Dog Breed Profile: Chinese Crested

By Ruthie Bently

The first Chinese Crested I ever met was the hairless variety, and at a distance they look as if they have been shaved to create their distinctive look. The Chinese Crested is known as a good companion dog. They like to play, are alert, agile, crave human companionship and can become devoted to their owner. It should be noted that children need to be gentle with this dog and not roughhouse – because of this breed’s lack of hair they can be injured easily. Since the Chinese Crested sheds very little or no hair, the American Kennel Club has them on its list of breeds for people with allergies.

The Chinese Crested comes in two varieties: the powderpuff and the hairless. Both the hairless and powderpuff can appear in the same litter, and the hairless variety carries the gene for both the hairless and coated dogs. The hairless is more susceptible to sunburn, skin irritations and allergies, and should be provided with a sweater in cold weather. The powderpuff reminds me of a terrier with their pricked ears and long coat.

It is said that the Chinese Crested was used by Chinese sailors aboard their ships to hunt vermin, especially during times of the plague. It is thought that the Chinese Crested was bred down to its current size from breeds of African hairless dogs. As the Chinese sailed into different ports, the dogs were traded to other sailors and merchants, and that is how the breed made its way around the world. They were found not only throughout Asia and Africa, but South and Central America as early as the 1500s.

An adult Chinese Crested should be between 11 and 13 inches at the withers (shoulders) and they should weigh between 10 and 13 pounds. Their life expectancy is between ten and twelve years. They do not need a yard and will do well in an apartment, though they are an active dog and need daily exercise. Playing can take care of their need for exercise, but it is no substitute for a walk every day. The Chinese Crested is not known as a barker, but they like to climb and dig holes. They are intelligent and able to learn tricks easily, and are usually good around other pets. They should to be socialized and need to know that you are the leader of the pack.

The Chinese Crested is a member of the Toy Group, and was recognized by the AKC in 1991. The first two Chinese Crested dogs to be exhibited in the United States were shown in 1885 in New York at the Westminster Kennel Club Show. Though they had a registry and extensive stud book that began in the 1930s, in 1965 the AKC dropped their eligibility to be shown because of low breed numbers and the lack of a national breed club. The first Chinese Crested breed club in America was established in 1979, and today they are ranked 132 by the AKC. Their most famous supporter is probably Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous stripper who began her career in burlesque. Miss Lee acquired her first Chinese Crested during the 1950s and began breeding them, which helped publicize the breed.

During the nineteenth century, the Chinese Crested began showing up in European architecture and art. There is no breeding program evidence from the period, but the Chinese Crested is also shown in pictures of English dog shows from this time. One of the most famous Chinese Crested dogs was a hairless purebred “Sam” who won the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest for three years in a row. He passed away before he could repeat his winning performance in 2006.

Read more articles by Ruthie Bently

Want to help shelter animals? Purina will be setting up food banks and offering special adoption events at shelters in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California. By checking out the Purina One Tour for Heroes site, you can find out if they are visiting a shelter near you. But if you don't live near those locations, you can still help.

Just visit Martha Stewart's pet adoption site between now and March 31, 2010. Check out the adoptable pet search, click on a profile, and share that pet's information with your Facebook friends. Each time, Purina One will donate $1 worth of pet food to food banks across the country. It's that easy!

You'll be helping a shelter pet to find its forever home...and helping provide foods for other pets in need. I'll be posting some pets on my Facebook page too.

Can Your Pooch Help You Lose Your Paunch?

By Julia Williams

At the beginning of every new year, millions of people make resolutions pertaining to weight loss, exercise and fitness. They hit the gym with a gung-ho attitude, certain that this time they have the drive and determination to achieve their fitness goals. All too often, January’s resolve melts before the winter snow does, and they end up sitting on the couch watching The Biggest Loser contestants work out, instead of doing it themselves.

