Pekingese Grooming - Brushing

Brush Your Peke Once a Week

The goal of brushing Pekes is to separate and straighten the hairs, and to brush out loose debris. It is not to forcibly shed them! Unless winter is approaching and your dog is beginning to shed naturally, getting an awful lot of fur on your brush might mean you're brushing too hard. Normally, there should only be a very small amount of fur coming off the dog when brushing.

Peke's shouldn't be dry brushed. A wet or moist coat will take the brush without damaging much better than a dry coat. Whenever brushing, you want to lubricate the coat by sprinkling or spraying some water on it. A grooming powder will also help to get the bristles through the coat with the least amount of resistance. Simple baby powder or corn starch will do; dust it lightly on the dog's fur as you brush through it, and then allow the dog outside to shake it off when you're finished grooming him.

Brushing is done in small sections. Generally, you want to pull a handful of fur away and against the grain, and gently brush small layers of it back towards the direction of the grain. This will ensure you get all the hair underneath the surface and all the way down to the skin level. Do not be too rigorous! Slight tangles should easily straighten by the brushing alone. Severe tangling and mats can come out with a rake; these mats are usually found where the fur is soft, predominantly around the ears.

Because they are very frizzy, the skirt and tail are the most difficult areas to straighten out. The same principle applies, but you must work slower so as not to hurt the dog, and in smaller sections since the hairs will be more resistant to the bristles. You may also need to use a little more water and powder. If you don't mind trimming these areas, it can make this task much easier.

For a comprehensive step by step guide, see Grooming Your Dog at Home.

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