Pekingese Grooming Styles Explained in Detail

Last Updated on February 1, 2022 by Denise Leo. Post first published on January 15, 2022.

Pekingese Grooming Guide: Basic Trim to Full Grooming and Everything In Between.

Do you know? Pekingese or Pekes (as they are affectionately called) is one of the oldest dog breeds, famous for its lion-like mane and cutesy looks. These charming dogs with luscious coats are known to be lions shrunk to miniature size by the Lord Buddha.
If you just fell flat to their oh-so-cute features and got lost in the fluffy coat of Pekes, you would like to add them into your life, right?
(Whoa!!! You have a great choice)
But, one thing that you might find a tad bit tricky is Pekingese grooming.
This Pekingese grooming guide covers everything you need to know about giving your Pekingese a basic trim to overall grooming.

Grooming Your Pekingese So That The Dog Doesn’t Look Like a Matted Mess

Those who are up for including this chunky ball of fluff in their lives often question, “Do I need to spend a greater chunk of my time upkeeping my Pekingese?”

Just one look at the Pekingese is enough to tell that they need a BOATLOAD of grooming…

That’s a matter of common sense.

They’ll often need to be taken care of to stay happy, healthy, and beautiful. So, consider owning a Peke if you are someone who wouldn’t mind keeping a lint roller handy and brushing off the loosened hair often because they shed like crazy.

Did you say, “No, I won’t mind”? Congratulations! You are a perfect fit to be a PEKE-PARENT.

Pekingese are going to require so much of your attention to carry out their severe maintenance needs. They would need to brush their generously grown coat several times a week and would require bathing sessions oftentimes.

Without frequent brushing and trimming, your dog would turn into a shaggy ball of entangled fur. “Not-so-cute”, right?

Frequent trimming at the rear area of your dog is also mandatory for sanitary purposes.

Keeping your Pekingese puppy presentable and beautiful takes regular upkeep sessions and a trip to a professional groomer every 8 – 12 weeks. If you can’t afford professional grooming trips that often, worry not! Below we are sharing a checklist for grooming your Pekingese that you can follow to keep your Peke in a perfect form.

Here’s the checklist:

• Dirt Cleaning
• Brushing the Fur
• Nail Trimming
• Brushing the Teeth
• Ear Cleaning
• Bathing
• Trimming

Pekingese Coat Grooming Regimens to Follow At Home

#1. Dirt Cleaning:

It’s important to clean the dirt and debris from the eyes and creases of your Peke’s face daily to prevent hotspots. Some Pekingese owners also trim the hair around their puppy’s eyes to help their furry see clearly.

#2. Brush the Fur:

Pekes have an abundance of fur. So it’s vital to keep their fur detangled and trim their long hair repeatedly. Regular trimming will help keep your pet cool and neat.

You might think brushing a Peke’s hair is going to be a hard task. But, it isn’t really that hard. Just mist your pet’s hair with normal water and brush them thoroughly using a natural bristle brush. It is important to get the brush through the under coat.  Misting your doggie’s hair will stop the hair from breaking. Brush small sections of outer coat hair in the downward direction. It will take all the dead hair off, and you’ll be done.

#3. Trim the Dog’s Nails:

Trim your Peke dog’s nails usually every week or two because overly long nails can cause discomfort to your pup.

#4. Brush the Teeth:

Small dogs including Pekingese are prone to periodontal diseases. Therefore, brushing their teeth frequently with dog-specific toothpaste becomes a must.

#5. Clean the Ears:

Check for the wax build up in your Pekingese ear and clean it up often. Some Pekingese might need to have their hair plucked out of the ear canal. Plucking out the ear from the ear canal will make the air circulation better.

However, you need not pluck the entire ear from your doggie’s ear canal because they prevent the debris buildup in the air canal.

NOTE THAT: You must be an expert in pulling off the hair from the ear canal of your Peke otherwise you might hurt your dog.

#6. Bath Your Peke:

An occasional bath will help your Pekingese look its best. However, bathing a Peke requires patience and utmost care. You shouldn’t let the water go into the nasal cavity of your pup.

