Here are some fun and fascinating facts about the Pekingese that will surely surprise a lot of people!
The Pekingese breed’s name was inspired by its place of origin. These canines were developed in China, more specifically in the Peking city of China. And, to honor their place of birth, these canines were given the name Pekingese. Interestingly, the Peking city is now known as Beijing and it is also the capital of China.
These small canines have a lot of different nicknames. Some of the most popular ones are Pelchie Dog, Peking Palasthund and Peke, but apart from these names, the Pekingese canines are also sometimes called the Peking Lion Dogs. Some people believe they have received this nickname because of their mannerisms and a lion-like mane around the neck region. Other people believe in old legends and myths which state that these dogs are the product of breeding that took place between a marmoset monkey and a Lion.
The average weight of normal Pekingese canines is around 3.5-6 Kilograms. But, when a Peke is so small that its weight is less than 2.7 Kilograms, then it is qualified to be called as a Sleeve Pekingese. These compact and extremely small Pekes were highly popular in ancient China where their owners use to carry them in their sleeves.
These tiny canines have a soft and thick undercoat and a coarse, straight and long exterior coat. Their coat is available in a lot of different colors such as fawn, cream, black et cetera and it is known to protect these dogs from cold and harsh climatic conditions.
Pekingese is surely one of the oldest canine breeds to be present today in the world and it is believed to be originated around 2000 years ago. These canines were bred to be the companion dogs for the royalty in China and because of their cute looks and brave character, these canines were absolutely cherished and pampered by the Chinese royalty.
Pekes were so highly regarded and respected by the Chinese royalty, that anyone who was found harming the dog or was looking to steal the pooch received harsh punishments from Chinese royalty. Some were even punished by a death sentence.
Because of their small size and fierce personality, the Pekes were also used as miniature guard dogs by some of the Chinese Emperors. These canines were tiny enough to hide inside the sleeves of these Emperors and whenever they sensed any potential threat near their owner, these canines would come out of their sleeves and would start barking at the possible threat to startle or scare them off.
It is because of the Opium War that took place around the 1860s, that these tiny pooches had their first taste of the world outside the palaces of Chinese royalty. The Britishers took five Pekes with them as a symbol of victory and presented them as presents to the British royalty which included Queen Victoria who totally adored these cute canines.
In 1906, the American Kennel Club finally registered and officially recognized the Pekingese as a distinct breed.
Many people assume these tiny canines to be highly gentle and tender, but this cannot be further from the truth as these pooches are exceptionally brave and courageous in nature and because of that they are not known to back down from a fight and in the process, they can become a little fierce and aggressive. Pekes are famous for their valiant and plucky character and are known to protect their loved ones in case of any potential danger.
Thanx to their great stubbornness, the Pekes are not the kind of canines that are very easy to train. These pooches like to think on their own and take their own decisions and because of that, they don’t respond that well when they are being taught new things by their owners. But, if they are trained from an early age through the means of positive reinforcement, then their training process can become a lot easier and trouble-free.
Along with two Pomeranians, a Pekingese named Sun Yet-sen also survived the sinking of Titanic in 1912.
Pekes have always been the fascination of celebrities and famous people. In the past, both the Chinese and British royalty became huge admirers of this breed. Queen Victoria was a very well-known dog admirer and she also had a pet Peke. Today, celebrities like Donald Trump, Kelly Osbourne, Joe Jonas, Sarah Hyland et cetera, are all known to own a sweet little Pekingese.