“IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THE HAIRLESS CRESTEDS WERE KEPT AS THE TREASURED PETS OF CHINESE EMPERORS AND THAT THEY HAD HEALING POWERS.”
It was believed that the Hairless Cresteds were kept as the treasured pets of Chinese emperors and that they had healing powers. If you had an ache or pain, simply place a Hair - less on the pain and the “higher body temperature” of the Crested would eliminate the pain. Contrary to this belief, Cresteds have a normal dog body temperature. It is only because they have no insulation that their body heat radiates out of them, giving them a portable heating pad effect. It was also believed that the dogs were used as ratters on ships because their prehensile paws allowed them to hold and grip their prey, and their “terrier- like” behavior helped them to shake the rat to death. But whatever purpos- es they were used for in the past, today they are wonderful little terrier-like dogs with big personalities. They are highly intelligent and, if one puts in a
but Powderpuffs had been allowed to have dropped ears. The Powderpuff had to have complete dentition while the Hairless were often missing teeth. Now, after 42 years in the breed, some significant changes have been observed. Dogs that are clearly not hairless are being passed off as such. A DNA test for the Forkhead Box I3 gene (FOXI3) supposedly tests for hairlessness; but in many cases, the dogs have thinner coats and poor den- tition without any areas of hairless- ness. Too often, these dogs are shaved to the skin and represented as the Hairless variety. This activity con- tinues to be an area of controversy. It takes little imagination to realize this practice leads to poorly-coated Pow- derpuffs with poor dentition being passed off as Hairless (or in extreme cases, normal Powderpuffs shaved to look hairless).
The Powderpuff was the completely covered counterpart, having the same structure but with untrimmed hair. The hair was soft and silky, but never kinky or curly. Minimal grooming for cleanliness was desired. Second, the Chinese Crested was a rectangu- lar, long-backed breed that was a Toy size. Over 14 inches was considered too large. Third, they had to have hare feet and elongated toes so that they could curl their paws and hold objects as if they had hands. Fourth, the head had to be a pleasing wedge. Shortness in muzzle and broad backskulls were not favored, even if they were consid - ered to be cute. The temperament of the breed was described as “terrier- like but never noisy or aggressive.” The old Standard allowed for dif - ferences between the Hairless and Powderpuff varieties. For example, ears had to be erect in the Hairless,
34 • T op N otch T oys , J une 2022
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