Crustie Dog Breed

The Yorkie-Chinese Crested mix, as a crossbreed, is not an official member of any breed group--but since both its Chinese Crested and Yorkie parents are members of the Toy group in most clubs, these hybrids would fit nicely in that category. Neither does any info exist about Crusties' specific origin; while a Chinese Crested mixed with Yorkie has probably existed naturally for a long time, no breeder or breed club has claimed its creation. The Chinese Crested and Yorkie mix likely gained popularity during the designer dog "explosion" in North America in the late 20th century. Whatever the case, these lively, affectionate little dogs will be great companion pets, especially for seniors and for people living in apartments.

A few facts about Crustie dogs: they're toy-sized, averaging nine inches at the shoulders in height and seven pounds in weight; their coats can range from sparse body hair to long and flowing--but regardless, they don't shed much; and they're very sensitive and will easily suffer separation anxiety if left alone.

Some advantages and drawbacks to owning a Crested Yorkie:

The Yorkshire Terrier-Chinese Crested mix is the offspring of two breeds that are both well-known companion pets--so these little hybrids will definitely share those characteristics. Size-wise, Crusties are pretty tiny: height at the shoulders is 7-11 inches, and weight is only 5-9 pounds.

In terms of temperament, Crusties are super-friendly, energetic, and pretty smart--but they're also quite needy. Like its parent breeds, the Crustie demands a lot of attention; without it the dog will become anxious and disobedient, and will express its displeasure by barking and being destructive. These hybrids can get along with kids and other pets, but they need to feel like they're the center of attention regardless. Crusties can also do well in training. They can be selfish and stubborn, but this is balanced by their keen willingness to please, so they usually learn commands without too many repetitions. And their high tendency to bark makes them good watchdogs, as they'll sound a vocal alarm at most unknown sights or sounds.

Crusties are lively, energetic little animals--but they don't need a ton of exercise. A short walk or two each day, combined with a nice period of play, should suffice.

The Crustie, as the offspring of two toy-sized breeds, is itself a very petite animal. Its small body resembles a cute little stuffed animal, one that may or may not have hair (see the Variations section below for more info).

The Crustie head is small and round, with medium-sized pendant ears and round eyes. The neck, chest, and legs are all diminutive, and the torso is thin as well.

The coat length can vary from mostly hairless (with plumes of hair on the ears, feet, and tail) like the Chinese Crested, to long and silky like that of the Yorkie--but most often the coat is somewhere in between. The coats come in a wide variety of mostly multi-colored patterns that include black, blue, gold, apricot, and white, among other colors; the skin can be solid pink or spotted with darker colors.

A Chinese Crested dog mixed with Yorkie doesn't see a lot of variation in size or individual physical features like head size or tail length. The main variety in these hybrids is in the coat, from mostly hairless to full-coated. The Chinese Crested has two coat types: Hairless (little body hair, and plumes of hair on the appendages) and Powderpuff (a medium to long, wavy to silky coat). The genes for the Powderpuff coat are recessive, though--so a Yorkie-Chinese Crested Powder Puff mix can still have a hairless coat. It just depends on inherited DNA.

Breeders use symbols like P, F1, F2 and so on to denote a crossbred dog's genetic material. For the Chinese Crested-cross-Yorkshire Terrier, the following applies:

• P: Purebred; 100% Chinese Crested or 100% Yorkie
• F1: P x P; 50% Chinese Crested, 50% Yorkie
• F1b: F1 x P; 75% of purebred parent's DNA
• F2: F1 x F1; 50% Chinese Crested

(The sequence continues up to F5 or higher.)

Breeders will often use F1b crosses to emphasize one parent breed's features. An F1b cross with the Yorkie as the purebred parent, for example, is more likely to have a full coat, while an F1b Chinese Crested cross is more likely to have little or no body hair.

The Crustie, due to hybrid vigor (in which a crossbred dog inherits the healthiest traits of its parent breeds), is very healthy. Even so, these hybrids can suffer ailments common to the parent breeds including patellar luxation, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar, a typical issue in toy-sized breeds), and eye problems like Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA). There's also a genetic tendency in hairless toy breeds for tooth loss, so your Crustie may start losing teeth even in early adulthood--in which case the dog will need to eat wet food only.

Potential Crustie owners are advised to ask breeders for health screenings for the dog and/or its parents, or they can have their own veterinarians do the screenings.

Life expectancy for these hybrids is 11-14 years.