Best Brush for Pekingese | Thick Mane and Long Coat Guide

The best brush for a Pekingese is a small curved slicker brush, worked in sections through the mane and the trousers, followed by a long tooth comb to check that the coat underneath is genuinely clear. A Pekingese carries a heavy double coat on a very small frame, so the job is about reaching the skin, not smoothing the surface.

That distinction matters more on this breed than on almost any other. The mane around the neck and shoulders can be four or five times deeper than the coat on the back, and a brush that only skims the top of it leaves a dense layer of dead undercoat sitting against the skin, felting quietly for weeks.

Pekingese owners usually discover this the hard way. The dog looks immaculate, the brushing takes two minutes, and then a groomer finds a sheet of matting along the neck, behind the ears and under the front legs. Nothing went wrong with the brushing except its depth.

If that sounds familiar, the fix is small and it is mostly about technique rather than buying more tools. A brush that flexes into a deep coat, a comb to audit the work, and ten focused minutes every other day will keep a Pekingese coat open all year.

Why the Right Brush Matters for a Pekingese Coat

The Pekingese coat is a true double coat with an unusually long outer layer. Guard hairs on the mane and the back of the thighs can reach well past the body line, while the undercoat sits short, soft and very dense underneath. Those two layers move at different speeds, which is exactly how mats start.

A brush with short, stiff pins works the outer layer and stops. A brush with longer, finer pins on a flexible bed travels down through the guard hair and lifts the shed undercoat out from below. On a small dog with a deep coat that difference is the whole job.

• The mane is the deepest coat on the dog and the first place matting sets in.
• The trousers on the back legs tangle from sitting, which a Pekingese does constantly.
• The ear fringes are long, fine and sit right next to a moving joint.
• The chest sits low to the ground and collects debris that works its way inward.
• The skin is close to the surface on a small frame, so pressure is felt immediately.

Pekingese also carry heavy facial folds and a short muzzle, which makes the whole front of the dog a careful area rather than a quick one. A brush you can steer with two fingers is worth far more here than a large one that covers ground.

How Pekingese Mats Form in the Mane and Behind the Ears

Matting is shed undercoat that never left. On a Pekingese it is trapped by length rather than by friction, which is why it builds in places that look perfectly tidy from above.

The ear fringes are the clearest example. Every head turn twists the hair at the base of the ear leather, and because the fringe is long and the hair is fine, a loose tangle becomes a firm pad in a matter of days. We covered why that spot behaves the way it does in Why Mats Behind Ears Happen, and the pattern is the same on this breed, only faster.

The mane mats differently. There the coat is simply too deep for a casual brush stroke to cross, so the lower third never gets touched. Over a shedding cycle that untouched layer compacts into a felt that sits flat against the skin, and from the outside the dog still looks beautifully coated.

• Behind and below the ears: movement plus fine hair, the fastest mats on the dog.
• The base of the mane: depth, not friction, keeps the brush out.
• Under the front legs: skin on skin contact every single step.
• The trousers and tail set: sitting presses the hair into itself.
• Around a harness or collar: constant light pressure on long hair.

Any sudden change worth noticing, such as a bald patch, broken hair, redness, a smell or persistent scratching, is a reason to call a vet rather than brush harder. A coat problem that appeared overnight is usually a skin problem.

What a Realistic Pekingese Brushing Routine Looks Like

Every other day, ten minutes, in sections. That is the honest answer, and it is far less than most owners fear once they stop trying to do the whole dog in one sweep.

Work the dog as five areas rather than one animal: mane and chest, each side of the body, the trousers, the tail, and the ear fringes. Finish one area properly before moving on, and finish the session with the comb rather than the brush.

• Brush on a towel on your lap or on a low table, never on the floor where you have to lean over the dog.
• Keep sessions short and stop while the dog is still settled, not once it has had enough.
• Lift the coat with your free hand and brush the layer you have exposed.
• Let the comb, not your eye, decide whether an area is finished.
• Check the ear fringes daily even when you are not brushing the body.

Shedding season changes the frequency, not the method. Twice a year a Pekingese drops a remarkable volume of undercoat for its size, and during those few weeks daily sessions on the mane will save hours of dematting later.

Recommended Tools for a Pekingese Double Coat

Three tools cover this breed properly: a small curved slicker brush for the coat, a shampoo that leaves the hair easy to brush through, and a long tooth comb to check the work. Nothing on a Pekingese needs a blade or a stripping tool.

Shop on Flying Pawfect Buy on Amazon

Flying Pawfect Curved Slicker Brush, Small

The small size of the Curved Slicker Brush for Doodles and Long-Coated Dogs is the right head for a Pekingese, and the reason is the curve rather than the size on its own. The head follows the shoulder, the ribcage and the curve of a thigh instead of fighting them, which means the pins stay in contact with the coat through the whole stroke rather than only at the start of it.

Its pins are extra long stainless steel set on a flexible bed. That combination is what gets through mane depth. Short pins skim across the surface of a heavy coat and give you a tidy looking dog with a felted layer underneath, which is the single most common outcome on this breed.

The small head also matters for the places that actually mat. Ear fringes, the hollow under a front leg and the hair in front of the back legs are all small, awkward spaces next to joints, and a large brush simply cannot be placed accurately in them without pressing on something it should not.

