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Pekingese
Standards
Whether you want to breed, show, or
just want a house pet, you should be aware of the breeds standards.
Recently, a new set of
standards was approved by the PCA, and the AKC. Here they are:
GENERAL APPEARANCE:
The Pekingese is a
well-balanced, compact dog with heavy front and lighter hindquarters. It must
suggest its Chinese origin in its directness, independence, individuality and
expression. Its image is lion like. It should imply courage, boldness and
self-esteem rather than prettiness, daintiness or delicacy.
SIZE, SUBSTANCE,
PROPORTION:
Size/Substance: The
Pekingese should be surprisingly heavy when lifted. It has a stocky, muscular
body. The bone of the forequarters must be very heavy in relation to the size of
the dog. All weights are correct within the limit of 14 pounds, provided that
type and points are not sacrificed.
Proportion: The length of the body, from the front of the breast bone in a
straight line to the buttocks, is slightly greater than the height at the
withers. Overall balance is of utmost importance.
HEAD:
Skull: The top skull is massive, broad and flat (not dome-shaped). The top
skull, the high, wide cheek bones, broad lower jaw and wide chin are the
structural formation of the correctly shaped face. When viewed frontally, the
skull is wider than deep and contributes to the rectangular envelope-shaped
appearance of the head. In profile, the Pekingese face must be flat. The chin,
nose leather and brow all lie in one plane. In the natural position of the head,
this plane appears vertical but slants very slightly backward from chin to
forehead.
Nose: It is black, broad, very short and in profile, contributes to
the flat appearance of the face. Nostrils are open. The nose is positioned
between the eyes so that a line drawn horizontally across the top of the nose
intersects the center of the eyes.
Eyes: They are large, very dark, round, lustrous and set wide apart. The
look is bold, not bulging. The eye rims are black and the white of the eye does
not show when the dog is looking straight ahead.
Wrinkle: It effectively separates the upper and lower areas of the face.
The appearance is of a hair covered fold in the skin, extending from one cheek,
over the bridge of the nose in a wide inverted "V", to the other
cheek. It is NEVER so prominent or heavy as to crowd the facial features nor to
obscure a large portion of the eyes or the nose from view.
Stop: It is deep. The bridge of the nose is completely obscured from view
by hair and/or the over-nose wrinkle.
Muzzle: This is very short and broad with high, wide cheek bones. The
color of the skin is black. Whiskers add to the Oriental expression.
Mouth: The lower jaw is slightly undershot. The lips meet on a level plane and
neither teeth nor tongue show when the mouth is closed. The lower jaw is strong,
wide, firm and straight across at the chin. An excessively strong chin is as
undesirable.
Ears: They are heart-shaped and set on the front corners of the skull extending
the line of the top skull. Correctly placed ears frame the sides of the face and
with their heavy feathering create an illusion of additional width of the head.
Pigment: The skin of the nose, lips and eye rims is BLACK on all colors.
NECK, BODY AND TAIL:
Neck: It is very short,
thick and set back into the shoulder.
Body: This pear-shaped and compact. It is heavy in front with well-sprung ribs
slung between the forelegs. The broad chest with little or no protruding breast
bone, tapers to lighter loins with a distinct waist The top line is level.
Tail: The base is set high; the remainder is carried well over the center of the
back. Long, profuse straight feather may fall to either side.
LEGS:
Forequarters: They are
short, thick and heavy-boned. The bones of the forelegs are slightly bowed
between the pastern and the elbow. Shoulders are gently laid back and fit
smoothly into the body. The elbows are always close to the body. Front feet are
large, flat and turned slightly out. The dog must stand well up on feet.
Hindquarters: They are lighter in bone than the forequarters. There is moderate
angulation and definition of stifle and hock. When viewed from behind, the rear
legs are reasonably close and parallel and the feet point straight ahead.
SOUNDNESS IS ESSENTIAL IN BOTH FOREQUARTERS AND HINDQUARTERS.
COAT:
Body Coat: It is
full-bodies, with long, coarse textured, straight, stand-off coat and thick,
softer undercoat. The coat forms a noticeable mane on the neck and shoulder area
with the coat on the remainder of the body somewhat shorter in length. A long
and profuse coat is desirable providing that it does not obscure the shapeliness
of the body, nor sacrifice the correct coat texture.
Feathering: Long feathering is found on the back on the thighs and forelegs, and
on the ears, tail and toes. The feathering is left on the toes, but should not
be so long as to prevent free movement.
COLOR:
All coat colors and
markings, including parti-colors, are allowable and of equal merit.
