Felinoid wrote:I would love to own a Chinese Crested Dog one day. They are so unique-looking!

Speaking as a geneticist who has worked with the breed here, some quick things I'd be sure to vet the breeder on:
Patellar Luxation (a leg issue common in this breed, and really expensive to treat)
Eye issues (also common in the breed)
And if you go the hairless route:
Look for a breeder that talks about their dogs' teeth, as the hairless gene causes dentition issues.
Look for a breeder who ONLY breeds hairless with coated for every litter of hairless pups. This is important as the hairless gene is homozygous dominant lethal, meaning that a pup with two copies of the hairless gene won't actually develop. Any ethical hairless breeder of this breed will only breed a hairless to a coated. Hairless is relatively safe when heterozygous (one gene copy).
I have to agree, they're one of my favorite breeds. When bred properly, they are fairly healthy overall and have decent lifespans. I'm a big coated fan of the breed, since I LOVE their coats, but the hairless ones are really cute as well.