THE CHINESE CRESTED POWDER PUFF
An Ancient Breed.
The Other Twin.

The Chinese crested comes in two varieties, The hairless having hair on its head, four feet and end of tail.
(crest-Socks-and plume.)

The Powder Puff is covered with a double coat.. Their coat is made up of long soft hairs with courser guard hairs. When the coat is matured it gives a soft veil effect so that it lives up to its Powder Puff name.

A dogs coat is "'fur'. A dogs coat can be double coated : that is having both a soft undercoat and a coarser top coat. Some breeds are single coated, having only one type of coat or the other, more often only the top coat.
Dog coats come in a tremendous variety of colors and patterns. Some breeds come only in one or two specific colors, while other breeds can have more variation in coat colors than breeds bred primarily for their appearance over a longer time, although some very "old" breeds also have limited coat colors.

Words used for coat colors can vary from breed to breed so a color called "red" in one breed might be called "brown" in another.

Some dog breeds coat is more like human hair than animal "fur". For example the Poodles coat grows continuously, getting longer and longer and requires frequent trimming.

The Chinese crested Powder Puff does not have this pattern of continual growth to require the constant clipping and trimming and only requires brushing to remove mats and are virtualy non-shedding.

The coated variety of ancient hairless breeds were bred for their coat and used for weaving.

Many of these coated dogs play a critical role in any breeding programme when a potentially lethal gene is involved for the survival of the hairless dog.. Hairlessness is due to a dominate gene. Coated offspring occur in hairless to hairless breedings and hairless to coated breedings. This is because hairlessness in dogs is dominate and not recessive as in most mutations.

Hairless dogs have existed for thousands of years. Historic records support there may have been as many as five separate original gene pools in Mexico and South America.

Descriptions of hairless dogs from the 1500,s indicate that the gene pools have been mixed by all countries that had them.

Paul Kane Anno Medio 1800 documented the native coated dogs of hairless breeds called the "Suncca" or wool dog. The wool dogs were sheared and their coat mixed with other materials and used in woven cloths by the Inca, which is documented at the Peabody Museum of Natural History.

The idea that the Andean dog was the product of the Spanish conquest and that no dogs existed in the Americas has proven false.

Archaeological findings in the Andean territory of bony dog samples showed from ceramic- lithic- and metal findings that dogs and man had a close relationship.

Since the Inkario period ( CA 1450 - 1600 AD) this relationship is reflected in the different functions that the dog did in pre-hispanic times in the social - religious and economic times.

Nineteen archaeological pieces were analized:: Ten bony pieces : -three ceramic - two lithic - two metal and one wood..This material comes from the archaeological sites of Ciripa - Qiwaya- Santiago - DeHuata, Tiwanaku, Chuquina, Tiraska as well as other sites.

Periods of documentation.

• Tiwanaku period ( 400 BC -1200 AD )
• Anean Confederation ( 1200 - 1470 )
• Inkario period ( 1470-1532AD )

Anean period : The cultures of Peru, Chile, and Bolivia the burial sites "Chullpas" show the close relationship between the dog and his master where the deceased were buried with their dog, signifying their concept of life after death. Inside this period is the presence of the hairless dog or "Khala" an indian dialect meaning with out vestment ( hair) and the coated variety.

Descriptions of the two varieties :

Dolicephalic, svelte and has only hair on the head, tail. and feet. The other documented was the braquicephalic with fallen ears and with body hair which were represented in ceromonial objects found.

Another important chronicler about the pre-historic dog is Father Ludovico Bertonio in his works "Vocabulario Aymaria" who describes the dogs characteristics in Aymara language.

• Dog with big ears that hang ::"Jinchuliwi"
• Big dog :: " Pastu".
• Very hairy dog :: "Ch usi Anuqara"
• Little dog : "Nanu ".
• Hairless dog : "Khala "

Since the formation period in the Andean Weltanschauung taking the works of Bertonio and the drawings and chronicles of Poma De Ayala and the analysis results of archaeozoological and archaeological material there were four types of prehistoric dogs.

• Type one "Jinchuliwi"= braquicephalic dog, hairy, medium size, fallen ears.
• Type two " Pastu"= Dolicocephalic dog, hairy, small. medium, large, erect ears
  .... With long hair it will be "C Husi Anuqara"
• Type three " Nanu " Dolococephalic = Small dog, short legs, hairy, erect ears.
• Type four " Khala" = Hairless, Dolicocephalic, small to medium size, erect ears.

In the Inkario period 1470-1532AD ) the Incas occupied a large territory that actualy is part of Columbia-Ecuquador, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.

Archaeological materials indicate the man-dog realtionship existed in different functions, Ritual - Hunting - Weaving, Cattle and home guarding which were chronicled in the reports of ""Poma De Ayala and Coba" In the Inkario period the dogs were very diverse and show they had a hair form of dog, Braquicephalic with fallen ears and Mesaticephalic type, short legs and another with Dolicephalic skull, small to big size erect ears, and last the hairless dogs or "Khala".

The genetics of these two varieties of hairless dogs are inseparable and intertwined for eternity due to this gentic make-up. The Powder Puff is one of the nicest toy coated breeds.. When one thinks of a Chinese Crested they think of a hairless dog, many do not know this little coated partner exists.

The Powder Puff has the same loving personality as its hairless counterpart, is virtually non shedding and only requires bathing and brushing to prevent matting.

Powder Puffs can be born with erect or dropped ears.

A powder Puff can be shown in conformation anywhere in the world with either dropped or erect ears except in the USA. The U S A standard requires erect ears for the Powder Puff for conformation in this country.

The Powder Puff and the hairless often have their ears taped to stand. All the taping will not alter the fact true drop ear Powder Puffs will still be born.A drop ear is refered to as the "Phalene" ear and it has the tendency to give a softer look to the dogs face as opposed to the more "perky" appearance of the erect eared puff.

Ancient hairless breeds of antiquity the coated offspring had the "Phalene" ear set.

The Powder puff does not have the skin care that is often required with its hairless counterpart, and is an ideal companion for those who prefer a coated dog.

For even easier maintenance of the coated variety the coat can be clipped down smooth about three times per year leaving the four socks-crest-and plume. For conformation showing the Powder Puff shown in full coat.

For those considering a coated toy breed the Chinese Crested Powder Puff is the ideal little coated companion.
Their dainty size and structure, their lovable bonding temprements, their soft silky powder puff coats,t heir clownish attitudes and their intelligence make them the ideal companion, and their ancient past make them worthy of our devotion.

Maggie Weeks