Here are some fun and fascinating facts about the Chinese Crested canines that will surely surprise a lot of people!
These small and delicate-looking pooches have a lot of different nicknames that they have received over the course of many years. Apart from their official name, the Chinese Crested, they are also known as Chinese Royal Hairless canines, Chinese Edible Dogs, Chinese Ship Dogs, Chinese Hairless dogs et cetera.
It is widely believed by most researchers that the Chinese Crested canines are the descendants of the now-extinct African Hairless Terriers. These African pooches were quite similar in appearance and size to the Chinese Crested and it is theorized that these Hairless Terriers became the foundation of the modern-day Chinese Crested canines.
These pooches come in two different varieties: Hairless and Powderpuff. As the name suggests, the hairless Chinese Crested canines have almost no fur on their entire body. Only places where some strands of hair are present in these dogs are legs, tail and head region. The Powderpuff dogs, on the other hand, are fully coated and they have a thick silky fur over their bodies.
The gene for the full-coat is recessive in the Powderpuff canines, hence these pooches are not as common as the hairless Chinese Crested. But, as it is a recessive gene, it also means that both the Powderpuff and Hairless Chinese Crested canines can be found in the same litter.
As the skin of Hairless Chinese Crested pooches remains exposed almost all the time, these pooches are prone to several different skin-related issues. Interestingly, the same issues can also be found in a large number of human beings such as sunburn, acne, dryness, rashes et cetera.
Several centuries ago, When the Chinese sailors stopped along the African shores, the African Hairless Dogs, that are considered to be the true ancestors of the Chinese Crested canines, caught their attention. The Chinese sailors decided to bring these hairless pooches on their ships and to take them along for the journey. When the sailors discovered that these canines had great hunting abilities, they decided to use these pooches to hunt down various small animals and rodents such as rats, mice et cetera that were present on their ships. And, slowly, they started to trade these canines to various parts of the world and this is how the Chinese Crested pooches were able to leave their mark in a lot of different places.
Gypsy Rose Lee who was a Burlesque dancer from America was smitten by these canines when she received a Chinese Crested pooch named Fu Man Chu from her sister. Lee started breeding these canines and within a few years, she became one of the most ardent admirers and followers of this breed. Her breeding program was highly influential as it was able to bring these canines into the limelight and many people now began to raise these pooches as their pets.
In the year 1991, the Chinese Crested canines were finally registered by the American Kennel Club as a distinct breed.
The Chinese Crested Pooches are not only very kind and affectionate with their own family members, but they also are immensely cordial and warm with other people as well. They are always happy to meet new people and thus are considered to be a fairly social breed. These pooches also get along really well with others animals too such as cats and other dogs.
The name of this competition might be a bit demeaning, but the World’s ugliest dog contest actually celebrates those canines that are a little different in appearance than some other dogs. It started in the year 2000 and since then it has been taking place each and every year. And from the year 2000-2016, the Chinese Crested canines were able to win 10 such competitions out of 16 in total. A crested named Sam was able to win this contest three years in a row.
As these canines have a unique appearance and they are very easy to handle, they have been a part of several very popular Hollywood movies. Some of them are How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 102 Dalmatians, Cats and Dogs, New York Minute et cetera.