The first step to grooming, is to begin with a "Clean" peke, this can be accomplised by either "bathing" or "dry cleaning" your peke. If they are dirty, of course they should be bathed with a good "dog shampoo", never use "people shampoo" as it is not chemically balanced for dogs.
After thoroughly rinsing out all the shampoo, fill one sink with water and a little conditioner, mix, then set your Peke in this water, and work all through the coat. Drain sink and towel dry him, taking off excess water. Then using a blow dryer, set on warm, dry your peke thoroughly.
Or you may want to "dry clean " him. You can do this by standing him on a table and lightly spray all of his coat with a spray bottle of rain water, then sprinkle baby powder through out his coat. (if you have allergies to baby powder you may substitute with corn starch). With your fingers work powder through the coat, then set him outside to shake. Return him to the table and begin your grooming.
There are 3 factors that contribute to a good peke coat, one is "genetic", hopefully the parents of your dog passed on their genes that make up a good coat.
The second factor is "condition", you have all heard the old saying "you are what you eat" you must feed your dog the highest quality food to maintain a healthy coat. The quality of your coat begins with fresh air, sunshine, and adequate exercise.
The third factor is "climate and grooming", where you live and the weather, play a very important role in the condition of your dogs coat.
So the 3 main factors of a good coat can be summed up like this "you breed for it, you feed for it, and you take care of it!!"
When grooming your peke remember you are brushing to "separate" the hairs, not destroy them. Frequent brushing keeps the coat clean and the tangles out of the beautiful furnishings.
NEVER brush a dry coat. Each layer should be misted lightly with water. Dampening the coat increases the elasticity of the hair and prevents breakage.
1.Brush coat up from sides to emphasize appearance of wide, heavy front.
2. Comb hair from underneath ears forward toward face.
3. Brush hair on top-skull back, giving flat, square look and avoiding domeed look or roundness of skull. Comb ear fringes forward to give feathery effect.
4. With brush, part hair of tail in middle, letting feathering fall to either side of body to emphasize shortness of back.
5. Use comb freely on feathering, ear fringes, tail, etc.
6. Use brush on body and undercoat.
With your peke sitting on the table, facing you, begin with his face. The face and eyes need daily attention. The stop and wrinkle can be wiped dry with a cotton ball or tissue, or washed with a cotton ball moistened with plain water.
The large eyes tend to collect debris and must be cleaned with a damp cotton ball, wipe the corners of the eyes to remove any debris.
Next check the ears, they should be clean at all times. If they appear a little dirty, moisten a cotton ball with Oti-clense (or other ear cleanser product), and wipe out the ear. Dry with a clean dry cotton ball.
And don't forget to check their teeth, if tarter has built up, it will cause your peke to have bad breath. Once a week, wrap a piece of gauze around your finger, spread a little "dog tooth paste" on the gauze and rub your dogs teeth. This will clean his teeth and keep his breath fresh. If there is a large deposit of tarter on the teeth get your vet to scrape it away with a tooth scaler.
Next you will lay your peke down on his side to groom his feet. First check the toenails, and if they need clipping, snip off the tips of the nails, (making sure not to cut the quick.) Long nails can be painful and cause your Peke to limp. Scissor all the hair away from between the pads of his feet. The hair between the toes will tend to matt and this can also be painful. Check the toe fringe, and using your comb, gently comb it out.
If the hair on the belly of your male is dirty and smelly, use a damp wash cloth to wipe all the dirt away, sprinkle a little baby powder on the damp hair and brush till dry. You can also scissor the hair on your males in a V shape, from the end of the sheath up to his belly button. this helps to keep them cleaner and cuts down on the risk of sheath infection.
Now mist the coat lightly with water, and starting with your dog laying on his back, brush the bib under the chin, work from ear to ear brushing layer by layer, towards his face. Work down to the last rib this way, brushing the coat forward. Holding his leg up, brush the leg fringes in layers from elbow to ankle, brushing down towards the body. Mist each layer as you brush.
Brush the skirts straight out in layers starting under the tail and layer brushing to the hock.
Brush the short cheek hair towards the face. While the dog is lying on his side Brush the underside of the ear first, across the head or neck. The ear fringe is softer, silkier texture than the body coat and therefore mats easily. Ear fringe should be brushed every day.Treat those long ear fringes with TLC or you won't have any left.
Now with your peke laying on his belly, brush the coat from the back of the skull to the last rib, up and forward, layer by layer, working from one side to the other across the dog. Be sure to brush right down to the skin, not just the tips of the hair. From the last rib back , the hair should be brushed down with a slight part where the tail lays over the back.
Brush the underside of the tail first, then part the tail over the dogs back and brush in long sweeping, straight, strokes.
You will end up with a dog that looks and smells great.
