“The standard says ‘Grooming is minimal— CONSISTING OF PRESENTING A CLEAN AND NEAT APPEARANCE’.”
this beautiful profile. The tail should never be a tight curl or lay on the dog’s back. Please keep in mind that unlike other breeds, the standard does not pe- nalize hairless Cresteds for missing teeth. While puffs are required to have full dentition the hairless vari- ety, due to genetic factors, may have missing teeth. Both hairless and puff should have a scissors or level bite. Movement is an important part of the dog. Don’t be afraid to work the dogs in the ring. They are companions, but they still need to be able to walk to the food dish and go outside. They should never be hackneyed. Topline should be level and can have a slightly sloping croup. The main thing to remember is to judge the whole dog. Not just pieces of it.
which is acceptable to you and which is not. The standard says lighter colored dogs may have lighter colored eyes. Since dogs have brown eyes, I in- terpret this to mean lighter colored BROWN eyes. Palomino colored dogs can have eyes that are as light as hazel. Blue eyes are not acceptable. The standard calls for almond shaped eyes so watch for round eyes coming into your ring which are a fault. Proportion of the Crested is slightly oblong. They should be slightly longer than tall. Their size is 11-13" with a dog slightly over or under to be given full consideration. Slightly is the key word here. This is an average 12" dog. Slightly is defined as almost imper- ceptible. For me, 1/4" is themaximum over/under deviation. Cresteds have a lovely outline but an incorrect tail carriage can ruin
about lately is people shaving puffs down to look like hairless. There is no way you can be absolutely sure that a dog being presented to you has been shaved down. What you can be sure of is the furnishings. If the dog present- ed to you is shown as a hairless and it has double furnishings, it should be penalized. Cresteds should not be a topiary breed but shown in their natural state. Many styles of grooming are accept- able. Should ears and faces be shaved? Should the body be shaved? Should the neck be shaved? There ismuch de- bate among Crested owners as to how much is too much. The standard says, “Grooming is minimal—consisting of presenting a clean and neat appear- ance”. So, what is YOUR definition of “minimal”? You will see varying de- grees of “minimal” in the ring on any given day so you will need to decide
58 • T op N otch T oys , M ay 2019
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