Page 30 - ShowSight Presents The Pekingese
P. 30
JUDGING THE PEKINGESE
AN INSIGHT INTO THIS WONDERFUL ORIENTAL BREED
Ioften hear the laments of judges on how difficult the Pekingese is to comprehend, and quoting the late, great Mr. Nigel Aubrey Jones of St. Aubrey-Elson fame, “Peking-
ese are by no means an easy breed to understand.” Thus, I can appreciate that the intricate Pekingese can indeed be a difficult breed for most to master. Hopefully, after reading this article you will have a better understanding of this ancient Chinese breed, but this in no way negates the importance of either the (continuing) education materials avail- able through the Pekingese Club Amer- ica’s Judges’ Education program, or the many excellent mentors/breeders avail- able through this program.
Because the Pekingese is categorized as a brachycephalic achondrodysplastic (i.e. dwarf ) breed, its desired attributes are a far cry from what is considered the norm in dogdom. Known as the Lion Dog of Imperial China, with DNA con- firming it to have existed in China some 2,000 years ago, Pekingese were the com- panions of the nobles and royalty of the Imperial family only. Commoners were known to kowtow to them, so it should be no surprise that Pekingese should present themselves as bold, dignified and full of cocky self-importance.
The typical Pekingese is a well-balanced and compact dog (not meaning square), with a much heavier front and a slighter hindquarters. Its head (the crowning glory of the breed) should be massive, shallow, rectangular, and framed by luscious thick ear fringes. The body is pear-shaped, deep, thick, short-loined, and waisted. A key breed characteristic is that a well-made Peke should be ‘surprisingly heavy for its size, when lifted.’ Density is key.
Every examination should include a brief evaluation of both the dog’s heavi- ness for his size, and his heavier front as compared to his rear. Judges should gently, but firmly, lift the Pekingese just an inch or so off the table to confirm these desired characteristics. A Pekingese should not be dainty, or delicate, as body, substance and bone are much sought after by breeders. This desired substance must be housed in a compact package because Pekingese can- not be over its 14lb. weight limit – the only disqualification in the breed standard.
HEAD – The Crowning Glory
The old standard allocated 40 points to head properties alone, and most will agree the Pekingese headpiece is one of the hallmarks of the breed. The head should be large with a broad, flat and massive topskull (domey and round topskulls are incorrect), it should be rectangular-shaped (not square and deep with a high forehead), and open. The ears should sit neatly on the front corners of the topskull, and together with their thick fringing, should serve to frame the face, and accentuate the rectan- gular shape. Ears set too high, too far back, and/or too low can spoil the illusion of the “wider than tall” shape of the head. The eyes, that must be wide-set apart, and show no white when the Pekingese is looking straight ahead, should be large, dark, round and lustrous. The nose must be black and short, with open nostrils. The nose should be positioned between the eyes, where a horizontal line extended across the top of the nose should intersect slightly above the center of the eyes. A low-placed nose can give the impression of a ‘down face.’ The facial features should be well-spaced and pleasing - never crowded nor obscured by the over-nose wrinkle. The wrinkle should serve merely to enhance the different facial
By Diane Burvee Breeder/Judge and Pekingese Club of America’s Judges’ Education Chair
Essence of Pekingese: Low-to-ground with large head, substantial deep compact body, broad front, high-set tail, and harsh standoffish coat.
features, rather than to obscure or crowd them. A thick wrinkle, sometimes termed a ‘sausage roll,’ as well as a wrinkle that covers any portion of the nose is highly undesirable. A Pekingese whose muzzle is not well-cushioned, but which falls away under the eyes, and lacks width of cheeks spells plain commoner, and not royalty. The underjaw should be wide, and under- shot. It should show no teeth nor tongue when the mouth is closed. A firm chin, with clean level lipline, is desired. Breeders consider a wry mouth a very objectionable fault. This glorious headpiece should be set on its body by means of a very short and thick neck. Possessing a neck “like a swan” is NOT a thing of beauty in a Pekingese.
BODY – The Imperial Palace
Like the Imperial Palace where Empress Dowager reigned, the Pekingese front and body is the headquarters of its structure. A pear-shaped, thick, compact and heavy body should be slung between the short and thick front legs. Remember that the Pekingese is a low set dog with its body slung between its legs, and not sitting above the legs. The forelegs should be bowed, the shoulders must be well laid back, the elbows tight/close to the body, and front feet turning out both when standing and
