Full Sisters

This unusual breed can have both Hairless and Powder Puff born in the same litter.

With origins steeped in mystery from South America to China, they only emerged in the Western World at the end of the late 1800's and Australia in the 1970's. They are human oriented, can tend to bond to one person, compliant, protective and fastidiously clean - an ideal housedog. They also are somewhat "houndy" and can run like the wind - so secure fencing is a must. Some can be escape artists with their hare feet - agile climbers and "Houdini's" at undoing cage/crate latches.

The Hairless variety is great for allergy sufferers. They require the same care as human skin - regular baths, moisturiser and SPF15+ sunscreen, most especially on paler colours. Some exfoliating, scrubbing with a nailbrush or loofah if they get blackheads - yes it does happen! There is a product called COMB D - a biochemical tissue salt made by Martin & Pleasance from a Health store which clears up Hairless’ skin problems very quickly, if you ever have the problem. Feeding suggest you read "Give A Dog A Bone" by Ian Billinghurst - but 3 meals a day to 6 months 2 till 12 months you could then go to one but Hairless seem to need slightly more than similar sized coated dogs (to run the heaters?).

The Powder Puff needs regular grooming to maintain the beauty of the double veil coat, although they are often clipped.

Grooming a Long Double Coat

A Powder Puff in full mature show coat is a glorious sight to behold and a credit to the care given by the owner and/or handler of the dog. Care and conditioning must be started from the time the puppy is a few weeks old.

At this early age the puppy can be laid on its back and its tummy rubbed with a finger. The coat can then be brushed with a soft bristle brush.

It is important that the dog be trained to lie on its side whilst it is being groomed. If this training is started early, the dog will lie in a relaxed fashion when it is in full coat, which demands a much longer period of brushing time.

A truly correct textured coat must be an inherited factor within the dog itself, and is genetic in origin. Some lines carry a fast maturing coat, some are dominant for a large quantity of coat, and others lack this characteristic. Some lines are slow maturing. The mature coat should be apparent by 2 years of age. At this stage the slightly harder overcoat or veil compliments the softer undercoat. It helps to know the lineage of your puppy so you know what to expect in the coat growth. Hopefully the breeder will know the lines well enough to tell you what to expect.

The dog should be washed frequently enough to maintain a long clean coat; even while it is young and the coat is growing. A show dog is usually bathed once a week with no harm being done, if it is looked after properly. It is suggested that you keep your dog confined to clean cement or stone runs, wire bottom exercise pens or on linoleum floors where there is nothing sharp to break off the coat. Your dog's coat can pick up burrs and twigs, which will cause matts and breakage. So avoid letting it run through the shrubbery. Some carpets with nylon content cause static electricity in the coat and there have been reports of allergy to pure wool carpets. Ceramic tiles are good but you must balance this against possible injury through slipping on the unforgiving hard surface.

It is important that the dog be worm free, as they rob the dog of needed nutrition. It should of course be flea free, as this leads to scratching, matts and coat damage.

Diet plays a very important part in coat maintenance. Needing to be very well fed (here you have a conflict with the 5.5kg weight limit required by the Standard) preferably with non-moist food. Moist food (i.e. canned) sticks to the head furnishings causing breakage. It must have an oil supplement in its food daily to aid in supple skin and shiny hair. This could be a teaspoon of corn oil, brand name pet oils - cold pressed oils work well. If you feed raw chicken, the fat content could replace the oil. This is an important aid to prevent scratching so don't neglect this.

The eyes should be cleaned daily, and the hair kept tied away from the dogs eyes. This can be achieved in the early stages by a single ponytail on the top of the head (Shih Tzu fashion) and as the hair grows longer, divided into two ponytails, or pulled back and held by clips. A small rubber band may be used to secure the ponytail, twisting over and over (over tissue paper wrapped around the ponytail to minimise breakage) until the hair is held snugly. Be careful that the eye is not bulging because the hair is pulled too tightly. Remove the rubber band daily by cutting it off (here the tissue paper saves cutting any hair), brush through and then secure with a new rubber band, Or you can be lazy and keep the hair back with a specially developed snood a la Bernie mode.

Also as the ear fringes develop, sometimes up to 13 inches in length, you need to safeguard them from being chewed off. Afghan type snoods don't seem to work very well; causing matting and leaving no room for air circulation to the ear canal. You could wrap the ears like the ponytail, but these little wraps can be very tempting for other dogs whilst playing, and head rubbing could do damage. A very light airy snood allowing the ear fringes to be loosely held under the throat works well. Dinner snoods are a must to save both the ear fringes and the head fall. The dog adjusts to these aids very well and quickly.

Basic Grooming Equipment

Pure bristle brush (if Maison Pearson stretches the budget, Altesse, a German brand is less expensive, and Lady Jane has one at $20, which feels reasonable).

