Pekachis and Peke-A-Chons are Pekingese crosses, and both are marketplace names: no registry recognises either and neither has a written standard. The Pekingese parent brings more coat than any small breed we carry, a broad flat skull and a long low frame. All three of those matter in a Georgia summer.
What the Pekingese parent brings
The Pekingese standard allows any weight “within the limit of 14 pounds”, so the breed spans a wide range before you cross it with anything. It describes “a heavy front and lighter hindquarters” and a broad, flat skull, and asks for “regal dignity, intelligence and self-importance”. That is a breed on paper: individual dogs vary, and how a puppy is raised matters more.
The coat is the largest grooming commitment we carry. The standard calls for a “long, coarse-textured, straight, stand-off” outer coat over a “thick, soft undercoat”. That undercoat is why you refuse a shave-down in July. Veterinary guidance from Dr. Jerry Klein is that shaving a double coat “eliminates that insulating layer of fur”, and that afterwards the undercoat “will grow back faster, and sometimes will crowd out the slower-growing guard hairs”. Brushing to the skin several times a week, plus a groomer on a cycle, is the real answer.
The two crosses
Pekachi (Pekingese and Chihuahua)
The Chihuahua standard caps weight at “not to exceed 6 pounds”, against the Pekingese limit of 14, so the bracket runs from a very small dog to a middling one, and nothing narrows it further. Chihuahuas come in a smooth or a long coat, and the standard prefers the long coat “with undercoat”, so a Pekachi may carry undercoat from both sides. The Chihuahua standard describes an alert dog with terrier-like self-importance, a fair match for the Pekingese description. The short muzzle may or may not come through, and nor may the long low frame. See it beside our smallest dogs on our toy breeds page.
Peke-A-Chon (Pekingese and Bichon Frise)
The Bichon Frise standard gives height only, 9½ to 11½ inches preferred and never over 12 nor under 9, with no weight in it at all. The nearest sourced weight is veterinary: VCA puts adult Bichons at 10 to 16 pounds. So one parent is capped in writing at 14 pounds and the other has no written weight, which is why published figures vary so much. The Bichon coat is a soft undercoat under a coarser curling outer coat that springs back when patted, scissored to the dog’s natural outline. Cross that with a long stand-off Pekingese coat and the result needs work whichever way it falls. Our Peke-A-Chon size chart works through the arithmetic in full.
| Parent breed | Size in its standard |
|---|---|
| Pekingese | Any weight within the limit of 14 lb |
| Chihuahua | Not to exceed 6 lb |
| Bichon Frise | 9½ to 11½ in preferred; no weight at all (VCA: 10 to 16 lb) |
The flat face and a Georgia summer
VCA names the Pekingese among the brachycephalic, or short-muzzled, breeds, along with French Bulldogs, Shih Tzus and Boston Terriers. Narrowed nostrils and an elongated soft palate can restrict airflow, and the signs “are often worse in hot or humid weather”. Dogs cool themselves mainly by panting, which is harder work through a restricted airway, so affected dogs face greater heat stroke risk, sometimes at only moderately elevated temperature and humidity. A Lawrenceville August clears that bar easily.
In practice: air conditioning, shade and water, walks at either end of the day rather than the middle, and no long stretches in a parked car or hot yard. A crossbred puppy may inherit the short muzzle or may not, and nobody can tell from a photograph. We will not predict how a puppy will breathe. Only a veterinarian examining the dog can assess its airway.
A long back on short legs
VCA notes that breeds with long backs and short bowed legs show faster deterioration of the discs in the spine, with obesity and repeated jarring adding to the risk. It names the Pekingese and the Dachshund. Practically: keep the dog lean, discourage jumping on and off furniture, use steps or a ramp, support both ends when you lift, and take any sudden reluctance to move to a veterinarian the same day. Judge condition as VCA’s Body Condition Score system does: feel the ribs and look for a waist rather than trusting the scale.
For what is here now, see available puppies by breed.
Common questions
How big does a Pekachi get?
Somewhere between a Chihuahua capped at 6 pounds and a Pekingese capped at 14, which is as precise as the two standards allow. Any tighter figure you are quoted is somebody’s observation rather than a breed rule.
Can a Pekingese cross live comfortably in Georgia?
Many do, with air conditioning, shade, water and walks at the cooler ends of the day. But the Pekingese is on VCA’s brachycephalic list, heat and humidity make short-muzzled breathing worse, and no one can tell by looking whether a puppy inherited the muzzle. Ask your veterinarian to examine the dog.
How much grooming does a Peke-A-Chon need?
A lot. One parent carries a long stand-off coat over a thick soft undercoat, the other a curling coat scissored to the outline. Either way, plan on brushing to the skin several times a week and a standing groomer appointment. Do not let anyone shave it down in summer.
Come and meet a Pekingese mix
Every puppy here is health-checked by our on-staff veterinarian, raised in our family home nursery, and waiting to say hello.
1848 Old Norcross Rd, Lawrenceville, GA 30044
Mon–Sat 12:00–7:00 PM • Sun 2:00–6:00 PM
