The peekapoo is an outstanding companion doodle that is undyingly loyal and forms tight bonds to its family. 💗 They are super soft and very affectionate. They make a great family doodle that is very good with children. The peekapoo also makes a great watchdog that can let you know when you have any visitors arriving at your home. 🥷

According to Chinese 🇨🇳 legend the Pekingese was created by the Buddha by shrinking down a lion to the size of a dog. The Pekingese is one of several breeds created by the rulers of ancient China. For many centuries Chinese royals were fixated on breeding flat-faced dog breeds. There are a few surviving examples: the Pekingese, Pug and the Shih Tzu. Stealing any of these precious dog breeds from the palace was a crime punishable by death. ⚰️ When China would go to war with other countries and had fears of being overrun they would kill their own precious dog breeds rather than have them fall into the hands of the invading enemy. Around 1890 is when the Pekingese made its way to America. 🇺🇲 It was first recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1906. A few short years later the Pekingese was one of only 3 dogs to survive the sinking of the Titanic. 🚢

Let’s take a quick look at the other half of the peekapoo hybrid.

The Poodle is called Pudel in Germany 🇩🇪 and Caniche in France 🇫🇷 . Both of these names are a nod to the Poodles original breeding use as a water retriever. The German Pudel name translates to puddle or splashing water . The French Caniche name translates to duck dog. 🦆

The Standard Poodles were originally bred as hunters of wildfowl to retrieve the game out of the water. The Miniature Poodle was also bred in France as a talented circus performer 🎪 . These Miniature Poodles were trained to walk tightropes and even perform card tricks and skits. 

Both the Pekingese and the Poodle have long histories as companion dogs. 

Sizing it all up

The peekapoo is a smaller doodle that is a combination of a Pekingese and a toy Poodle or a miniature Poodle. They can weigh between 4 to 20 pounds and are up to 11 inches tall. Any peekapoo that is under 8 pounds is considered a miniature peekapoo. 😀

Color Coding, Fur Real

The coat of the peekaboo may be curly or straight or somewhere in between depending on the genes inherited from its parent breeds. 🐩 But they will definitely be very soft and usually have wavy hair that is medium to long. The peekaboo usually doesn’t shed or sheds very minimally. They will need to be brushed daily or every other day to prevent matting. They will also require a bath about once per month 🛁 and a hair trimming once every 4 to 6 weeks. Owners can either take them to a groomer or learn the grooming skills and do it themselves. Doodles need to have their ears checked and cleaned once per week to remove any dirt, doodle ears tend to collect debris and moisture which can lead to ear infections. 👂 The peekapoo also has wrinkles around the eyes, nose and ears that need to be cleaned weekly as well. The peekapoo can come in a variety of colors to include white, black, different shades of grays and browns or some combination of these colors. 

A quick note on hypoallergenic and what that actually means. 

 The AKC states that “there is no such thing as a completely hypoallergenic dog”. Unfortunately people with dog allergies are usually allergic to the dog dander 🦠, not the dog’s fur. Granted the dog fur can be a carrier for the dog dander it is not the cause of the allergen. The old school of thought was that less dog hair = less allergen. So breeders would attempt to have as many Poodle genes in a dog breed to lessen dog hair shed. Unfortunately, this does not change the level of dander. Please be cautious regarding the labels of “hypoallergenic” if you have dog allergies. If you would like more info on this please read 22 Hypoallergenic Doodles. 🤧

Working it out

The peekapoo is a fairly active doodle that is outgoing and requires about 30 minutes of daily exercise to stay happy and healthy. The peekapoo is an adventurous doodle that loves many different activities including playing fetch or chase. 🎾 The peekapoo still has hunting and retrieving instincts from its poodle parent. They would love to get involved in any activity that you would like to do with them. They tend to get a little destructive if their daily activity level isn’t met. 🥏

One word of warning with this doodle is that they are one of the brachycephalic doodles. All this means is that they are “smush-faced breeds”. Having this trait can lead to overheating or having respiratory issues leading to troubles with breathing. 🥵 These breathing issues can be made worse on hot days when the peekapoo can have a tendency to get heat exhaustion. They just need owners that are aware and keep an eye on them, making them take a break in the shade and drink some water on a hot day at the dog park. 🚰

⚠️ One word of warning, it is not recommended to have your doodle participate in highly strenuous activities prior to the age of 10 months due to underdeveloped joints and bones. ⚠️

Come, Sit, Stay

The peekapoo is a very intelligent doodle but they can be challenging to train. They can be stubborn and training needs to start early, prior to the habit of stubbornness setting in. Peekapoos respond well to positive training methods that are started at a young age. With early positive training the peekapoo can be a well behaved adult doodle. 👏

Some of the potential habits that a peekapoo might need additional training help with is being left alone. The peekapoo can develop separation anxiety if they are away from their owners for a long period of time which can lead to destructive habits. They can also have a tendency to bark quite a bit and may need to be trained when barking is appropriate and when it is not. 🤫

As with all doodles, the peekapoo needs early socialization and puppy classes in order to develop healthy habits for life. 👍

Quality of Life

The peekapoo is a fairly healthy doodle that doesn’t have too many health concerns. They can still be susceptible to the medical issues that their parent breeds are prone to. 🩺 Those medical issues include hip dysplasia, legg-calve-perthes disease, progressive retinal atrophy and patellar luxation to name a few. The good news is that your veterinarian can test for many of these to see if your doodle could have these medical issues. 🧪

So now you want a Peekapoo….

If you are thinking about getting a peekapoo you must make sure that you are in love with any combination of traits that a doodle surprise can offer. 🎁 Your doodle may look exactly like a Pekingese but act exactly like a Poodle. Would you be ok with that? What about the other way around? If you can love 💗 ALL of the traits of both parent breeds then DO IT! Doodles are the best! 

I would check at Poodle rescues and also at Pekingese specific rescues, they may have a mixed breed/hybrid there as well. Also check regular rescues. Just realize that if you want to rescue you may have to wait to find your dog or travel to pick it up. But there are great benefits to rescuing instead of buying. 👍👏

If you decide to buy a puppy please do your research on the breeder and don’t be afraid to ask the right questions. And good luck to you! I hope you find your forever puppy! 🥰