Chinese Crested dogs don't really come from China. They evolved from African or Mexican (no one is certain which) hairless dogs who were reduced in size by the Chinese.

The Crested is believed to have accompanied Chinese sailors on the high seas as early as 1530, hunting vermin during and between times of plague (today they can still be found in port cities worldwide). By the middle of the 19th century, Cresteds began to appear in numerous European paintings and prints.

Earlier names of the Crested include Chinese Hairless, the Chinese Edible Dog, the Chinese Ship Dog, and the Chinese Royal Hairless.

The Chinese bred the dog for its excellent ratting abilities aboard their ships, and sailors traded them at different ports. Documentation by Europeans of a hairless dog who closely resembled the Chinese Crested appears as early as the 1700s, when European travelers visited Chinese seaports and boarded Chinese trading vessels.

The Chinese apparently viewed the Chinese Crested as having magical healing powers; they also used them as living heating pads. They were kept by Chinese emperors as well as by sailors.

It's unclear when the breed officially arrived in North America, but the first breed club here was founded in 1974. In China, the breed has become rare.

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