Empress
7 years old · Kennebunk
Kept in full coat by owners who brush her nightly, and she supervises every scissor cut personally.
Breed Grooming Guide 5.0 · Southern Maine
Pekingese Dog Grooming.
A Pekingese carries an enormous double coat on a very small, flat-faced, heat-sensitive dog. That combination makes grooming as much about safe handling as it is about the coat: careful fold cleaning, generous breaks, and no long stretches of hot dryer air. K-Pup grooms Pekingese mobile — a quiet trailer, one dog, and an appointment that moves at your dog's pace.
Coat, Face & Trim Style
A lion's mane on a very small dog.
Pekingese carry a long, coarse outer coat over a thick undercoat, with heavy feathering on the ears, legs and tail. For background, see the AKC Pekingese breed page.
The Full Coat
Kept long, the mane and skirt need thorough brushing several times a week at home. It's beautiful and it's a real commitment — most mats we find in a full coat are behind the ears, in the armpits and under the skirt.
The Puppy Cut
An even shorter trim over the body with the head and ear feathering left fuller. Hugely popular with owners who want the Peke look without daily brushing, and much easier on the dog in summer.
Facial Folds & Flat Face
The nose wrinkle traps moisture, food and tear fluid. It gets cleaned and dried fully at every visit, and the hair around the eyes is trimmed so it isn't rubbing the cornea.
Heat & Breathing Sensitivity
Brachycephalic dogs overheat and tire easily. We use cool air, shorter working stretches and frequent rests, and we never leave a Peke in a warm kennel dryer.
Built For A Palace Dog
Slow hands, cool air, clean folds.
Line brushing prevents pelting
The dense undercoat felts against the skin under a long outer coat. Brushing in sections down to the skin — especially behind the ears and under the front legs — is the only way to stay ahead of it.
Fold and eye care every visit
Wrinkle cleaned and dried, tear staining gently lifted, and the hair below the eye trimmed short so it can't wick moisture or scratch.
Rear-end hygiene matters
A long skirt over a low-slung dog means the sanitary trim isn't optional. Keeping that area short is the difference between a clean dog and a daily mess.
Dignified, opinionated, worth the patience
Pekingese are famously self-possessed. Pushing one rarely works; giving them a moment and asking again almost always does.
The Pekingese Club of America offers breed history, health and grooming guidance for owners.
Services
Pekingese grooming services.
01
Full Coat Groom
Complete line brush, bath, cool full dry, mane and skirt shaping, fold cleaning, ears and nails.
02
Pekingese Puppy Cut
An even short body trim with the head and ear feathering left full — easier to maintain and far cooler in summer.
03
Face, Sanitary & Nails
A between-visits tidy: wrinkle cleaning, eye-area trim, sanitary trim, ear clean and nails.
Our Process
How we groom a Pekingese.
Every pekingese appointment follows the same order, start to finish, in the trailer in your driveway. Typical appointment time: about 1 hr 45 min, one dog at a time.
Settle in and check for mats
A calm start and a full check of the mane, armpits and skirt to plan the groom around what we find.
Line brush before water
Brushing in sections down to the skin so the bath doesn't tighten any existing tangles.
Gentle bath with breaks
A mild shampoo, careful face washing around the flat muzzle, and pauses so a brachycephalic dog can breathe easy.
Cool, complete dry
Low-heat drying with continuous brushing so the coat dries straight and the dog never overheats.
Trim: full coat shaping or puppy cut
Either shaping the mane and skirt or an even short body trim with the head and ears left full, as you prefer.
Folds, eyes, sanitary and nails
Wrinkle cleaned and dried, hair below the eyes trimmed, sanitary area shortened, ears cleaned and nails done.
This is the full step-by-step process K-Pup Dog Grooming uses for Pekingese in southern Maine.
Client Spotlight
Our favorite Pekingese.
A few of the Pekingese we look forward to seeing on the schedule — regulars from around southern Maine who hop up on the table like they own the trailer.
Chip
3 years old · Old Orchard Beach
A puppy-cut regular whose summer trim keeps him cool and his beach walks tangle-free.
Poppy
12 years old · Ogunquit
A senior who gets extra breaks, cool air only, and a very careful face and fold cleaning every visit.
Fun Facts
The best things about Pekingese.
We groom a lot of Pekingese, and every one of them reminds us why the breed has such a loyal following. Here's what we love about the pekingese.
Bred for the Chinese imperial court
For centuries only Chinese royalty could own a Pekingese, and stealing one was punishable by death.
The lion dog legend
Folklore holds that the Pekingese descends from a lion who shrank himself for love of a marmoset — hence the mane.
A Titanic survivor
One of only three dogs to survive the sinking of the Titanic was a Pekingese named Sun Yat-Sen.
The rolling gait is correct
That distinctive unhurried roll comes from a heavier front end than rear, and it's written into the breed standard.
Heat is the real risk
A flat face plus a heavy double coat means Pekingese overheat easily, which is why cool-air drying and frequent breaks matter.
Related Breeds
Similar coats we groom.
Pekingese share brushing, drying, and trimming needs with these breeds — each guide covers coat care, timing, and pricing for mobile grooming in southern Maine.
Akita Dog Grooming
Breed-tailored bath & trim
American Eskimo Dog Dog Grooming
Breed-tailored bath & trim
Australian Cattle Dog Dog Grooming
Breed-tailored bath & trim
Beagle Dog Grooming
Breed-tailored bath & trim
Belgian Malinois Dog Grooming
Breed-tailored bath & trim
Bernese Mountain Dog Dog Grooming
Breed-tailored bath & trim
Where We Groom Pekingeses
Pekingese grooming across southern Maine.
Looking for a Pekingese groomer near you? The K-Pup trailer runs southern Maine every week — pick your town and book a driveway appointment. See all our locations →
Kennebunkport Pekingese GroomingKennebunk Pekingese GroomingCape Porpoise Pekingese GroomingGoose Rocks Beach Pekingese GroomingArundel Pekingese GroomingBiddeford Pekingese GroomingSaco Pekingese GroomingWells Pekingese GroomingOgunquit Pekingese GroomingYork Pekingese GroomingOld Orchard Beach Pekingese GroomingScarborough Pekingese Grooming
Pekingese Grooming FAQ
Questions Pekingese owners ask us.
How often should a Pekingese be groomed?
Every 4 to 6 weeks professionally, with home brushing several times a week if the coat is kept long.
Is a puppy cut bad for a Pekingese?
No. A puppy cut is a practical, comfortable choice for most pet Pekes, especially in summer or when home brushing isn't realistic. The coat regrows normally.
How do you clean a Pekingese's face wrinkle?
Gently, with a soft damp cloth or a vet-approved wipe, then dried completely. Moisture left in the fold is what causes irritation and odor.
Are Pekingese hard to groom?
They're demanding rather than difficult — a heavy coat, a flat face and a strong opinion. A slow, one-dog appointment suits them far better than a busy salon.
Why does grooming take longer for flat-faced breeds?
Because breathing and heat tolerance limit how long the dog can work at a stretch. We build in breaks and use cool air, which is safer and adds time.