It is on old breed, dating back at least as far back as the 1500'.

There are two types of Chinese Cresteds that are born in the same

litter: the Hairless, and a coated-type, called a Powder-puff. The

Hairless dog is warm to the touch, and its skin is soft and smooth.

It is odorless and will keep itself clean.
The Powder-puff variety has long, silky coat, that needs to be

groomed daily.
Both varieties are very "houndy" in character and confirmation.

When together, they will howl in unison. They are rather aloof

and suspicious of strangers.
Extremely intelligent, they are one of the most extrovert, fascinating

little toy dogs. They hate boredom and shouldn't be left alone for

extended periods of time. Hairless are somewhat catlike, and they

are inclined to curl in your lap and love to be touched, rubbed,

stroked and petted.
The Puffs are more likely to lay next to you or your feet.

Hairless dogs have no protection from the sun and they DO sunburn

easily. It is NOT by any means a care free breed. The Hairless Crested

can develop blackheads and often suffer from acne. They should be

from the start bathed regularly to prevent future skin problems.

The Powder-puff needs regular grooming. They are NOT, as it is

falsely believed, hypo-allergenic, non-shedding companions just

perfect for allergy sufferers, although they shed much less than

other coated breeds.

Breeding dogs for the right reasons is a fascinating hobby, consuming

both your time and money. Breeders are the guardians of their chosen

breed, and must take a full responsibility for every dog they ever bred.

` HOW AND WHERE TO BUY A CHINESE CRESTED DOG

Before you decide to purchase your Chinese Crested ask yourself the

question: why do I want to have the Chinese Crested?
Is it just a curiosity about the exotic hairless dog, maybe you want

your friends to be envious, or you want a hairless dog because you

are fed up with grooming and believe that Hairless Crested doesn't

need to be bathed and groomed like the coated breed?
Well, all these reasons are absolutely wrong: Chinese Crested breed,

especially the Hairless variety is very demanding.
Here are few BARE FACTS:
Chinese Cresteds demand to be loved, played with, bathed and

groomed regularly, they are prone to suffer from allergies, can be

difficult to housetrain, hate to be left alone, often communicate

their feelings in plain physiology ( like peeing on your bed if upset ),

can be noisy and will howl in a manner of coyotes. Cresteds want to

be treated like children, and will often compete with real human

children for the affection.
Definitely, it is not a breed for everyone, but people with lots of

time and patience. Remember also, that top quality dogs are never

obtained from easy and cheap sources.

Most dogs that come to animal shelters are almost always a product

of indiscriminate breeding. Puppies and dogs offered for sale in the

pet shops either come from commercial puppy mills, unscrupulous

backyard breeders, or from unethical breeders - exhibitors ( there are

plenty of these, too ). Some even well known exhibitors routinely

bring their puppies to the Shows, and sell them from the x-pens placed

next to the show ring, in spite of the fact that this practice is outlawed

by the AKC as no different from selling the dogs at the pet shops. The

puppies coming from such indiscriminate breeding usually suffer from

hyperactivity, excessive barking, aggressiveness, skin problems and

genetic defects. Even if these faults are still not manifested in the

puppyhood, when these gorgeous, sweet puppies mature into adults,

they often turn to be difficult pets to live with.
Those who breed for profit obviously do not concern themselves

with results of their practices. KNOWLEDGE is the best defense

against the deceptive sales techniques.

Buyer Beware!
If you care about dogs- NEVER, NEVER buy a puppy from a

pet shop, or a backyard breeder. Buy your Crested from a reputable

breeder, who DOES NOT breed in volume numbers, but rather

few quality litters, and who raise their puppies in loving and warm

environment. Remember, that poor socialized puppies will make

difficult pets.
Get to know a breeder before you make a decision. Ask for a contract,

and learn beforehand if the breeder would accept the dog, if you ever

would need to return it. A reputable breeder should guaranty in

writing a refund or a replacement, if a situation arises, that the dog

bought by you would prove to have defects, or simply be below

standard of quality that you paid for.
Choose your Cresteds breeder well: remember, that personality

of your dog reflects his upbringing: how much care and attention

a puppy has received from his breeder in its early formative period,

which is from birth to about 10 weeks of age.

