Peekapoo
Friendly, bright, sociable and eager. From United States (Pekingese x Poodle).
Designer Crosssmall breedUnited States (Pekingese x Poodle)Standards checked
Standards checked: this profile's facts are checked against the breed standards of the AKC, The Kennel Club and the FCI, as described on our methodology page.
Gallery
Real photos from licensed sources only, each credited to its creator.
Photos show different individual dogs from licensed libraries, not one dog growing up. Stage labels are approximate, the way a careful editor would judge them.
About the Peekapoo
The Peekapoo crosses the Pekingese with the Poodle, aiming for a family dog with the best of both. Expect a dog somewhere between its two parents in looks and temperament; good breeders will tell you honestly which way their puppies usually lean.
History
This cross is a modern creation of the designer dog era rather than an old breed. It is not recognized by the major kennel clubs, and there is no single standard: the parent breeds are the best guide to any puppy.
Personality
Friendly, bright, sociable and eager is the record's Peekapoo, one of the oldest of the designer crosses: a blend of the Pekingese's imperial devotion with the Poodle's brains, in a small, low shedding package. Expect a dog somewhere between its two parents in looks and temperament, and good breeders will tell you honestly which way their puppies usually lean. Peekapoos shadow their people, perform for attention and combine a lapdog's heart with a spark of courtly self possession. Puppies are tiny, charming comedians; adults stay playful, affectionate and convinced of their own importance, which at twelve pounds is mostly adorable.
Temperament and traits
Energy (4/5)
Trainability (4/5)
Grooming needs (5/5)
Shedding (1/5)
Barking (3/5)
Good with children: Good with children
With other dogs: Good with dogs
With strangers: Friendly with strangers
Apartment life: With enough exercise
Coat and care
Coat: A wavy or curly coat that usually sheds lightly, inherited from the Poodle side of the family.
Colors: The standard accepts a range of colors and patterns, and individual markings vary a lot.
Measure meals rather than free feeding; this breed does best on a routine of consistent meals, training in short sessions and daily exercise matched to its type. Brush several times a week right down to the skin and clip every six to eight weeks, or this coat mats fast. Coat care depends on which parent the coat takes after; most of these coats mat quickly and need brushing several times a week plus regular clipping.
Exercise and grooming
Exercise
Forty five minutes and up a day of walks, garden games and indoor play, delivered kindly: the Peekapoo inherits Poodle energy in a small frame with Pekingese limits, so the schedule is regular and moderate rather than athletic. Play and training games count fully, and the bright cross mind enjoys tricks and puzzles. Puppies play in bursts and need protection from furniture jumping, which matters doubly where a Pekingese back may come through. Heat deserves respect for any flat faced leanings. A Peekapoo with its programme paid is a cheerful, funny companion; the exercise bill is modest, and the company bill is total.
Grooming
Brush several times a week right down to the skin and clip every six to eight weeks, or this coat mats fast, exactly as the care guidance warns. The wavy to curly coat grows continuously and tangles behind ears, in armpits and along the collar line without comb through discipline. Keep any facial folds clean and dry and the eyes wiped on Pekingese leaning dogs. Start table manners in puppyhood, because grooming is a lifelong subscription. Add dental vigilance, since both parents have small, crowded mouths, plus nail trims and ear checks under the hair. Professional grooms are the norm, so budget for them as a fixed cost of the cross.
Training and daily life
Training
Peekapoos are quick, eager pupils from two intelligent breeds, and reward based training in tiny, frequent sessions produces charming results. The priorities are housetraining with routine, a quiet cue for the watchdog commentary, recall, polite greetings, a settle, and cooperative care for the grooming table and toothbrush. Socialise gently and widely. Harsh corrections are absurd with a dog this size and sensitivity; clarity, warmth and food rewards build the polished result. Many Peekapoos love trick training, which employs the Poodle brain and flatters the Pekingese performer's soul at once.
Living with a Peekapoo
The Peekapoo suits gentle, attentive households that want a small, cheerful companion with imperial charm and Poodle cleverness. Friendly, bright and sociable in the record's words, good with children who handle small dogs carefully, good with other dogs and friendly with visitors, it rates flats as workable in the record with the programme delivered. The honest cautions are fragility, back and heat care where the Pekingese shows, grooming bills and alone time, because both parents bond completely. Expect a dog somewhere between its parents, usually landing on adorable with opinions. Buyers choose breeders by certificates and parent temperaments, because in a cross those are the quality system.
What a Peekapoo costs
Food cost
About $11 per month for a typical 12 lb adult eating roughly 1.1 cups a day of a standard quality food ($1.60 per lb). Full breakdown in our food expense calculator.