Sound familiar? Well, maybe you just need some new motivation – and who better to help you find your fitness mojo than your best canine buddy? By recruiting your dog as your new workout partner, you’ll not only rekindle your drive to get in shape, but you’ll help your four-legged companion get some much needed exercise too!

With the hectic, overscheduled lifestyle so many of us lead nowadays, it makes perfect sense to incorporate the family dog into your workout regime. Beyond taking them for their daily walk, there are countless things you can do to get fit with Fido. I’ve come up with several to get you started, but don’t be afraid to brainstorm to find other creative ways to exercise with your dog.

Power Walk Plus

Walking your dog is good exercise, but taking it up a notch or two will increase your heart rate and help you both burn more calories. Throughout your walk, mix in some higher-intensity intervals of power walking, jogging, running, leg kicks or high stepping.

Play Dog Tag

The timeless children’s game of tag is just as much fun with a dog, if not more. Take your dog out to your back yard or the local dog park, and let them try to chase you down as you run to get away from them. Dogs catch on to this simple game right away, and they have a blast trying to “tag” you.

Fetch Race

Every dog loves to fetch, and this variation on that classic canine game lets you both get some exercise. Just take your dog’s favorite toy and toss it across the yard or dog park as you normally would when playing fetch, and then race him to see who can get to it first. If your dog is a slow runner and you can easily beat them to the toy, you might want to let them “win” at least part of the time, so that the game remains fun.

Obstacle Course

If you have a large backyard, you can set up a fitness obstacle course that both you and your dog can do together. Use your imagination to create a course that involves jumping over things like benches, low stools, small boxes and other objects, darting around objects like trees and picnic tables, and crawling through tunnels made out of large cardboard boxes.

The popular sport of dog agility is another way both you and your pet can get some exercise. Dog agility involves directing your pooch through an obstacle course in a timed race. As they run up ramps, snake through tunnels and race across balance beams, you’ll need to be guiding them every step of the way, which means that you both get lots of exercise in the process.

“My Best Friends Workout” DVD

This instructional DVD and manual are designed to help dog owners increase the intensity of their daily walk with their canine companion. A certified fitness instructor demonstrates nine unique exercises which incorporate strength training, cardiovascular exercise, anaerobic challenges and core exercises, essentially turning a 20-minute walk into a total body workout. Modifications are shown for nine different dog types, including Lap Dog, Marathoner and Old Timer, which makes it easy to provide the correct amount of activity for your particular dog. It sells for $24.95 and can be purchased online here.

“BOW WOW Bootcamp” Audio Program

This veterinarian-recommended exercise program was created by a top fitness trainer to provide a great workout that’s lots of fun for both dogs and owners. With 2 levels to choose from, each six-week BOW WOW Bootcamp audio CD includes a special mini-flip booklet demonstrating the exercises, as well as nutritional information and dietary guidelines (for the human, not the dog). You can order the CD here for $29.95 plus shipping, or download the MP3 file for $19.95.

Just as you should visit your own doctor before starting any fitness program, so too should your dog get a vet checkup, especially if they are overweight or not used to regular exercise. You can discuss any health issues that might affect your dog's ability to exercise with you, and your vet can help you determine which activities are appropriate for their current fitness level.

Now that you have some good ideas for how to get fit with your dog, isn’t it time to shut down the computer, call your four-legged friend and get moving?

Read more articles by Julia Williams

Do Pets Like Listening to Music?

By Linda Cole

Music is an important part of our lives. We listen to a wide variety of tunes both in the home and away. I know Mozart or Brahms works great for a pet that is afraid of thunderstorms, but what about all those other times when we have the radio or stereo blaring with our favorite music? Does it upset our pets or do they like listening to the music we play?

My mom had a dog who loved singing along with certain commercials on TV. He even had a favorite one. Every time he heard it, he would race into the living room and sit in front of the TV so he could sing to his heart's content. He was also afraid of thunderstorms, and the 4th of July was no picnic for him. Mom decided to tape his favorite commercial along with a variety of others he liked and started playing them during thunderstorms to help relax him. We discovered he had a particular musician that he seemed to like and those songs were added to his special tape. Thunderstorms and fireworks still made him uncomfortable, but listening to his favorite music made both bearable.

