DESCRIPTION

Pekingese's are very peculiar little dogs and can be considered to be very individualistic, and undoubtedly Chinese. They have the bravery of a lion and are as impressive as a lion as well. The head of this small dog is substantial and wide looking; it should not look rounded though. They have a wide black muzzle, which is short and flat and with a pronounced stop. The eyes of this dog should look big, limpid, shiny and round; the ears have a heart shape to them and are pretty long, inserted somewhat slightly high on the head. The body of this dog is short, the chest is wide and the ribs look chiseled. The back should look leveled; the front legs are short, firm and heavy boned; the hind legs are lighter looking though, but they should be solid and well built and well formed. The feet should look big and flat with the toes turned out, not rounded. The Pekingese is a medium sized dog and should not weigh more then six kilograms. The coat of this dog should be smooth and straight and for the most part should be longish. The under coat should be thick and it should have a collar around its neck and shoulders. The hair around the ears, on the back of its leg, on the tail and on its feet should be long. The colors of this dog are red, golden brown, black, black and reddish, sandy, tabby, white and parti-colored, all of them should have a black looking mask on their face and "glasses". The tail of this dog is long, highly inserted and rests over the dog's torso.

HISTORY

The breed originated in China in antiquity, most likely from Asian wolves. Recent DNA analysis confirms that the pekingese breed is one of the oldest breeds of dog. For centuries, they could be owned only by members of the Chinese Imperial Palace.

During the Second Opium War, in 1860, the Forbidden City was invaded by Allied troops. The Emperor Xianfeng had fled with all of his court. However an elderly aunt of the emperor remained. When the ‘foreign devils’ entered, she committed suicide. She was found with her five Pekingese mourning her passing.

They were removed by the Allies before the Old Summer Palace was burnt. Lord John Hay took a pair, later called ‘Schloff’, and ‘Hytien’ and gave them to his sister, the Duchess of Wellington, wife of Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington. Sir George Fitzroy took another pair, and gave them to his cousins, the Duke and Duchess of Richmond and Gordon. Lieutenant Dunne presented the fifth Pekingese to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, who named it Looty.

The Empress Dowager Cixi presented Pekingese to several Americans, including John Pierpont Morgan and Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, who named it Manchu.

The first Pekingese in Ireland was introduced by Dr. Heuston. He established smallpox vaccination clinics in China. The effect was dramatic. In gratitude, the Chinese minister, Li Hung Chang presented him with a pair of Pekingese. They were named Chang and Lady Li. Dr. Heuston founded the Greystones kennel.

TEMPERAMENT

These dogs can be stubborn and jealous. This is not a dog for someone who wants a dog that always comes when it is called. Pekes are sometimes aggressive, especially to other dogs. It may take a long time for Pekes to get used to any other dogs except puppies, mates, and siblings. However, Pekes can be properly socialized with dogs and other types of pets and can become fast friends. It is easy to believe that Pekes know that they are royalty and expect you to know it, too. This might make them unsuitable for the first-time dog owner. The Pekingese personality has been compared to a cat, although this isn't quite right. Where a cat can be trained, a Pekingese needs to be convinced that the training is beneficial to him as well as to you. But, if they love you they will do anything for you, even fight to the death to protect you.

The Pekingese is generally a one-person dog. They decide who they like best, and it might surprise you. They more than tolerate the others in their person's life, but that person might have to withhold some attention from the Peke if there is a danger that the Peke sees a child as a rival. Most healthy and well-trained Pekes are fine with children. Unfortunately, because they are among the 'cute-and-I- know-it' breeds, many people don't properly train their dogs and end up with difficult jealousy problems.

Breeds

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