By Amanda Aaron
The Chinese Crested dog isn’t one that you would normally see in the grooming salon, but I am hoping that this article is one that you can tuck away for those “What do I do?!” moments.
The Chinese Crested dog comes in two varieties; Hairless and Powderpuff. The hairless variety can vary in the amount of hair that grows on their body. The Powderpuff has a long but soft, thick double coat. In this article we are going to address the grooming of the Hairless variety.
Hairless Chinese Crested dogs have a similar skin care regimen to humans, as they are prone to acne, sunburn and dry skin. While they are considered a “wash and wear” dog, they still need special attention with their grooming.
Fig 1) Start with a good moisturizing bath with a hypoallergenic shampoo. It’s important to wash away any dirt and debris that may be on the dog’s skin.
Fig 2 & 3) The clipper work can be done in different lengths, but this particular dog is used to having a weekly bath as well as clipper work. I used a #30 reverse to clip all of the short hair off of the croup, loin and back, following upward to the back of the crest. For dogs that are not done regularly, start with a #9 to prevent clipper burn.
Fig 4 and 5) Starting just above the socks, use the same blade length to reverse clip each of the legs (front and back) all of the way up to where you clipped on the body.
Fig 6) Cleanly clip out each of the paw pads.
Fig 7) I used a #10 blade on a cordless clipper to clip the outside edge of each ear, making sure to guard the edges of the ears with my fingers to prevent any nicks.
Fig 8) I then used a #30 blade on the inside of the ears, again guarding the ear with my fingers. If the dog isn’t used to having a short blade length, go a notch longer to prevent clipper burn.
Fig 9) Carefully, scissor trim around the outside edge of the ear to give it a nice finish.
Fig 10 & 11) Using a blade that is appropriate for the dog’s skin, clipper the throat as well as the face, but cautiously stopping just under the outside of the eyes. They should not have Poodle faces.
Fig 12) My preferred method of scissoring the foot of a Chinese Crested dog is while the foot is on the table in a natural position. This ensures that too much hair isn’t removed.
Fig 13) Referring back to the beginning of this tutorial, Chinese Crested dogs have similar skin care to humans. There are many moisturizing products on the market that are pet–safe. Use whichever product that is pet–safe and owner–approved, liberally.
The owner of this dog likes a natural head and crest so I opted to put a cute bow in her hair with a feather collar for bling! ✂️