hairless variety, two-thirds of the end of the tail is covered by long, flowing feathering referred to as a plume. The Powderpuff variety’s tail is completely covered with hair. IV. Forequarters: Angulation – Layback of shoulders is 45 degrees to point of shoulder allowing for good reach. Shoulders – Clean and narrow. Elbows – Close to body. Legs – Long, slender and straight. Pasterns – Upright, fine and strong. Dewclaws may be removed. Feet – Hare foot, narrow and elongated toes. Nails are trimmed to moderate length. V. Hindquarters: Angulation – Stifle moderately angulated. From hock to ground perpendicular. Dewclaws may be removed. Feet - Same as forequarters. VI. Coat – The hairless variety has hair on certain portions of the body: The head (called a crest), the tail (called a plume) and the feet from the toes to the front pasterns and rear hock joints (called socks). The texture of all hair is soft and silky, flowing to any length. Placement of hair is not as important as overall type. Areas that have hair usually taper off slightly. Wherever the body is hairless, the skin is soft and smooth. Head crest begins at the stop and tapers off between the base of the skull and the back of the neck. Hair on the ears and face is permitted on the hairless and may be trimmed for neatness in both varieties. Tail plume is described under Tail. The Powderpuff variety is completely covered with a double soft and silky coat. Close examination reveals long thin guard hairs over short silky coat. The coat is straight, of moderate density and length. Excessively heavy, kinky or curly coat is to be penalized. Grooming is minimal – consisting of presenting a clean and neat appearance. VII. Color – Any color or combination of colors. VIII. Gait – Lively, agile and smooth without being stilted or hackneyed. Comes and goes at a trot moving in a straight line. IX. Temperament – Gay and alert.