How to Care for a Chinese Crested

The Chinese Crested is a distinctive dog that comes in two varieties. The "naked" Chinese Crested has hair only on the ears, feet and tail, while the "powderpuff" has a long double coat. Both are often born in the same litter. They sometimes come in unusual colors, including blue and pink, and require special care.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Take great care with this breed of dog. They are very fragile and can injure themselves simply by jumping off the chair. Children or larger dogs can unintentionally cause grave injury to or even kill one of these little dogs.

2. Groom the Powderpuff Chinese Crested frequently to prevent matting. Keeping the coat trimmed helps prevent tangles.

3. Apply moisturizers and aloe vera gel to the skin of a naked Chinese Crested often to prevent the skin from drying out. Keep it out of very high or low temperatures, and apply sunscreen to prevent sunburn which is common to this breed.

4. Expose the dog to other people, other dogs and strange noises early in its life to socialize the dog and prevent it from becoming shy as an adult.

5. Consider crate training for this breed. They are very hard to house train.

Tips & Warnings

• The Chinese Crested likes to climb and dig under things. They need to be watched carefully to keep them contained in a yard or enclosure.

• Keep in mind that these dogs crave human attention and will not do well staying at home alone for long hours.

• Don't give bones or other chew toys to naked Chinese Cresteds. They suffer from tooth problems, including missing teeth and teeth that fall out or break easily.