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
lionlike. 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. Disqualification: weight over 14
pounds. 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 topskull is massive, broad and flat (not
dome-shaped). The topskull, 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 of 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 as a weak one.Ears
They are heart-shaped and set on the front corners of the skull
extending the line of the topskull. 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, Tail
Neck It is very short, thick and set back into the shoulder. Body
This is 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 topline is level. Tail The base is set
high; the remainder is carried well over the center of the back.
Long, profuse straight feathering may fall to either side.
Forequarters
They are short, thick and heavy-boned. The bones of the forelegs are
slightly bowed between the pastern and 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.
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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-bodied, 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 of 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
DUDLEY, LIVER OR GRAY NOSE.
LIGHT BROWN, YELLOW OR BLUE EYES.
PROTRUDING TONGUE OR TEETH.
OVERSHOT UPPER JAW.
WRY MOUTH.
EARS SET MUCH TOO HIGH, LOW OR FAR BACK.
ROACH OR SWAYBACK.
STRAIGHT-BONED FORELEGS.
POINTS:
Expression 5
Nose 5
Stop 5
Muzzle 5
Legs and Feet 15
Tail 5
Skull 10
Eyes 5
Ears 5
Shape of Body 20
Coat, Feather & Condition 10
Action. 10
Total 100
Disqualification
weight over 14 pounds.
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