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First I would like mention that the care listed below is what I found works best for my own dogs. Different methods of caring for the coat and skin varies from individual to individual. Different people and environment....different method of caring. Products may also vary from one country to the next. It is wise to take a little bit from everybody and experiment on how well your dog will respond to it. But remember in between each experiment with shampoos, food etc...a rest should be given in between to experience the benefits or sometimes the "disasters" from it. Take in consideration that some dogs seems to be allergic to different things. Check with your breeder of any known food or products supplies your dogs may be allergic to as it usually runs in bloodlines and that is if there is to have a problem.
Hairless care : Here in Alberta we have a very dry weather thus keeping the little guys moisturized is a must. I usually bath my dogs about every week or so during the summer which include a daily feet and belly rinse because of the off-leash park. During the winter I only bath them every 2 weeks. I am very happy with using the Aveno Moisturizing Body lotion (for the hairless guys). This lotion is based on oatmeal and is quite gentle on their skin. We can get it here in practically in all Drug Stores and big Supermarkets. When I bath them my main shampoos are either : #1 All System, Vellus, Pet Silk, Traleigh, or other good quality specially formulated Dog Products. For Conditioners again I use a combinations of products. The most frequent ones are : Coat Handler, Summerwind, Pet Silk, Vellus, Traleigh and #1 All System. I also use on the show ones a regular oil treatment by #1All System which is called the Humectant Oil or the Lanolin (but careful! some dogs will have a reaction to lanolin and may loose some of their coat) I never had that happen here but suggested to my friend to use it and the poor Breeze nearly lost all her coat...and she is a Powderpuff! One last think I always use "bath gloves"(buff type gloves) on my hairless dogs. They can be bought in most Drug Stores. If you are going to do so too, please try it on your own body and this makes you feel on how much pressure you should apply to the dogs while shampooing them. Although taking the dead skin off the body helps against black heads and leaves the skin nicer and softer you don't want to scrape their skin off either! Go gently!
Many people ask me how I get such a nice skin on my dogs...well they are born with good skin. Remember that Chinese Crested are almost like people. Some are born with fair skin and some are born with better skin. Most of the Crested will go through a "teenage" period. This means that you may start to see more black heads and pimples to surface on the skin. Don't get alarmed! This is normal, but like human once again, some dogs will have from no problem, to little problem, to lots of problems, to dead serious problems. It also has to do with bloodlines. Some bloodlines will tend to have such a lovely skin and some other will tend to have problems. Fortunately I haven't have to deal with too much skin problems. My Ziggy never had pimples on his body but is quite allergic to preservatives and will scratch his poor neck till it bleeds. I now feed him a Natural Food called Nature's Link and he is free of hitching! My experience is that pimples (if they are to come) will start around the age of when their hormones are changing. With a sex crazy breed like the Chinese Crested this can happen as early as 5 months of age to the age of a year old. The best secret is to keep them clean. During their acne period a nice daily wipe with a warm damp face cloth is sometimes the best remedies. If the problem persist (and it can last for a few months) or gets worst, you may try a lotion like Benzol or a gentle scrub like Noxzema. Remember to keep the skin clean. Talk to your vet and he/she may suggest a mild antibiotics too. Sometime especially at early age a Powderpuff is much easier to keep care of!
Powderpuffs care : Powderpuffs as a rule, are quite easy to maintain. It all depends on what you are planning to do with them. Weather you keep them as companion(s) or show dog(s) (or both like me) you still need to brush or comb at least every 2 to 4 days. If you have a companion and are doing a lot of outdoors you may choose to give him/her a clip. I do it with my companion dogs as the off-leash area walk is hard on their coat. Mine get shaved a on the same pattern than what a hairless is. I shave the body fairly close and leave the socks, plume and the crest. As far as keeping up for show I basically do the same with the puffs than what I do with the hairless. I condition them in between shows with the Humectant oil or Summerwind. A weekly treatment does the best result. When you comb or brush your dog please remember to buy a good quality comb, like for example the Greyhound or a good brush like the #1All System has. For you guys that do not show and don't really know what I mean, just make sure you visit a dog show as soon as you can so you can ask questions to the retailers on what the best products are. A good comb and brush should last you for years. Make sure you do not buy the cheapest as the coating on the pin tends to peel off thus causing the hair to break.
Exercising :Although the Chinese Crested will basically adapt to whatever lifestyle you may have, I would like to stress that a good daily exercise makes my dogs much happier dogs. Everyday (weather permitted), I pack everybody in the van and off we go to the off-leash area...yes you are reading ok...off-leash. Here in Calgary we are fortunate enough that we have an enormous amount of green space...and many of which are "dog-friendly". Where we go, the area is by a river and must be close to a 100 acres. To top it off it is fenced just in case. All my dogs enjoy going there so much. Sometimes they are not always nice with big dogs who come close to their little pack but I do try to go in the off-peak hours. I have many comments on how nicely everybody sticks around me so close. They also run and run and run! What a sight this is to watch them developing their muscles with a smile on their face. As a rule our Great Pyrenees used to come with us but now he has to skip quite a few walks and I can see that they miss him.... so there you know, I'm a true believer in exercising these little monsters! This is quite hard on a puff's coat and a the socks on a hairless but what the hell they are the happiest dogs on earth!
Could you possibly deny them this pleasure??
Living here in Calgary, Alberta Canada, exercising my Cresteds outdoors during the winter is not always possible. They will take a good spin in the back yard a few times a day while going for their business, but that's about all they get in the winter and get cabin fever after a few weeks. Remember that our weather often goes to -20 to -30 + the wind factor which sometimes bring it to a very deep cold! I make sure I stand outside with them and that no accident is permitted to happen. As a rule they just run out there like fools with no coats or boots on! They quickly learn to do their business very fast. I also leave a paper in their room if they wish to do #2 inside. Sometimes it may be out of question for a hairless dog to do it in that kind of a cold weather. They all prefer to go out but I can not stress enough on how important that being with them at close range is in these extreme weather is if you chose to let your dog(s) go out. If I take them for a ride somewhere they definately wear their coat too! At the show I during the winter I make them wear their coat until the last minute. I believe that pampering them is not so bad. I think they are just like humans...some tolerate the cold better than other...why make them freeze just to prove they are tough??
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