Pin brush (with the longest possible pins), Slicker brush.

Metal combs (both wide and narrow toothed, and for the "over coated", a collie comb with tapered tips, if you can find one in Australia). A wide toothed plastic comb (for wet grooming).

Spray bottle (with the finest misting action possible).

Nail clippers. Scissors.

Shampoo and conditioner (the best human quality you can afford, which is based on hydrolysed animal protein not vegetable protein, as the latter merely coats the hair shaft while the former penetrates, and preferably with Vitamin B5 for strength).

Coat clippers.

Grooming Spray.

To prepare the dog for grooming when in show coat, the following method is suggested. Before you start, allow the dog out to exercise and relieve itself. The dog's coat must be brushed out completely before bathing, or any matts in the coat will join together like steel wool.

IF THERE IS ONE GOLDEN RULE IN GROOMING If IS: NEVER BRUSH DRY!!

This is where your fine mist spray bottle is invaluable even if it is only filled with water - but a mixture of conditioner and water is preferable or a special grooming spray - all reduce coat static. One or two sprays at approximately a ten-inch distance from the coat will mist the coat lightly. Spray each area of the coat you are working on first thing and it soon becomes second nature. Brushing dry breaks coat!!

General order of equipment usage:

1. Bristle brush

2. Pin brush

3. Wide tooth comb 3a. Collie comb (for the over coated)

4. Narrow tooth comb

5. Slicker

The legs of the dog can be more easily groomed with the pin brush followed by the combs or slicker. With the dog lying on its side, do the inside and outside of the upper legs, then the inside of the lower legs. Push the hair away from you, and then brush the hair towards you, working from the foot up to the body in approximately one-inch sections. Break apart the matts with your fingers by gently pulling the hair apart one way and then the other (i.e. east and west, then north and south) more or less breaking each matt in half, then in half again, as you work it out. Brush with the slicker next, but be very careful not to brush too hard against the skin, as it can scratch very easily.

If you need to conserve your back, train the puppy at a very early age to lie on its back in your lap and groom the legs this way.

Be sure you brush from the skin out, in smooth even strokes. Do not flick the brush up at the end of each stroke, as this will cause breakage. Work upward in layers on the body coat toward the spine, using the grooming equipment in the sequence as above and this too will soon be automatic. Turn the dog over and repeat the procedure on the opposite side. The dog could sit up while you brush the chest, between the front legs, the neck and behind the ears. These are the worst areas for matting (along with rear armpits). The head fall can be done using the pin brush and combs, being very careful around the eyes. Always point the teeth of the comb away from the eyes.

Stand the dog to brush the rear skirts of the legs and the tail. While the dog is standing those wishing to part the coat should comb the hair out down the spine and part the hair down the middle. This can be accomplished most easily with a small knitting needle or comb. Guide the comb down the spine, separating a small section of the hair at a time. Work either from head to tail, or vice versa, whichever suits. It helps to spray the coat and finish by brushing firmly downward from the spine towards the ground as you divide the coat, to help you secure the part.

Some scissoring of the dog's coat, done in moderation, can greatly enhance the appearance of the dog and tidy its coat. It is usually recommended that the hair around the anus be trimmed to keep the area clean and to prevent stools from sticking to the coat. Trim the hair that grows between the pads of the feet and remove any matts. A round-headed pair of scissors will prevent accidental cutting of the feet. The feet may need some discrete tidying up.

Do this trimming on a coat that is not just freshly washed, as the hair shrinks and will appear shorter after washing and drying. Scissor with the blades held flush with the table or other smooth surface that the dog is standing on, so that the dog does not have a layered "cocker spaniel" look. Before trimming be sure that the dog is held in a show pose with the head up and the legs square. Lift up the excess outer coat area so that you trim only the area around the foot. When trimming the front feet lift and clip the chest coat out of the way. Comb the hair in its growth direction and trim. The backs of the front feet don't require trimming.

For rear feet, lift the outer coat, comb through and trim excess so the judge can see the rear movement. If the hair gets too long on the front of the back feet, the dog may trip and this will affect movement. Even puppies benefit from a tidy up. Hair grows unevenly and the shoulder area usually grows to the ground before the middle and rear areas. This will look less untidy if the shoulder and front leg area is evened off, level with the ground. Don't overdo it.

Usually the faces and front neck are clipped for showing - the size of blade and clipping area vary and your breeder can advise on this.

When a dog is retired from showing, often it is more convenient to cut the finished dog down, to reduce grooming time. There are several pet trims to choose from, resembling a Bichon or a Schnauzer. The hair on the ears and tail is left reasonably long, the top of the head is puffed round like short bangs, legs shaped to a cylinder. More the usual is a total clip off.

Copyright © 2007 - 2009 The Chinese Crested Dog Club of NSW.