Many believe the breed evolved from the African Hairless. These dogs were traded among merchants and sailors thereby making their way to ancient port cities around the world. The Chinese, who seemed to favor dogs of smaller size, selectively bred the African hairless to a smaller size and continued an active trade. Explorers, as early as the 1500s, found these dogs in ports throughout Central and South America as well as African and Asian cities. They have been included in written history as far back as the 13^th century in China.

In the late 1800’s, Ida Garrett, a young New York newspaperwoman, became interested in Cresteds and other hairless breeds. Mrs. Garrett bred, exhibited and wrote extensively about dogs--hairless breeds in particular. In the 1920s she assisted Debra Woods of Homestead, Florida, in obtaining Chinese Cresteds as well as other hairless breeds. For nearly forty years they jointly promoted and bred them.

Mrs. Woods began keeping a log of all of her dogs and by the 1950s it had become a registration service for all hairless breeds, and eventually the American Hairless Dog Club. She took great pride in maintaining these studbooks and closely guarded them until her death in 1969. They were then maintained for nearly 12 years by Jo Ann Orlik and then became the property of the American Chinese Crested Club, founded in 1979. Gypsy Rose, the famous entertainer, did much to popularize the Chinese Crested as an exotic breed.

The Chinese Crested was admitted to the AKC Miscellaneous class in September 1985. They became eligible for AKC registration effective February 1, 1991, and eligible to show at AKC licensed events on April 1, 1991.