Chinese crested sweater and coat sizes

For most breeds on this site a sweater is an occasional thing. For a hairless Chinese crested it is the winter wardrobe, worn on every walk from October to April and often indoors, and the questions change: how the fabric sits on skin, how it goes on over a crest, how it washes.

Numbers

AKC standard: 11 to 13 in at the shoulder, 8 to 12 lb, in two varieties, hairless (hair only on the head, feet and tail) and powderpuff (a full soft coat). The Doggie Style Store chart gives a chest of 16 in and a neck of 8 to 11; most adults tape 14 to 17 around, 12 to 14 along the back. The breed is fine-boned and a little longer than tall. A coat maker's chart from measured dogs rather than a standard, and the hairless variety measures exactly what it is, with no coat to pad the number.

Our sizes

Worked out from the size charts on the product pages for the measurement range above. Your dog's own tape measurement is what decides it.

A typical hairless crested (15 in chest, 10 in neck, 10 lb): Fireside XL, Heritage Turtleneck S or M, jacket S, trench L or XL by neck. The vest starts at a 16 in chest and does not suit bare skin in any case, which is why it is not on the list.

Fabric on skin

The hairless variety has skin where other dogs have fur, and it reacts the way skin does: it chafes where a seam rubs, it sunburns, and it gets dry. Two things follow for clothing. The knit next to the skin should be soft and smooth; both our knits are acrylic, which is soft, and the Fireside's cables are on the outside with a plain face inside. And anything worn all day comes off at night and gets a look at the armpits and the collar line, where rubbing shows first. A crested in a sweater is comfortable; a crested in a sweater with a seam over a sore spot is not, and will tell you.

The powderpuff has a full, soft, single coat and is dressed like any thin-coated small dog: a knit for cold, a shell for rain, off indoors.

Over the crest

The crest is the mane of hair on the head and neck, and a pullover has to pass it. Choose the size with a neck number above the dog's, open the collar wide, bring it over from the front with the crest smoothed back. The Heritage Turtleneck stretches the most and its neck can be worn folded or up; up is warmer, which on a hairless dog in January is the point. The Fireside Cable-Knit is sleeveless, with armholes, and fits the breed in the L and XL.

Rain

Bare skin in cold rain loses heat fast. The All-Weather Jacket in S is lined and rain-shedding, zips up the chest so nothing passes the crest, and clips the leash to a harness built into the chest. Put a knit under it for the coldest days; the S has room. The Trench Coat, washed cotton by neck and weight, is the dry-weather coat for spring and autumn and drapes without pressing on the skin.

Washing

A hairless crested's skin leaves oil on fabric, and the knits need washing more often than on a furred dog. Both are hand wash cold, lay flat to dry; the jacket wipes clean or hand washes. Two knits in rotation is the practical answer for a dog that wears one daily.

Shipping and returns

Free US shipping; ships in 1 to 2 business days and usually arrives 4 to 9 business days after that; 60 days to return anything that rubs (Shipping & Returns). The measuring guide shows the three measurements; on a hairless dog they are honest numbers with nothing to add.

Questions

Hairless or powderpuff, same size?

Measure both; a powderpuff tapes about an inch more around the chest over the coat.

Can a crested wear the sweater all day?

Many do in winter. Check the skin at the collar and armpits each evening and give it a night off.

Which is warmer, Fireside or Heritage?

The Fireside is a thicker cable knit; the Heritage covers more of the front legs with its cuffs and can be worn with the neck up. For deep cold, the Heritage under the jacket.