The Pekingese has an extravagant, long, straight-flowing coat that
has profuse feathering and comes in all colors. It has a broad head
that is wide between their large, dark, lucid and slightly prominent
eyes. The face is flat with a dark wrinkled muzzle and drooping heart
shaped, long feathering ears. Their necks are short and thick. When
their mouth is closed, neither teeth nor tongue should show. These
tiny, heavy boned dogs have a characteristic rolling gait.
TEMPERAMENT
Pekingese are very brave little dogs, courageous to the point of
foolhardiness! They are sensitive, independent and extremely
affectionate with its master, but are wary of strangers. They are
obstinate, self-willed and may be difficult to feed and are sometimes
known to refuse to eat as much to show dominance over its owner as
to lack of appetite. If overfed Pekingese will quickly become
overweight. They are loving to the point of jealousy. They tend to
bark a lot and make good watchdogs. Not recommended for young
children who are to rough. This breed may be difficult to housebreak.
We are the owners of several Pekingese and agree with most
of the facts above, however, our dogs are hearty eaters,
not prone to overweight, do not bark a lot and housebreak
well. We have a couple who are wary of strangers but most
are over-friendly!
ORIGIN
Pekingese were regarded as manifestation of the legendary Foo Dog
that drove away spirits, they were venerated as semi-divine by the
Chinese. Commoners had to bow to them; you were punished by
death if you stole one and when an emperor died his Pekingese were
sacrificed so that they could go with him to give protection in the
afterlife. In 1860 the Pekingese reached the West. British and
French troops over ran the Summer Palace during the Second Opium
War. Imperial Guards were ordered to kill the little dogs to prevent
them from falling into the hands of the 'foreign devils', but five
Pekingese survived and were taken to Queen Victoria, who named it
appropriately, 'Looty'. It is from these canine spoils of war that the
modern Pekingese is descended. In 1893 the breed was first shown in
Britain. It was recognized in the US in 1909.
