Breed Profiles

The first thing my sister said when she got a Chinese Crested was that she had solved shedding. She had. She had also acquired a dog who needs sun cream in June, a jumper in October, and a skincare routine more disciplined than mine.

Nobody warns you about the skincare routine.

Cresteds come in two versions from the same litters, which throws people. The Hairless has bare skin over most of the body with a plume of hair on the head, feathering on the feet, and a fringed tail. The Powderpuff is fully coated in a soft double coat and looks like an entirely different breed. Same genetics, same litter, and a good breeder will tell you a puff can appear in any pairing. The hairless gene also affects dentition, which is why hairless Cresteds frequently have missing or pointed teeth and puffs usually have a full normal set.

Nell is a hairless. Her skin is warm to the touch, which surprises everyone who strokes her, warmer than a coated dog feels because there is nothing between your hand and her. She is the size of a large cat, maybe five kilos, and she moves like a deer, all lift and spring.

Bare skin is a body part, not a shortcut

My sister learned this fast. Bare skin burns. A pale-skinned Crested out in July sun for an hour will pink up across the back and shoulders exactly like a person, and repeated burning does the same long-term damage to a dog that it does to us. She uses a dog-safe sun cream on the exposed areas before a summer walk and shifts walks to early morning and evening in the worst weeks. Human sun cream is a bad idea unless a vet has cleared the specific product, because dogs lick, and zinc oxide is toxic if swallowed.

Cold is the other end of it. There is no coat to trap warmth, so below about ten degrees Nell wears a fleece, and in winter she has a padded thing that makes her look like a tiny cyclist. This is not owner indulgence. A hairless dog shivering on a walk is a dog losing heat faster than she can make it, and shivering is where you stop and turn back.

Then the spots. Cresteds are prone to comedones, essentially blackheads, and to a mild acne along the back and chest. Nell gets a gentle wipe-down after walks and a bath with a mild dog shampoo every week or two, and her skin is good. Left grubby, the pores clog and the spots turn into little infections that need antibiotics. My sister keeps unscented baby wipes by the door and does thirty seconds when Nell comes in, which is the whole routine, and it works.

Overbathing is the mistake in the other direction. Wash a hairless dog every second day with anything harsh and the skin dries, flakes, and then produces oil to compensate, and you have made the spots worse while feeling virtuous. Weekly, mild, thoroughly rinsed, then a light dog-formulated moisturiser if the skin looks tight. That is it.

The teeth need mentioning honestly. Hairless Cresteds often have compromised teeth, sometimes pointed and peg-like, sometimes fewer than they should have, and the ones they have are prone to going early. Nell lost three by six years old despite brushing. My sister brushes daily now and has an annual scale-and-polish under anaesthetic, and the vet says that is the best available answer rather than a failure on her part. Anyone buying a hairless should assume dental costs across the dog's life and be pleasantly surprised if not.

Temperament is the part that sells the breed to people who came for the novelty. They are affectionate to an almost inconvenient degree, wanting contact constantly, and Nell sleeps under the duvet against a leg because that is where the heat is. She is playful, silly, and a little bit clownish. She is also sensitive, and a raised voice folds her up, so training is all cheerful repetition and treats. Shout at a Crested and you get nothing but a worried dog.

They are reserved with strangers rather than friendly to all, and that needs early work. A Crested who never met people as a puppy becomes a dog who trembles when the doorbell goes, and there is a strain in the breed that leans anxious anyway. Nell met everybody my sister could recruit before she was four months old, and the result is a dog who is polite to guests and does not hide.

They are not hypoallergenic, whatever the internet says. Less hair means less hair in the air, but the allergens are in saliva and skin dander, and a hairless dog produces plenty of both. Two people I know reacted to Nell the same as to any dog. If allergies are the reason you are shopping, go and spend an afternoon in a house with one before you commit to anything.

She is now nine and looks about four, which seems to be normal. Cresteds live long, often into their mid-teens, and the fussy skin care is the price of that. My sister sends me photographs of her in a jumper, in sun cream, in a towel after a bath, and every single one of them makes her look ridiculous, and she does not care in the least.