For this, try using a damp cloth to cleanse the wrinkles and muzzle as a preventive measure. A cotton ball may be placed in each ear prior to bathing.

Use a dog-friendly shampoo on the coat and rinse it off. Shampooing the Pekingese coat will help you manage the abundantly grown hair. Dab the coat with a towel to wick the excess moisture. Let it dry. Brush and comb the coat once it’s dry.

Areas you should pay special attention to while detangling your dog’s coat with a slick brush are:

• Thighs
• Behind the Ears
• Tail
• Around the ruff

#7. Doing a Basic Trim on Your Pekingese Puppy:

When you own a Pekingese puppy, trimming tools become your best friends because you often get to use them.

Trimming not only neatens up your pup’s appearance but also helps them stay comfortable, healthy, and maintain better traction.

Start by shaving the paws until you actually can see the pads. Brush to make sure there are no mattes there. Use a rake to detangle the shaggy hair and get rid of the dead hairs that are hidden under the thick coat of your Pekingese. Hold the skin of your furry tight so it doesn’t get caught in the rake and be gentle.

Next, use a fine-tooth comb to get all the dead hair off. It’s also good for checking for mattes.

Cut the elongated hair all over the body to define the shape of your Pekingese using scissors. Say, for example, if you are trimming the hair from the feet, follow the shape of the foot. Make sure there is no extra fluff once you have trimmed. You can cut the extra hair by brushing the remaining hair upward and trimming them off.

Repeat the same process on all four feet.

While trimming the hair on the stomach, follow the curve of the stomach. Make sure all the hair is flowing and you get the shape you desired.

There you have it – your Pekingese ready to show its swag.

Remember! The care and maintenance of the coat of a Pekingese set the foundation of keeping your pup with healthy skin and coat.

Because when the coat is dirty the hair shaft of your Pekingese puppy becomes dirty and triggers massive shedding.

Even worse? It can also lead to coat damage and cobweb matting. The intense form of matting can lead to multiple skin issues if left unattended.

Famous Pekingese Grooming Styles to Amp up Your Pet’s Look

Whether you decide to be your Pekingese hairstylist or opt to visit a professional groomer there’s a variety of haircuts that you can opt for. The generous coat of your Pekingese allows you to play with your dog’s hair.

Wondering what different hairstyling options you have to implement on your Peke pup?

Here are some of the options:

• Pekingese Basic Trim
• Pekingese Lion Cut
• Pekingese Puppy Cut / Pekingese Teddy Bear Cut / Pekingese Summer Cut

Let’s explain these haircuts one by one.

Pekingese Basic Trim

We have talked about this earlier. The Pekingese basic trim is a way to define your Peke’s bodyline – nothing fancy! It’s the easiest and does the trick of keeping your Pekingese in a refined shape. This hair trim is ideal for DIY’ers. You don’t really need so much practice and skill to do a basic trim.

Just follow the bodyline of your dog, trim the excess hair, and you are good to go!

Pekingese Lion Cut

As the name suggests, the Pekingese Lion cut resembles a lion’s hair shape.

The lion cut is a short hairstyle for Pekes that do not have to enter dog shows. In this type of cut, a Peke’s coat is trimmed off from the shoulders, across the back, from sides, and about halfway up the tail (almost one-quarter inch in length). This trim recreates a lion-like look on a Peke.

Pekingese shaved like a lion have hair on the top of the head, ear, and around the neck. These hairs are kept longer.

The mane and the body fur are neatened to resemble a lion using scissors.  The rest of the trimming can be carried out using an electric body clipper.

Pekingese Puppy Cut OR Teddy Bear Cut

The Pekingese puppy cut is a cut that features an all-over hair length throughout the body. Some other famous names for puppy cut are teddy bear cut, summer cut, or kennel cut.

The puppy cut is commonly known and popular because it works perfectly on a variety of pets. Speaking about dogs only, we can say that it works wonders on any breed that has a longer coat. The reasons why Pekingese puppy cut is popular amongst Peke owners are many.

