CHINESE CRESTED Breed Standards
Linked to China since the thirteenth century, the Chinese Crested Dog is believed to have evolved from the African hairless dog. Traded among merchants and sailors, the dogs made their way around ports all over the ancient world. The Chinese favored a smaller dog and so selectively bred the African dog to a smaller size, and continued actively trading. As early as the 1500s, explorers found these dogs in Central and South American ports as well as throughout Asia and African cities. In the eighteenth century, European travelers took notice of hairless dogs in Chinese port cities and as the pets of Chinese sailors working on trade ships in and out of Africa. Paintings of the breed began to reach Europe in the 1800s and the Chinese Crested is depicted repeatedly in nineteenth century European art and architecture.
The Chinese Crested Dog was briefly shown in the AKC’s (American Kennel Club) “Miscellaneous” Class and was put on display in Westminster in 1885 and later at the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia. After a multiple decade break, the breed returned to the competitive arena in the Miscellaneous Classes in 1986. The AKC recognized the Chinese Crested Dog in 1991. Stage personality Gypsy Rose Lee acquired a Chinese Crested Dog in the 1950s and began to breed the dogs; she is now considered one of the most influential proponents of the breed.
