The standard states, “The Powder- puff variety is completely covered with a double soft and silky coat. Close examination reveals long thin guard hairs over the short silky un- dercoat. The coat is straight, of mod- erate density and length.” I think we are loosing this in the breed be- cause of the desire for a “neat and detailed” appearance. SKG: Sometimes new judges obsess on looking for the shaved down Puffs, like exhibitors will try to fool them. First of all, it’s way too much work to shave down a Puff. Secondly, we breed them and show them together, but re- ally wouldn’t make a difference if you had a shaved down Puff. It’s just not that important. Plus if you’re wrong, you just look silly and you won’t get many entries! SK: Mostly judges do not under- stand dentition. Most judges do not check for full dentition on the Puffs as the standard calls for. They only check the bite. It is quite important to have good teeth and dentition on the Puffs because if they do not, there will be even fewer teeth on the Hair- less where lack of teeth should not be penalized as stated in the standard. Also judges need to understand that the Chinese Crested gait is smooth and agile, without being stilted or hackneyed. The prancy type of gait is sometimes visually cute; however, it is not correct. HL: I find that new judges are of- ten drawn to a square dog. Chinese Cresteds are meant to be rectangular. Body length from the withers to the base of the tail is slightly longer than the height at the withers. DP: I don’t think enough emphasis is put on movement and unfortunately I see too many Cresteds winning that are flying around the ring at high speeds looking stylish but not show- ing proper movement. I also see far too many square dogs winning. 6. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the breed? PF: I love living with these little
characters despite their idiosyncra- sies. They never fail tomakeme smile, even when I’ve had a bad day. SKG: Cresteds are a delightful breed. Enjoy them. Youngsters sometimes go through some strange stages. Fear periods. Adolescence can be difficult. Remember the handlers are doing the best they can. Try to be patient. SK: This is a Toy breed, but it should never be frail looking. It should be a well built little dog that is an com- panion capable of many tasks, includ- ing jumping onto and off of the couch without breaking a leg, as well as more arduous things such as compet- ing in agility. HL: Chinese Cresteds are an incredi- ble small breed that is quickly gaining recognition and popularity. They are quite versatile and willing to please. They are excellent pets and excel in performance events as well. I feel it is important to remember that there are two distinct varieties, the Hair- less and the Powderpuff. Also, the Hairless has varying amounts of fur- nishings. Our standard gives no pref- erence to either variety or amount of furnishing in the Hairless. Therefore, I believe “breed type” must be defined by other traits such as outline, move- ment and coat (and skin) texture and placement. DP: In judging the Chinese Crested, seek out a balanced dog with all the pieces flowing smoothly. Look for a dog that is lively, happy and stable. TheChineseCrested should be a rect- angular dog exhibiting good reach and drive carrying a level topline. 7. And, for a bit of humor: what’s the funniest thing you’ve ever experienced at a dog show? SKG: Our club gives its specialty as a concurrent event with the wonderful all breed club Angeles Canyon Dog Club. This last year after our spe- cialty was over I went back to the mo- tor home to change into comfortable shoes before the breed judging for the all breed club. My feet hurt and I was happily exhausted. Successful
specialty over for another year— sigh of relief. After the breed judg- ing was over and I finished my little true Hairless boy, one of the han- dlers came up and asked me what was going on. Puzzled I asked what she meant. Then I noticed she was looking at my feet. When I too looked down I discovered that my shoes didn’t match! I had put on one black tennis shoe and one blue and gray one! Everyone had a good laugh. In fact months later a few are still giggling when they see me at the ring. SK: There have been many amusing incidents, most not fit for publishing! HL: Several years ago, at the Palm Springs shows, I was out late one night walking a dog. The polo grounds were dimly lit and I heard a lot of giggling coming for the other side of the field. A few moments later, much to my surprise, I saw several assistants streaking their way across the polo field. I couldn’t help but to giggle myself. I bet they never knew they were actually sighted. DP: While sitting ringside with a friend from another Toy breed at an all breed show we overheard a con- versation of two Crested exhibitors discussing what dogs they should bring to the Chinese Crested Nation- al specialty and discussing what they heard the judge likes and doesn’t like. One heard the judge likes bigger dogs and had a multiple specialty winning top ranked Crested back in the early 90s that was 12" tall while the other exhibitor heard that the judge likes smaller dogs because she heard the judge had a top-winning male that was just 11". Both being newer to the breed they had no clue who I was. I tried to remove myself from the con- versation, but really wanted to watch the breed being shown in the ring we were sitting at. Finally my friend turned and said, “You are both cor- rect and the judge is sitting in front of you, so no disrespect, but please take your conversation elsewhere.” Their expressions were priceless.
58 • T op N otch T oys , F ebruary 2020
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