ABOUT CHINESE CRESTED PET DOGS

The Chinese Crested dog will make a delightful companion for

the right and the responsible owner. They should be guaranteed

in full by the breeder, against any physical defects or temperament

problems. The pet dog should be sold with the spay/neuter contract

and not allowed to be bred.
Return or exchange and refund must be also guaranteed in writing.
On the other hand a potential owner is obliged to provide a loving

home, medical attention and assume full responsibility for the

welfare of his/her pet companion.
Puppies bought as pets should not leave their breeder's home before

10 weeks of age. They must be de-wormed and fully inoculated

against all major canine diseases.

It is amazing how many people seek their pet through local newspaper

ads and do not mind to pay sometimes an exuberant amount of money

to a backyard breeder, who never offers any guarantee, selling puppies

at hardly 6 weeks of age and often without proper inoculations, just

because the classified ad says "AKC papers" or "Champion sired", or

"Pure bred". Later disappointment with this sort of dog turns many

of those people against all pure breeds, and the breeders in general.

ABOUT CHINESE CRESTEDS SHOW DOGS

Show quality dogs should not be sold earlier than at 4 - 5 months of

age, when their type and quality can be evaluated. Faults such as cow

hocks, poor fronts, weak quarters and top lines present at this time

rarely improve later.
The only thing still hard to predict at this age will be the final size.

A well-bred, good-looking 4 month Crested puppy that has been

well reared, should fulfill its potential. Only show quality dogs are

what is called a "breeding" quality.

Babylon Great Cresteds sells occasionally pets and show dogs to

few, selected homes. We expect potential buyers to have valid

references, before we place any dog.
We do not allow our bitches to be bred before achieving championship,

full maturity (that means not before their 3rd heat cycle), and to be

bred more than three times during their lifetime.
And NEVER without skipping at least one heat cycle. Males can be

used as studs only with the bitches of high quality and compatible

pedigree. Most of our show quality dogs are co-owned, and contract

is a "must".

HOW TO TAKE CARE ABOUT YOUR HAIRLESS CRESTED

The skin of a Hairless dog is surprisingly tough. It is prone though

to blackheads and acne, and prevention is the most important aspect

of the skin care. But as it usually happens, only after the damage is

already done and your hairless dog is suffering from various bacterial

skin infections, ulcers and yeast inflammation, that the owner begins

to worry, trying then many different treatments, including antibiotic

therapy, usually not with too much success.
The hairless dogs suffering from the skin problems must be bathed

in the warm, soapy water every day, sometimes even twice a day

until the condition improves, then once a day.
It is important to clean the skin and squeeze regularly the blackheads

under the warm, running water, as not to spread the infection.
NEVER, NEVER try to remove the blackheads without washing the

dog with the antiseptic soap like BETA DINE immediately after.

Antibiotics like Keflex are advisable for at least 3 to 4 weeks. Sometimes

your doctor will agree to prescribe cortisone drug that I find in my

personal experience of a great help, but it is important to give it to

your dog at regular time, the best would be after skin cleaning and

the bath. Remember that animals taking cortisone medication should

not be used for breeding, since these type of drugs may cause birth defects.
And most important: LOVE YOUR CRESTED. They are extremely

intelligent animals with almost uncanny understanding of us humans.
Very intuitive, they seem almost to "read" our minds, and are capable

of a great devotion and love for their owners.

This page is still under the construction. We are planning to make it more

interesting and include articles dealing with the history and myths of the

hairless dogs, facts about breeding, pedigree information, genetics, politics

of the show ring, and much, much more...

Thank you for visiting Babylon Great Cresteds. Please, go now to our photo

album for a look at what goes on behind the scenes here!