Pekingese where regarded as manifestation of the legendary Foo Dog that drove away spirits. They were venerated as semi-divine by the Chinese. Commoners had to bow to them, and were punished by death if they stole a Pekingese. At the height of their favor (during the T’ang Dynasty from A.D. 700 to A.D. 1000) many of these Lion Dogs were literally treated as royalty, pampered by personal servants. Smaller Pekingese were called sleeve dogs because they could be carried in the large sleeves of their Chinese masters. When an emperor died, his Pekingese were sacrificed so that they could go with him to give protection in the afterlife. In 1860 the Pekingese reached the West. British and French troops overran the Imperial Summer Palace during the Second Opium War. Imperial Guards were ordered to kill the Pekingese to prevent them from falling into the hands of the "foreign devils," but five Pekingese survived and were taken to Queen Victoria, who named appropriately, "Looty." It is from these canine spoils of war that the modern Pekingese is descended.

Appearance
The Pekingese breed is over 2000 years old and has hardly changed in all that time. One exception is that modern breeders and dog-show judges seem to prefer the long-haired type over the more-traditional spaniel-type coat.

The Chinese bred the Pekingese to be companions to the Emperor of China and his ladies and eunuchs. The Pekingese have short legs that are bowed. It is said that this was done to discourage wandering. However, they can and will keep up with the big dogs when allowed. The bowed legs makes their walk, run, or trot quite striking. The juvenile appearance of the Pekingese has been attributed to the artificial, perhaps inadvertent, paedomorphosis of an "ancestral" form of the dog through breeding.

Character
The Pekingese is a very controlling dog breed and often does not understand who is the master of the house. The Pekingese can be difficult to housebreak. Very suspicious of strangers, this dog breed makes an excellent watchdog. The Pekingese is known to be stubborn. The Pekingese can easily die of heat prostration. The Pekingese must be kept cool in warm weather. The Pekingese can spend time outside in cool weather, but it should sleep inside. The Pekingese is an ideal apartment dog.
 

Temperament
The Pekingese can be jealous. Do not expect this dog to come when it is called. Pekingese are sometimes aggressive, especially to other dogs. It may take a long time for Pekingese to get used to any other dogs except puppies, mates, and siblings. However, Pekingese can be properly socialized with dogs and other types of pets and can become fast friends. It is easy to believe that Pekingese know that they are royalty and expect you to know it, too. The Pekingese personality has been compared to a cat, although this isn't quite right. Where a cat can be trained, a Pekingese needs to be convinced that the training is beneficial to him as well as to you. But, if the Pekingese loves you they will do anything for you, even fight to the death to protect you.

The Pekingese is generally a one-person dog. They decide who they like best, and it might surprise you. They more than tolerate the others in their person's life. Most healthy and well-trained Pekingese are fine with children who have been raised to be respectful. Many breeders will not place the breed in households with young or boisterous children as the Pekingese simply does not enjoy being mauled or expected to tear around in a manner that would be more befitting an agile Poodle or other smalls breeds. The Pekingese is a large dog in a small body. It expects to be respected and will not tolerate being treated otherwise.

Exercise/Training
The Pekingese enjoys a leisurely walk outdoors, but it is equally happy to romp inside. Playing and obedience are very good types of mental exercise. 15 minutes obedience and playing with your Pekingese will be more useful for the dogs exercise then an hour walk on the leash can provide.

Color
All breed standards allow all sorts of color combinations of the Pekingese. The most common is gold; this is the color of the majority of Pekingese exhibited. Although the breed once came in a variety of colors, the majority of Pekingese are gold, red or sable. Light gold, cream, black, white, sables, black and tan and occasionally 'blue' or slate grey have appeared in the breed. The latter often has poor pigment and light eyes. Albino Pekingese (white with pink eyes) should be bred catiously due to health problems that have been associated with albinoism.

Grooming
Keeping the Pekingese coat healthy and presentable requires brushing once a day. If you do this, they will need to see a groomer only once every 3 months. If a Pekingese becomes dirty, it is important to take it to a groomer as soon as possible, as it is difficult to remove dirt from its coat once it has dried, but this can be avoided if by brushing regularly, especially the belly, and between the front and hind legs. One important thing for new owners to remember is that Pekingese intended as a house pet may be kept in a puppy cut which is much more low maintenance than a show cut. It is also important to remove dirt from the eye pores daily, and from the creases on the face to prevent sores (hotspots).
A good nutrition and regular brushing keeps the proper coat shine and the skin healthy. Bathing doesn’t harm the coat of the Pekingese as long as you use a good quality shampoo that doesn't dry the skin and coat and is formulated for a canine coat. The ears of the Pekingese should be kept clean and regularly inspected as well.

Any breed described as "good with children", the dog must be accustomed to children. Any dog that is not well socialized with children will not behave predictably around them. As with all dogs, they should never be left alone with young children.