Fun Chinese Crested Dog Facts For Kids

The Chinese crested small-size dog breed comes in two varieties, the hairless Chinese crested dog and the powderpuff Chinese crested dog. The hairless crested breed has bare skin and no hair coat besides for their head, tail, and legs; they are basically hairless dogs. In comparison, the powderpuff variety has a full coat on their skin. The Chinese crested dog breed has two nicknames, crested and puff. This toy breed originated in China and is hence called a Chinese crested dog. They are a small breed of dogs. The Chinese crested dog sheds a minimum amount of body hair. As the volume of hair is very less as compared to the skin, they can be called almost hairless, and hence they require very minimal grooming.

The expected frequency of grooming and brushing thoroughly is once a week. This breed is a preferred breed for many households all over the world. This hairless dog breed is preferred as a pet due to its beauty and its unique mixture of skin and hair. Here are some of the most interesting facts about the Chinese crested dog breed, afterward do check our other articles on Staffordshire bull terrier facts and miniature golden retriever facts.
 

What type of animal is a Chinese Crested dog?

A Chinese crested dog is a dog breed that looks adorable with its furry skin and small size. Crested dogs would make the perfect pet as they don’t require that much hard work to train. Moreover, as the Chinese crested dogs are hypoallergenic, it is easier to maintain these dogs as pet animals. Many dogs of this breed have no facial hair while others have excessive body hair.

What class of animal does a Chinese Crested dog belong to?

A Chinese crested dog belongs to the mammal class of animals.

How many Chinese Crested dogs are there in the world?

Like every other breed of dog, the population of Chinese crested dogs in the world is unknown. The population of these dogs is constantly changing due to their breeding worldwide. The birth of lethal puppies is also a reason for not having a track of their exact population. It becomes difficult to conduct their census due to such much uncertainty.  

Where does a Chinese Crested dog live?

A Chinese crested dog is a breed of dog. This hairless dog breed is specially bred to train and keep as pets. Hence a Chinese crested dog lives in a house with humans. They also live in breeding places where a variety of dogs are kept together to breed and taken care of after their birth until they get taken away by a family.

What is a Chinese Crested dog's habitat?

A Chinese crested dog is a domestic animal. This hairless dog breed is not found in the wild. Their habitat includes shelters for dogs and the houses of their human parents. This breed of dog is not meant to stay outside. They prefer to live in places with moderate temperatures. Due to the lack of fur on most of their body, they get easily sunburnt in hot areas and also easily catch a cold in colder areas. That is why having them at a moderate temperature is necessary.

Who do Chinese Crested dogs live with?

Chinese crested dogs live with people. Generally, people bring these dogs home when they are a puppy. This hairless dog breed lives with humans for almost their whole life.

How long does a Chinese Crested dog live?

A Chinese crested dog can live for 13-15 years. They have a typical lifespan for a dog.

How do they reproduce?

Chinese crested dogs are breed dogs and hence usually are not allowed to breed on their own. With the guidance and suggestions of dog breeders, the Chinese Crested dog mix can be bred. The breeding between the hairless dogs usually forms lethal puppies of the hairless variety. Many of them are absorbed in the womb by the mother. Those born hardly survive till adulthood and die of illness. So most commonly, the hairless and the powderpuff varieties are interbred. Powderpuff breeding can only give birth to the Chinese crested powderpuff dog. Hence, in order to get the hairless variety, interbreeding must be done between the two breeds. The incubation period of the Chinese crested dogs is 63 days, the same as all the other dog breeds. The newborn puppies feed on their mother’s milk for up to two months. If the mother does not have sufficient milk to feed all her puppies, a milk replacement formula is used. It is necessary to monitor the mother’s health as well as the puppy’s health to ensure their survival.

What is their conservation status?

Chinese crested dogs are bred as necessary and to make improvements in already existing breeds. Hence there is no fear of these dogs getting extinct since they can be genetically modified at any period in time. That is why the conservation status of a Chinese crested dog is of Least Concern.

What do Chinese Crested dogs look like?

The two varieties of Chinese crested dogs are born in the same litter. The Hairless variety has bare skin and hair only on the head, feet, and tail; while the powderpuff variety has hair all over its body. Due to less amount of hair (or hairlessness), their grooming requirements are minimum. At first look, you will notice that this breed of dogs looks like toy dogs. However, at the same time, they look graceful and elegant. Their body structure is fine-boned and slender. Chinese crested dogs have wedge-shaped heads. Their ears are always erect and are not cropped in any way. They have almond-shaped eyes whose color tends to match the shade of their skin and coat. The dark-colored species most probably have dark-colored eyes, and similarly, the light-colored species have light-colored eyes. The neck of a Chinese crested dog is what one would call lean. Their tail, on the other hand, is slender and tapers at the bottom to form an upward curve. The tails of the powderpuff variety of Chinese crested dogs are completely covered with fur. Their full coats are very soft and silky.

