Two very different small dogs, one puppy
The Peekachon is a cross between a Pekingese and a Bichon Frise, and the two sides of that pairing came from about as far apart as dog breeding gets.
The Pekingese spent centuries as a companion inside the Chinese imperial court, bred small, bred short-faced, and bred to be carried. What that produced is a dog with a great deal of self-possession. A Pekingese does not audition for your approval. It decides about you, and if the verdict is favourable it becomes devoted in a quiet, slightly imperious way. The rolling, unhurried walk and the mane over the shoulders are both leftovers from a dog that was once carried in a sleeve.
The Bichon Frise came up through the Mediterranean from water-dog stock, worked the ports and then the circuses and the salons, and arrived in the modern era as a small white dog with a curled, continuously growing coat and a sunny, sociable disposition. Bichons want to be liked and they want company, and both of those show. The circus years left something too: this is a small dog with a real sense of theatre and an eye for an audience.
Put them together and you get a small, thickly coated dog somewhere on the line between those two personalities — poised one minute and bouncing the next. Where exactly it lands is the interesting part.
What a first-generation cross actually inherits
It is worth being clear about this, because crossbred puppies are often sold on a promise of the best of both. Genetics does not work that way. In a first-generation cross, each puppy draws its own hand — muzzle length, coat texture, ear set, body proportion and temperament all sort independently.
In one litter you can meet a puppy with a Bichon’s longer muzzle and cottony curl, and a littermate with the Pekingese’s shorter face, heavier bone and straighter, longer coat. Both are Peekachons. They will need somewhat different grooming, and they will not be quite the same dog to live with.
The practical takeaway is that you judge the puppy in front of you rather than the label. Look at the face, feel the coat between your fingers, see how it moves across a room, and see whether it comes to you or waits for you to come to it. Our staff can point out what to look at, and it is one of several reasons the store visit is worth making.
Colour, coat texture and size
Most Peekachons finish somewhere between eight and eighteen pounds and stand around nine to twelve inches at the shoulder — a dog you can pick up easily and a dog with enough substance to be sturdy about the business of being a dog.
Colour comes mostly from the Pekingese side, and the range there is wide. Cream, gold, fawn, red and sable are all common, and so is black, sometimes with tan points. A sable puppy often has darker tipping through the coat and a darker mask around the face that softens as it grows. The Bichon brings white, and white shows up constantly in the cross: a full white coat, a white blaze, a white chest and collar, or white feet on an otherwise gold dog. Parti-coloured puppies — white with patches of gold, red or black — are among the most striking of the litter.
Coat texture is the other half of the picture. A Bichon-leaning coat is soft, dense and curled, and stands away from the body when it is brushed out. A Pekingese-leaning coat is longer and straighter, with feathering on the ears, the back of the legs and the tail, and a fuller ruff over the shoulders. Plenty of puppies land between the two with a wavy, cottony coat that takes a trim beautifully. Whichever way it falls, expect the tail to be carried up over the back and the ears to be well furnished.
Living with one day to day
Peekachons are small, moderate-energy dogs that suit apartments, houses, and people who are not looking for a running partner. A couple of short walks and some play indoors covers the physical side for most of them, and they are just as happy with a slow, sniffing amble as with anything brisker.
Both parent breeds are companion breeds, and it shows: a Peekachon wants to be where you are. Yours will follow you room to room, settle on the sofa beside you rather than in a bed across the way, and take a genuine interest in what you are doing in the kitchen. Households with someone around for a good part of the day, or with a midday visit or a day care place built into the week, get the best out of this cross.
Expect a watchful streak. Small companion dogs are usually the first to know a delivery has arrived, and the Pekingese side gives this cross a real opinion about who is at the gate. A short alert, a look from you, and on with the day is the pattern most owners settle into.
With children they are generally affectionate, and the arrangement that works best is the simplest one: teach children to sit on the floor and let the dog come to them. A Peekachon will take that offer, climb into a lap, and stay there for the length of a film.
The coat, and the routine that keeps it easy
Both parents carry a full, showy coat, so grooming is part of owning this dog. Once it is a habit it is quick, and most owners come to like the ten minutes.
Plan on brushing most days, right down to the skin rather than over the surface. A slicker brush plus a metal comb is the honest toolkit; the comb is how you find what the brush skated over. Behind the ears, in the armpits, on the britches and under the collar are where the coat rubs, so start there and the rest goes fast. Do it in the same spot each evening and the dog will begin turning up for it.
On top of that, budget for a professional groom roughly every six to eight weeks. A shorter all-over trim, the sort of thing groomers call a puppy cut, is a perfectly good decision and makes the daily upkeep quicker still — many owners run a short trim through the summer and let the coat grow out again in the cooler months.
Two small jobs finish the routine. Wipe the face and any folds clean and dry after meals and after a long drink, which takes about ten seconds. And brush the teeth several times a week from the first month you have the puppy, because a small dog that learns early to enjoy having its mouth handled will let you do it happily for the next fifteen years.
Training a small dog with opinions
Peekachons are bright and food-motivated, and they respond well to short, upbeat sessions. The Pekingese side likes to be asked rather than told, so keep it varied, make it worth the dog’s while, and stop while it is still keen. Three minutes before dinner, twice a day, will teach a Peekachon more than a long session on a Sunday.
Two things are worth prioritising. Housetraining goes far better with a strict schedule, a crate the dog genuinely likes, and a trip outside after every nap, meal and game — small dogs do beautifully with this once the routine is regular. And handling practice: a dog that will be brushed and combed for its whole life should learn early that hands on its feet, ears and face are normal and pleasant, and a puppy will learn that in a fortnight of thirty-second sessions.
Beyond that, this is a cross with a real appetite for tricks. Spin, paw, roll over, weave through your legs, find the treat under one of three cups — the Bichon side in particular loves an audience, and a Peekachon that has an act will perform it for anyone who visits. Ten minutes of that in an evening tires a small dog out more thoroughly than a walk does.
Coming to meet the puppies
Because this is a cross, no two Peekachon puppies are quite alike, and that is a genuine argument for meeting them in person. Coat texture, face shape and personality are all things you register in about a minute standing next to a puppy and never quite get from a photograph.
Our puppies come from our network of licensed breeders, and our team is happy to talk you through the grooming routine before you decide anything. We have a store in Orlando and one in Nashville, and you are welcome to sit with a puppy for as long as you like. Find directions and hours, and ask about financing while you are here. Every puppy here goes home with its vet records, its vaccination history and a health warranty, and our team will walk you through what those cover.