Chinese Crested Dog 359

Chinese Crested Dogs originated in China. Aside from being an ancient dog breed, it’s hard to say exactly how far back they go. It’s thought that their origins could be large hairless dogs imported from Africa that were miniaturized into a small companion breed over generations and generations of breeding.

Chinese Crested Dogs often traveled on Chinese trading vessels. In addition to being companions and sometimes being traded, these dogs were valued on board ships as expert exterminators. They even started to be called Chinese Ship Dogs and could often be traded among sailors in various foreign ports including South Africa, Turkey, Egypt, and more.

These little dogs had already made their way around the world before the Age of Discovery. By the time European explorers reached Africa, Asia, Central America, and South America, Cresteds were already there and well-cultivated. These explorers recorded their sightings of Crested-type dogs and helped them continue to spread around the world.

It wouldn’t be until the 1880s that the Chinese Crested Dog would start to take root in the United States. Their introduction and rising popularity can be traced back to Ida Garrett, a journalist, and Debra Woods, a breeder. Both of these women promoted this breed through programs with detailed studbooks, writing, publications, and more for several decades. Almost 100 years later in 1979, the American Chinese Crested Club was established. The AKC recognized the Chinese Crested Dog in 1991 as a member of the Toy Group.