For example, it’s cute, easy-to-care-for, and easy to remember style for Peke owners.

Pekingese teddy bear cut is an all-around trim that is easy to achieve with just a pair of scissors or a clipper fitted with a long guard comb over the board. But, scissoring the fluffy hair to acquire this cut is a heck of a lot of work. Plus, you also require practice and skill to make your Peke look like a teddy bear. The common hair length in a puppy cut is 1 to 2 inches over the body including legs, tails, heads, and ears.

The puppy cut gives your pet a youthful, cutesy, and puppyish look.

Are You Supposed to Shave Pekingese Dogs?

Well, Pekingese is a breed whose beauty lies in their fluffy coats.

Agree? Then, what’s the point in shaving them?

In fact, you should trim your Peke to a certain extent. Clipping their hair too short would ruin the coat which ultimately, will affect their beauty. Keeping your puppy cool, comfortable, healthy, or whatever your concern is (that urges you to shave your Pekingese), you should know that you are not supposed to shave your Pekingese. For any reason.

You can succeed with the above-mentioned goals by getting a light trim and keeping your pet’s coat natural.

Shaving your Pekingese isn’t a solution.

Repeatedly shaved Pekingese often don’t get their incredibly thick coat back. Moreover, the fluff over a Peke’s body acts as insulation to keep your dog warm in the colder weather.

In short: You shouldn’t think about shaving your Pekingese no matter what.

FAQs:

Q1. How often should a Pekingese be groomed?

Ans. Brushing your Pekingese hair for at least one hour every week will suffice your pet’s hair grooming needs. This way, you can remove the loosened or dead hair and prevent matting. Plus, one-hour brushing will also help your pet’s coat remain shiny and sleek.

Q2. How do you take care of Pekingese hair?

Ans. You can take care of Pekingese hair by brushing them daily and with occasional bathing. This will keep the bad odors at bay and also help your noble doggie look glorious. While brushing makes sure you don’t leave any matting unattended in the undercoat of your Peke.

Q3. Are Pekingese high maintenance?

Ans. Yes, Pekingese is a high-maintenance dog breed because they have an extraordinarily fluffy coat that sheds a lot.

Q4. What is the difference between a puppy cut and a teddy bear cut?

Ans. A puppy cut and a teddy bear cut are almost the same. These are two different names for the same haircut that is mostly done on the long hair dog breeds.

Q5. Do Pekingese require a lot of grooming?

Ans. Yes, they do! Frequent baths and brushing their fur off are necessary to keep the skin and coat of your Pekingese in a presentable condition. The rest they need is basic care.

About the Pekingese Breed

The Pekingese was depicted in Chinese art as far back as the 8th century during the Tang dynasty. He’s named after the old city of Peking, which is now named Beijing. He was sacred in ancient China and only royalty could own such a companion dog. Death was the punishment for stealing a Pekingese. He was brought to Europe during war time. When the Chinese Imperial Palace was taken by the British in 1860, the British took home a few of these dogs.

He’s a small companion dog with a lighter hindquarters and heavier front quarters. He’s not dainty or delicate. He’s depicted as being like a lion, dignified, courageous and high self-esteem. His coat can be any colour. He’s highly intelligent and affectionate. He’s a good pet and can live in any environment. However, he can be stubborn and hard to housetrain. He likes to walk but doesn’t need a yard. His long undercoat needs at least one hour of brushing each week. He’s 6 – 9 inches in height.

Final Thoughts on Pekingese Coat Grooming

The Pekingese breed are great personality dogs that love to be the center of attention of their owner.

Grooming your puppy at the right intervals doesn’t only keep your pup healthy and beautiful but also strengthens the bond between you and your cute Pekingese.

Affectionately small in size, squishy faced and fluffy! Why would they not be a cute addition to any family? The hard work of grooming them often shouldn’t get in the way of you enjoying the warmth of a Pekingese love. Tidy up your Peke, look at their mushy face, and you’ll feel that all the hard work of up-keeping the dog was worth it.

Happy Grooming!

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References and Further Reading:
American Kennel Club Pekingese Information