The Pekingese is a well-balanced, compact dog of Chinese origin with a heavy front and lighter hindquarters. Its temperament is one of directness, independence and individuality. Its image is lionlike, implying courage, dignity, boldness and self-esteem rather than daintiness or delicacy.

The Pekingese, when lifted, is surprisingly heavy for its size. It has a stocky, muscular body. All weights are correct within the limit of 14 pounds. 

Proportion - Overall balance is of utmost importance. The head is large in proportion to the body. The Pekingese is slightly longer than tall when measured from the forechest to the buttocks. The overall outline is an approximate ratio of 3 high to 5 long.

Did You Know? Pekingese were held sacred in ancient China; Foo Dog idols exist of the Pekingese and have been handed down through generations. Earliest known record of Pekingese existence is traceable to the Tang dynasty of the 8th century. However, the very oldest strains (held only by the imperial family) were kept pure, and the theft of one of the sacred dogs was punishable by death.

In the past, the Pekingese breed was referred to as Lion Dogs, Sun Dogs, and Sleeve Dogs (carried in the voluminous sleeves of the imperial household). Introduction of the Pekingese into the Western world occurred as a result of looting of the Imperial Palace at Peking by the British in 1860. The Dowager Empress is in large part responsible for the appearance of the Pekingese in the United States by giving many of the little dogs as gifts to influential Americans. At one time Americans could probably claim the largest population of authentic palace dogs.

Helpful Information About Pekingese

Day 1 Through Week 8

The most critical time of a puppies life is its first week.  There are many variables involved in whether a puppy will live or die during this time.  First thing depends largely on its Mom.  A puppy must receive nutrients and warmth from its Mom or some other source in order to live.  A small puppy does not have the ability to regulate its own body temperature.   Therefore it will need the help of its Mom's body heat and/or a heating pad to keep it at a good body temperature.  Also, during the first few hours a puppy is first learning to nurse.  This can be a problem in large litters as many times the smallest puppies can be pushed away by the other, stronger puppies.  This is where a watchful breeder can mean the difference between a puppy living or dying.  A watchful breeder can make sure that ALL of the puppies are getting a turn at nursing and, if the mother is not producing enough milk, may even need to supplement the milk for weaker puppies.

At about 10-13 days old the puppies will begin to open their eyes for the first time.  Up until this point their eyes have remained closed.  At 13-17 days their ears will begin to open and sounds may start to startle them.  Remember, up until this time they were unaware of any sounds or movements going on around them and relied solely on their ability to smell or feel vibrations to guide them.

At 2 weeks old the puppies receive their first worming given by our staff at Sally's Pekingese.  This will help keep them clear of any parasites that could have been contracted from Mom during birth or from other people or puppies.  

At age 4 weeks I begin to supplement the puppies nursing by giving them a soft puppy food mixed with milk to start them eating from another source other than Momma.  This will allow them to gradually learn to eat from a bowl and to start to wean them off of Mom so that they will be ready to go to their new homes.  Their 2nd worming will be given by the staff here at Sally's Pekingese at this time.

At age 5 weeks the puppies have began to become very active and are curious about their surroundings.  At this point I will begin taking them outside with Mom for bathroom runs and will start to really introduce them to new things such as baths, brushings, and different surfaces like tile floors, carpeting, grass, rocks, and dirt.  They also will begin to be introduced to different people.  It is very important during this time that the puppy is played with and nurtured daily so that it will become used to people and new things.  Mom will be removed from the puppies during the daytime at this point and will be put back in with them at nighttime to nurse them and comfort them during the night.

By age 6 weeks a puppy is generally ready to be weaned from its Mom.  By this time the puppy should be eating and drinking on his/her own and Mom will be removed from the puppies all together so that she can not nurse them.  Puppies will be wormed again by the staff at Sally's Pekingese.  At this time we will start to decrease the amount of canned puppy food that we mix with the dry puppy food.  This is done because the canned food will cause the puppies stool to be runny and will make it harder to house train them which we begin to do by using a litter box during the daytime and taking them outside in the afternoon. 

At age 8 weeks puppies should be eating dry puppy food with no canned food mixed with it and will have been going to the bathroom in the litter box and outside for a 2 week period.  Puppies will be taken to a vet for their final vet check at which time the vet will administer their first set of puppy shots, check them for any parasites and administer wormer if he feels it is necessary.  Once the puppy is cleared by the vet he/she will be able to go to its new home.

Concussions

I have spoken with many different dog breeders and owners, all of which had no idea that a puppy could even GET a concussion.  So, I thought it a good subject to provide information on.

Prevention-Puppies are naturally curious and adventurous and therefore like to roam.  It is very important that you pay close attention to your puppy and know his/her whereabouts at all times.  Even the most watchful puppy owner can sometimes not move fast enough to prevent a puppy from taking a fall so it is of the utmost importance that you do everything that you can to make the puppies environment safe to prevent him/her from falls. 

Causes-Because puppies are very fragile and small they can easily get concussions by being accidentally kicked or falling off of or running into things.

Signs and Symptoms-Many times a concussion is not immediately noticeable because it takes time for the swelling to develop so it is very important that you pay close attention to your puppy for up to 24 hours after an injury occurs.  Signs can include lethargy, loss of appetite, crying out in pain for no apparent reason, stumbling and/or falling over when trying to walk, etc.  If any of these signs or symptoms occur please take your puppy to a vet immediately!

Treatment-Treatment for a concussion is generally an antibiotic to help keep down infection, keeping the puppy calm and settled for a period of about 10 days to allow the swelling to subside, and you may be forced to hand feed and water your puppy during this time or, in serious cases, have an IV put in to keep him hydrated.

Puppies can survive concussions with the right treatment and care, but leaving a puppy with a concussion without treatment can lead to death for your puppy.  If your puppy has suffered a head injury and shows any signs of distress it is always best to have him checked out by a vet.  It is much better to be safe when it comes to a head injury rather than sorry.