GAIT:
The gait is unhurried and
dignified, with a slight roll over the shoulders. The rolling gait is caused by
the bowed front legs and heavier, wider forequarters pivoting on the tapered
waist and the lighter, straight parallel hindquarters. The rolling motion is
smooth and effortless and is as free as possible from bouncing, prancing or
jarring.
TEMPERAMENT:
A combination of regal
dignity, self-importance, self-confidence and exasperating stubbornness make for
a good natured, lively and affectionate companion to those who have earned its
respect.
THE FOREGOING IS A
DESCRIPTION OF THE IDEAL PEKINGESE. Any deviation should be penalized in direct
proportion to the extent of that deviation.
FAULTS TO BE NOTED:
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Dudley, liver or grey
nose
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Light brown, yellow,
or blue eyes
-
Protruding tongue or
teeth
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Overshot upper jaw
-
Wry mouth
-
Ears set much too
high, low or far back
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Roach or sway back
-
Straight-boned
forelegs
DISQUALIFICATION:
Weight over 14 pounds.
POINTS:
** Here's a few extras
**
Expression: Must suggest
the Chinese origin of the Pekingese in its quaintness and individuality,
resemblance to the lion in directions and independence and should imply courage,
boldness, self-esteem and combativeness rather than prettiness, daintiness or
delicacy. Small, well-balanced thickset dog
Actions: Fearless, free
and strong, with slight roll.
Mane: Profuse, extending
beyond shoulder blades, forming ruff or frill round the neck.
Colors: All colors are
allowable: Red, fawn, black, black and tan, sable, brindle, white and parti-color
well defined black mask, (WHITE is the exception), spectacles around the eyes,
with lines to ears are desirable.
Parti-color: (Defined)
The coloring of a parti-colored dog must be broken on the body. No large portion
of any one color should exist. White should be shown on the saddle. A dog of any
solid color with white feet and chest is NOT a parti-color dog.
Size:
A toy dog, medium size is preferred, extreme limit: 14 pounds
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UNDERSTANDING
UMBILICAL HERNIAS
by Julia M.
Crawford
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If a Pekingese
puppy has an umbilical hernia, it will be apparent by 6 weeks of age as a
bubblelike protrusion at the navel. This occurs when the umbilical rings
fail to close fully after birth. Umbilical hernias can be caused by
heredity, cutting the umbilical cord too short, or excessive stress on the
umbilical cord during delivery. The frequency of occurrence of this type
of hernia in Pekes should indicate that heredity is a factor. The mode of
inheritance is unknown. The concern that this condition poses for the
future of the breed is small in comparison with far more weighty matters
such as structural soundness, excellence in breed type and longevity.
In more than 30
years of experience with Pekingese, only once did our veterinarian feel
surgical correction of an umbilical hernia was necessary The size of the
protrusions we have seen range from minuscule to the size of a nickel at 6
weeks, and if makes note of the presence of a hernia, the pup is
monitored. Not once have any of the puppies had a problem. In the highly
unlikely event that an umbilical hernia becomes painful to the touch,
swollen or red, the dog should be examined by a veterinarian within 24
hours. Experienced Peke breeders have found that bitches with umbilical
hernias - some quite large - are unaffected by repeated pregnancies, even
with large litters.
Some
veterinarians are unaware that umbilical hernias can be a common
occurrence in Pekingese. They alarm new owners with recommendations for
surgical correction and a call to spay or neuter the pup regardless of its
quality.
A Pekingese
status as a candidate for future breeding should not be determined by the
presence of an umbilical hernia. While concerns about the condition may be
justifiable with some other breeds, not so with Bernese. The call for
surgical repair is usually unnecessary, other than for cosmetic reasons.
One veterinarian
actually told the new owners of a 9-week-old potential show puppy that the
pup's small umbilical hernia (identified by the breeder and her attending
veterinarian as being no problem)) would have to be repaired for the
health of the dog even if it would disqualify the dog from showing because
of the surgical alteration of appearance. In fact, the AKC's
disqualification applying to all breeds regarding hernia surgery mentions
only corrections of inguinal (in or near the groin), scrotal or perineal
(near the anus) hernias, not umbilical hernias. Fortunately, inguinal,
scrotal and perineal hernias are very rare in Pekingese.
The presence of
an umbilical hernia should, of course, be called to the attention of the
prospective owner. We have found it helpful to provide a written,
referenced discussion of umbilical hernias in Pekingese Dogs that can be
presented to the puppy's veterinarian to assist in making knowledgeable
recommendations to the owner.
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