Pet Health And Care >> Dog Breed >> Pekingese dog

Pekingese Dogs:

The Pekingese breed of dogs is one of the smallest and oldest types of canines.

Also known as ‘Lion dog’ or ‘Pelchie Dog’, the animals were held in high esteem in the Chinese imperial courts. The changes to the characteristics of the breed have been very minimal and considering that the breed is over 2000 years old, which is quite a remarkable statistic. The dogs normally sport a long, straight flowing coat that seems feathered.

The broad head houses a pair of eyes that may appear a little too big for the dogs overall size. The face is flat and has a dark, wrinkled muzzle. Whenever the mouth is closed, you are unable to see the teeth or the tongue.

The necks are usually very short and thick. The feathering around the ears is also present around other parts of the animal’s body such as the legs and tail. One of the most unique characteristics of this dog breed is the heavily bowed legs. This is considered to be a deliberate method of breeding used to prevent the animal from wandering off.

Considering their miniature size, the Pekingese temperament is very brave and independent while also retaining a substantial amount of sensitivity and affection to their master. While they are mainly kept as pets and for companionship, they are known to make god watchdogs because of their intense alertness to every small movement around them. it is also essential to make sure that the dog clearly understands who the master is otherwise he or she could develop a personality condition known as small dog syndrome where, if trained by a meek individual, they could start to believe that they are the leaders. A number of personality problems develop with this condition and the dog can start to become overly possessive about certain things as well as become very self willed and jealous. It is therefore advisable to set appropriate rules and boundaries with your Pekingese puppy right from the start.

These dogs are known to adapt very easily to small apartments and a single walk over the course of the day will do them fine. Their small size allows them to get enough exercise indoors itself. However, they do need to be allowed to interact with other humans and dogs in order to be more socially responsible. The animals have a life span of about 10 to 15 years but do suffer from a number of health issues such as extremely difficult births, increased risk of dislocated kneecaps and herniated disks as well as the fact that they seem to catch a cold extremely easily.

Submitted on May 7, 2010