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Han DynastyChinese Crested Wood Cut Circa 1875The Chinese Crested is a distinctly unique and rare toy breed with origins clouded in the mists of time and legend.  While there is some evidence to trace Chinese Cresteds back as far as the Han Dynasty (202 BCE - 220 CE) most early references suggest they traveled aboard Chinese merchant ships as ratting dogs as early as the 13th century, being traded at ports of call throughout the Old World countries of Egypt, South Africa and Turkey and possibly as far as South America.  By the 18th century they had reached Europe.

Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous American burlesque entertainer, was active in the promotion of the breed.  She fell totally in love with Cresteds and was extremely active in publicizing the breed. To this day many Crested kennels worldwide can trace the ancestry of their dogs back to the Gypsy Rose Lee line.

Today's Chinese Cresteds are still a relatively rare toy breed.  They are very energetic and intelligent, requiring a stable household with advanced dog handling experience.  Cresteds are suitable for people with allergies as they do not shed and are, for most people, non-allergenic. They are a very intelligent and demanding breed and as such are not a dog for everyone and certainly not a dog for first-time dog owners.  Good training and a firm, gentle hand is required with puppies. A highly intelligent and sensitive breed, the Crested requires solid, consistent training as puppies can be both single-minded and stubborn at times. They do not adapt well to life in a kennel, requiring constant human companionship, even when living in a home with other companion pets.

Chinese Cresteds can be a very active dog, especially in the morning and evening, but appear to be equipped with an "instant "off switch" when picked up and make loving and loyal lap dogs.  Care should be taken with regards to the feeding of table scraps as this can quickly turn into a demanding habit, and obesity and related health problems can result.

Chinese Crested Dogs can do very well at Dog Agility and several of our pups that have been placed are currently participating and competing well.  Their attention span is short while they are still pups, but this increases considerably as they mature. Being the smallest of the hounds, their speed and agility can be difficult to match.

Hairless Powderpuff
Hairless Powderpuff

Cassell's the Book of the Dog Circa 1881Cresteds come in 2 coat patterns, hairless and powderpuff. Hairless are just that - hairless, with varying degrees of hairlessness produced in every litter, from those almost completely lacking hair with just a topknot and a small amount of hair on the feet  and tail to those with a full crest and flowing mane.  Powderpuffs have a full coat, but like its hairless counterpart, it too can vary in density between fully coated to hairy-hairless. Both can appear in the same litter and both have similar personalities and activity levels. In rare cases a puff can have a coat that is heavy enough to affect those who are mildly allergic to pet dander.

We fell in love with this breed in the early 1980's and have been breeding since 1996. All of our dogs are registered with the Canadian Kennel Club. We are not big breeders but we can hardly be called "backyard breeders" as we have an extensive background in genetics that we apply to our breeding program. Our goals lie in improving the quality of our dogs through selective pairings with an eye to complete physical and emotional health in the puppies we place. Health and temperament are vital to those goals and all puppies are thoroughly vet checked before ever leaving our home. We stand behind our dogs 110% as knowledgeable, experienced, responsible breeders with the love and dedication needed to ensure the strength and vitality of this very unique and beautiful breed.

 

The AKC Chinese Crested Standard

Our Philosophy:

  • Our Cresteds lineages are thoroughly researched for health and temperament

  • All puppies are thoroughly vet checked for joint, eye and heart problems and our breeding programme is designed to avoid these conditions in our dogs.

  • All of our dogs live in our house. We do not have a kennel nor do we require one and we will not knowingly send one of our dogs to a 'home' where they will live their lives in a kennel.

  • Cresteds first, Show second - while we breed for both pet and show, our primary interest lies in the pet Chinese Crested. We raise our dogs to be wonderful lifelong pet companions and that is how we want them to be treated whether that is at home or in the show ring.

  • All puppies placed as pets are placed under a spay/neuter contract

Both Anna and Bryan were both raised with animals, many being raised for show. Bryan grew up in a household that bred Dalmatians for show and Anna grew up raising dairy goats and showed them extensively. Over the years they both acquired some of the best mentor's in various fields of animal husbandry and studied all aspects of raising animals extensively. They actually met through the breeding of show pigeons - she with Homers and he with Turbits - and they've been working together as a team for 22 years, bringing that expertise to the breeding of Chinese Cresteds in 1996, working to improve the health, temperament and show quality of the dogs they breed. The results have been both show and pet Cresteds who's keepers are proud to show off.

We currently have 2 females - Bugaboo, (Ladybug) a large girl at 10 lbs who is full of attitude and spunk - a great all 'round house dog and her daughter, Pixel, a smaller, very hairless dog who is shaping up to be a very lovely, correct dog; and, Brewski, our hairless stud - all of whom live underfoot in our house... on the furniture... and in our bed.

Bugaboo
'Lady Bug'

Born December 01, 1997

Lady Bug is a lovely pink slate spotted.  She has a glorious full crest, and the perky ears have a lovely fall of hair.  She also has a full tail, and ample hair on her legs.  Note the very level topline and full crest. We get one of her quality in every litter, although the rest are also very nice.  Ladybug's true talent lies in her vocalizations.  She not only knows many words, but she also speaks a few of them.  She can say "Bugaboo", "Hello", "Good Morning",  "I want" and if she isn't inclined to speak, she'll oftentimes say "I don't want to" with a sad whine to her voice.  Lady Bug is definitely a unique dog who's personality, beauty, grace and intelligence is frequently passed to her pups.

A glorious crest and a super personality!

Lady Bug
Lady Bug at 5 years of age

Pixel:

Pixel is a true hairless with a very correct stance and topline.  She is a very active fun-loving and intelligent girl who has started to imitate her mother's vocalizations.  She's the "silly" dog around the house.

Bred to Brewski she has produced some very nice pups that all have very easy-going natures and good builds.

Pixel
Pixel at 4 months

Brewski

Brewski came to us in July 2004 after many years of careful searching for the perfect stud, mainly for breeding to Lady Bug. Brewski is a lovely small and very correct dog of about 4.5 lbs. He has the perfect easy-going temperament with lots of energy and personality. His constant use of his front feet as hands has given him the nickname of "Thunderpaws" around the house.

Brewski has passed his easy-going personality onto all of his offspring and have been a real show to have underfoot, and to see go to their new, forever homes.

Brewski
Brewski at 15 months

An energetic Brewski at play

from our home to yours...

Playing with puppies

Currently Available: no puppies at this time

Palamino Spotted Hairless Male puppy with heavy white furnishings

one of our puppies that has gone to a forever home

 

Please contact us for details on upcoming litters

Bryan & Anna Smith
GoatCreek@keremeos.net

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Last Updated January, 2008