How cute are they?

Chinese crested dogs are very cute. This hairless dog breed is small and has long hair on selected parts of its body. Their bare skin is warm to the touch. Their whole appearance screams cute.

How do they communicate?

Chinese Crested dogs are comparatively silent creatures than the other breeds of dogs. Their vocals are not that loud and are bearable to human ears. Like all the other dogs, Chinese Crested dogs too communicate with their vocals. This Hairless dog breed barks at and with each other to signal distress calls and danger. They also share their excitement, enthusiasm, and happiness with their barks. Wagging their tail and moving their ears in specific gestures are also a way of communication. Some of the Chinese Crested dogs even nod their heads in response to the others. On proper training, Chinese Crested dogs can communicate with humans. They follow hand gestures and voice commands by humans to do specific tasks. For example, on lowering the palm of the hand downwards, they can be taught to sit down. Training establishes communication between Chinese crested dogs and humans.

How big is a Chinese Crested dog?

An adult Chinese Crested dog can have a body length of 22-36 in (55.8 - 91.4 cm). Crested dogs can grow up to a height of 10-13 in (25.4 - 33 cm). These dogs are small-sized dogs in consideration of their height. A Chinese Crested dog is 2-3 times bigger than an average-sized cat and 4-5 times bigger than a small-sized cat.

How fast can a Chinese Crested dog run?

A Chinese crested dog can run very fast. There are no scientific or written records on the actual speed of a Chinese crested dog, but dog owners and breeders describe their speed as fast. It is safe to say they can run faster than an elephant.

How much does a Chinese Crested dog weigh?

An average Chinese crested dog can weigh between  7-9 lb (3.17 - 4.08 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male name for a Chinese crested dog is dog and the female name for a Chinese crested dog is bitch.

What would you call a baby Chinese Crested dog?

Chinese crested dog babies are called puppies.

What do they eat?

Chinese crested dogs eat dog food made of high quality. They can be served homemade dog food as well. However, the homemade dog food should be made as prescribed by your dog’s veterinarian. Chinese crested dogs have a tendency to over-eat. Hence, the food they eat should be in adequate quantities and timing. Otherwise, there will be a pretty good chance of your Chinese crested dog getting obese.

Are they slobbery?

Chinese crested dogs are not slobbery. Each dog produces saliva in some quantities, and the same is the case with a Chinese crested dog, but the produced saliva is not enough to call a Chinese crested dog slobbery. Also, the hairless breed of dogs has a genetic tendency to produce less saliva.

Would they make a good pet?

Chinese crested dogs are a hairless toy breed. A toy breed is referred to as a breed that is small in size. They are most suited for children to play with due to their small height. The chances of them knocking over a child significantly reduces due to the small height. They are very child-friendly dogs and can be a perfect pet for a family with toddlers. They get along not only with children but also with other dogs. They are amongst those breeds who can easily make friends with other breeds of dogs. These dogs are very adaptable to training. Training them is easier than most other dogs since they are quick learners. That is a considerably very good value for a pet dog. The Chinese crested dog temperament includes liveliness, affection, playfulness, happiness, sweet-tempered, high energy level. These qualities work best for a pet. To top everything, Chinese crested dogs are hypoallergenic and shed very little body hair since they are almost hairless. The fuss they can cause due to allergies is minimum so are their grooming requirements. In a nutshell, a Chinese crested dog would make an amazing pet.

Did you know...

There are almost no similar breeds to the Chinese crested dog

A black Chinese crested dog looks majestic due to its completely black-colored skin.

Chinese crested dog clothes are available in the market to protect the hairless breed from sunburn.

Characteristics and health issues

As compared to other breeds of crested dogs, Chinese crested dogs are very healthy. Both the Hairless and powderpuff varieties have a lifespan of 13-15 years. The hairless Chinese crested dogs are very prone to have sunburn. Along with that, in their lifespan, they are susceptible to minor health problems like seizures, deafness, and patellar luxation. They can have major health problems too which include lens luxation, glaucoma, and progressive retinal atrophy.

Getting your own Chinese Crested dog

A Chinese crested puppy costs between $1,200-$2,000. Before getting your own Chinese crested dog, you must be aware of all that it takes to take proper care of them. You should be equipped with resources and have an advisory veterinarian. It is smart to consider professional advice before buying or adopting a Chinese crested dog. Many breeders recommend taking in a Chinese crested puppy when they are small in age. This enables the puppy and your family to binds the most. While looking after a Chinese crested dog, always make sure you do not take them out in strong heat. The severity of the sunburn they can catch is high. Always use sunscreen on their bare skin to protect them from the violent rays of the sun. Chinese crested dog training is the easiest thing to do, they are very fun-loving dogs and like to look around at things. Training is an essential part of keeping them as a pet.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including pitbull boxer mix facts, or Cavachon facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Chinese Crested Dog coloring pages.