Pets do seem to like listening to music, as long as it's non-threatening to them. If we keep the volume down, most pets enjoy listening to a soft mellow tune. Some even enjoy songs with a lively beat. Music can be a great therapy option for pets who are fearful. Classical music works the best as long as it's calm with no sudden crescendos or loud, rapid beating of drums in the background. Heavy metal gets a paws down from pets, because this type of music hurts their ears and is upsetting to them. Most pets will leave a room if the music is too loud and irritating to their ears.

Animal shelters are discovering how well pets like listening to music and have started playing soft tunes in their kennels to help dogs and cats relax. The music helps pets by reducing their anxiety and puts them in a more relaxed state of mind. Fearful dogs or cats are more likely to allow shelter workers to pet them when music is playing in the background. Veterinarians are learning that music can have a positive effect on pets after surgery while they are recuperating.

If you have a dog or cat who has separation anxiety, is fearful or afraid of thunderstorms or spends their day barking at everything they see from their perch in front of a window, try leaving a radio on and tuned to a classical station while you are away. The volume doesn't need to be turned up so the music can be heard everywhere in the house. That way, if the pet doesn't feel like listening to music, they can go to another room to get away from it. Many pet stores carry recordings made specifically for pets with tunes that are relaxing and pleasing to any dog or cat who likes to listen to music.

Music has a way of calming us down after a stressful day at work or a day shopping at the mall. It works much the same way on our pets. They can be just as stressed out by all the commotion going on in our lives as we are. Because they hear at a higher frequency than we do, all the noise we hear is amplified in the ears of our pets. Households may have one or more TVs on, with kids playing video games that have sounds of things crashing, things being blown up and sirens blaring. Let's face it – most video games are not quiet. Pets can go from one room to another only to find loud noises that can upset them more than we realize.

Not all pets like listening to music, though. Some seem to ignore it completely while others swish their tail back and forth as if they are searching for the beat. Some pets do have a preference when it comes to certain musicians or types of music. I listen to a wide variety of music and prefer something that is soft and mellow. My pets do seem to have their favorites as long as I don't have the volume cranked up so the neighbors can hear it, which also makes my neighbors happy. You can't go wrong with good music, relaxed dogs and happy neighbors.

Read more articles by Linda Cole

Pet Roundup

Welcome to Monday Pet Roundup!

*What about the horses? Thought-provoking article on Pet Connection. If you care about horses, you'll want to read this.

*Some airlines allow small cats and dogs to travel in crates under the passengers' feet. This is good news for pet owners, however bad news for allergy sufferers. New York Times cites an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal calling for a ban on pets in airline passenger cabins. The doctors write, "Pets can be accommodated comfortably and safely in airplane cargo holds, which is where they belong." I disagree. I don't know the solution, but living creatures are not cargo.

*Looking for a "green" pet? Consider a rabbit! The Palo Alto Daily News informs us that rabbits "eat green kitchen trimmings" and their waste can be used for garden compost.

*Recently I wrote a post for Guideposts.com, about presidential pets. While dogs were the most popular, John Quincy Adams owned the most unusual pets: an alligator and silkworms. Forbes magazine reports on some more bizarre "house pets"--a hippo that sleeps on the porch, a black bear that grew to be more than 100 pounds and put holes in the wall, and sharks owned by celebs Nicholas Cage and Ice-T. Most wild and exotic animals, however, do not make good pets.

*Over at The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood, here are top ten reasons to attend BlogPaws conference!

* Did you enjoy the winter Olympics? Dogster for the Love of Dogs blog catches us up with the canine side of the Olympics--the team of dogs trained to rescue victims buried in the snow, in the event of an avalanche. Love those images of the digging dog, nose in the snow!

Looking forward to your thoughts.