Activity and exercise
Plan 45 to 90 minutes a day of walks, play and training. Under exercised dogs of most breeds invent their own projects, and they rarely pick good ones.
Insurance cost
Typical US range $28 to $52 per month for accident and illness cover. Estimate only, based on market ranges for this breed's risk profile; see the insurance estimator and the insurance guide.
On the monthly figures above, a typical adult year runs to about $135 for food and $336 to $624 for insurance, before routine vet care, grooming and gear. Year one costs more: vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, a crate, bedding and training all land at once.
Growth: puppy to senior
How weight typically builds with age for a small breed, and when full size arrives.
| Stage | Age | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | 8 weeks | about 1 to 3 lb |
| Puppy | 4 months | about 2 to 8 lb |
| Young | 6 months | about 2 to 12 lb |
| Young | 9 months | about 3 to 16 lb |
| Adult | 12 months | about 4 to 18 lb |
| Adult | Full grown | 4.0 to 20 lb (standard range) |
| Senior | From about 10 years | Healthy weight stays in the adult range; watch for slow gain or loss |
Growth pattern follows the size class growth curves published by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, applied to the adult weight range in the breed standard. Individual puppies vary; steady growth matters more than hitting any single number, and your vet's growth checks come first.
Life stages
Puppies are tiny and fragile: supervise everything, teach ramps instead of jumping, start grooming and tooth habits at once and housetrain with a patient routine. Adolescents are busy and occasionally theatrical, and games plus consistency carry the household through. Adults enjoy a long companion prime: keep the coat worked through, teeth brushed, weight lean for the back and heat respected. Eleven to fifteen years puts senior status around nine to ten: twice yearly checks with dental, eye and back awareness, gentle play and warm beds. Old Peekapoos stay sweet, bright and devoted to the end.
Health
A cross can inherit health conditions from either parent breed, so the right question is what both parents were tested for: hips, eyes and the DNA panels of both breeds as a minimum. A crossbreeder who cannot show certificates is one to walk away from.
Conditions to know about
- Conditions inherited from either parent: The governing rule for the cross: a Peekapoo can inherit from the Pekingese or the Poodle, so what both parents were tested for is the question. A breeder who cannot show certificates is one to walk away from.
- Breathing and heat (Pekingese side): The Pekingese parent brings flat face breathing and heat risks; the Poodle side usually lengthens the muzzle and eases them, but individuals vary. Choose breeders whose Pekingese parent breathes freely, and manage heat carefully for life.
- Eye conditions: Both parents carry eye risks, the Pekingese for injury and ulceration in prominent eyes and the Poodle for inherited retinal disease, so eye examinations and DNA results for both parents are core questions.
- Back problems and patellar luxation: The Pekingese side contributes disc disease risk in a long, low build, and both sides contribute slipping kneecaps. Lean weight, ramps instead of jumping and patella results for both parents are the practical protections.
This is a designer cross, not a kennel club breed, so there is no official standard. Figures follow the parent breeds and reputable breeder consensus. Health notes summarize the conditions breed clubs and veterinary bodies most often flag for this breed. They are general information for choosing and caring, not a diagnosis or a substitute for your vet.
Gear for Peekapoo owners
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Peekapoo questions
How long do Peekapoos live?
A typical lifespan is 11 to 15 years. Weight control, dental care and screening for the breed's known conditions give a dog the best chance of reaching the top of that range.
How much does it cost to keep a Peekapoo?
Food for a typical adult runs about $11 a month at a standard quality tier, and accident and illness insurance usually falls between $28 and $52 a month in the US. Try the full cost calculator for a complete year one and yearly picture.
Are Peekapoos good with children?
Good with children. As with every breed, supervise dogs and children together and teach children to respect the dog's space.
How much exercise does a Peekapoo need?
Plan on 45 to 90 minutes a day, split between walks, play and training games. Puppies and seniors need gentler, shorter sessions.
How big will a Peekapoo get?
A wide range, four to twenty pounds on this page, set by the Poodle parent's size and the individual puppy. Expect a dog somewhere between the parents, and treat precise weight promises with suspicion.
Do Peekapoos shed?
Usually very lightly, thanks to the Poodle. The coat grows rather than sheds, so the price is brushing to the skin and clips every six to eight weeks for the dog's whole life.
Are Peekapoos good apartment dogs?
Yes, in practice: small, companionable and moderate in exercise, rated workable for flats on this page with the programme delivered. Alone time and barking commentary are the honest negotiations.