With their small frame and thick hair, the Chinese Crested dog is certainly a near irresistible temptation to anyone looking for a new addition to the family. However, as with any breed, a potential Chinese Crested adopter needs to make an evaluation of the dog's needs and their own capability to meet these needs. Too often a dog lover jumps headfirst into adopting a dog without doing their research first and, finding the demands a little much, or simply not being capable of meeting them, the dog is sent back to the breeder until a new home can be found. For the sake of their own emotional and mental health, a dog of any breed requires consistency in their environment and so, any dog lover who is truly sympathetic to our furry friends needs to evaluate the situation first, rather than, as so many have done, 'give it a try' and risk doing psychological damage to the dog.
The Chinese Crested may be considered to be an unusually high maintenance breed in a few areas such as grooming and nutrition, but anyone who lives in an apartment should rest assured that the breed demands nothing more than a little bit of floor space in the living room to comfortably live in and, being a toy breed, they can get all the exercise they'll ever need in a small to mid-sized back or front yard. Home size is not really an issue, so any owner with an hour or two each day to dedicate to play and exercise can rest easy on this matter.
Grooming the breed requires a little more attention than most. Any dog lover who isn't willing or doesn't have the time to dedicate to daily brushing and bathing at least twice a week should stop reading right here and look into less demanding breeds. The regular bathing is required to keep their sensitive skin healthy, as the breed is prone to acne and other skin conditions, especially the Hairless variety, for obvious reasons. Luckily, the dog is not especially prone to any unpleasant odors or ticks and fleas. As long as the regular grooming is maintained, the Chinese Crested owner can expect a proud, clean dog.
Unless conditioned to be comfortable around other people, the breed is prone to timidness and might prefer a quieter environment. The breed gets along with children, but perhaps an environment packed with rowdy, energetic children isn't the best home for a Chinese Crested, unless the owner wants to take the time to help the dog become comfortable in such a setting.
And finally, of course, regardless of breed or environment or any other considerations, a potential dog owner is absolutely, invariably advised to spend some time with the prospective adoptee beforehand and ask a lot of questions of the breeder as to the dog's personal history and pedigree. If the dog's lineage has a history of being prone to illness or if the dog has suffered some neglect or abuse in the past, these are absolute need to know details. Furthermore, spending time is a must, as a strong personal connection is perhaps the most important of every human/dog relationship.
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