Use it with almost no pressure. The pins are doing the work, so a light stroke repeated three or four times through a lifted section is better than one firm pass, and it is far more comfortable for a dog whose skin sits close to the surface.

Clean the pad as you go. A Pekingese fills a small brush head quickly during a shedding week, and a loaded brush stops collecting and starts dragging, which is usually what the dog objects to rather than the brushing itself.

• Best for: The mane, the trousers, the ear fringes and the chest.
• Why it works: Long pins on a flexible bed travel through a deep coat instead of over it.
• Context: A small head places accurately around ears, legs and folds.

Shop on Flying Pawfect Buy on Amazon

Flying Pawfect Pawfect Potion 4-in-1 Shampoo

A Pekingese does not need frequent bathing, but when a bath happens it changes how the coat brushes for a fortnight afterwards. The Pawfect Potion cleans, conditions, detangles and moisturises in one step, which keeps the number of products going onto a deep coat down to one.

Conditioned hair slides against itself instead of gripping, so the brush meets less friction and the comb passes more easily. On a breed whose mane is already hard to cross, that is a practical gain rather than a cosmetic one.

It is pH balanced, uses plant derived cleansers, and is free of dyes, SLS, parabens, phthalates and alcohol. It suits all animals, so one bottle covers the other pets in the house too.

Two Pekingese specific notes. Brush the mane out before the bath rather than after, because water tightens a tangle that was loose, and dry the coat thoroughly down to the skin afterwards. A damp mane is the fastest route to a mat on this breed.

• Best for: The occasional full bath and for spot cleaning the chest and trousers.
• Why it works: Cleaning and conditioning in one step reduces brushing friction afterwards.
• Context: Brush before the bath, and dry right down to the skin.

Shop on Flying Pawfect

Flying Pawfect Long Tooth Comb

The comb is not a second brush. On a Pekingese it is the instrument that tells you whether the brushing was deep enough, and it is the only tool in the kit that cannot be fooled by a tidy surface.

Its teeth are long enough to reach the base of a mane and set in two densities, so the wider end opens a section and the finer end audits it. If the comb travels from skin to tip without catching, that area is finished. If it stops, the brush has more work to do there.

Comb, never pull. A comb that meets resistance is reporting a mat, not asking for force, and the answer is to go back to the brush on that small area with the coat lifted.

• Best for: Checking the mane, the ear fringes and behind the elbows.
• Why it works: Long dual density teeth reach the skin through a deep coat.
• Context: Use it last, as a check, not as the main brushing tool.

Step by Step: Line Brushing a Pekingese Mane

Line brushing is the technique that makes this breed manageable. You brush one thin horizontal layer at a time, working upward, so every stroke starts at the skin rather than halfway down the hair.

• Settle the dog first. Sitting on a towel on your lap works well for a dog this size.
• Part the mane low down. Push the coat upward with your free hand so a strip of skin shows.
• Brush only the exposed strip. Short, light strokes outward from the skin, three or four passes.
• Release a little more coat. Let the next thin layer down and repeat, moving up toward the shoulders.
• Comb the finished section. From skin to tip. A clean pass means move on.
• Stop while it is still easy. Half a mane done well beats a whole dog rushed.

The same method works on the trousers and on the chest, and it is worth borrowing for the tail as well. The approach is laid out in more detail in How to Brush a Fluffy Dog’s Tail Without Mats, and a Pekingese tail carried over the back is exactly the case it describes.

Prevention Tips for Pekingese Tangles and Trousers

Prevention on this breed is mostly about the few square inches that cause nearly all the trouble. Keep those open and the rest of the coat tends to look after itself.

• Run the comb through both ear fringes daily. It takes under a minute.
• Check the hair in front of the back legs after any long nap, which is where sitting presses it flat.
• Lift a harness and brush underneath it rather than around it.
• Dry the chest and mane properly after wet walks, not just the top coat.
• Keep the hair around the facial folds clean and dry with a damp cloth.
• Brush more often during the two annual sheds rather than brushing harder.

A short coated breed can skip a week without consequence. A Pekingese cannot, and the reason is only ever length. If a week has slipped, go back to small sections rather than trying to catch up in one long session.

Common Mistakes Pekingese Owners Make With a Slicker Brush

Almost every problem we hear about on this breed comes from one of six habits, and none of them involves the wrong brush.

• Brushing the surface only. The coat looks finished and the base is felting.
• Using pressure instead of layers. Pressing harder reaches the skin, not the undercoat.
• Skipping the comb. Without it there is no way to know whether the job is done.
• Bathing a tangled mane. Water sets a loose tangle into a firm mat.
• Leaving the coat damp. A wet mane mats faster than a dirty one.
• Working a mat for too long. If it has not opened in a couple of minutes, it is a groomer's job.

That last one is the important one. Long coated small breeds mat close to the skin, and a mat that will not open needs clipping out by someone who can see what is underneath it. The same logic applies across the long coated breeds, and it is set out for a similar coat in How to Prevent Mats in Shih Tzu Coats.

FAQs

What is the best brush for a Pekingese?

A small curved slicker brush, used in thin layers with a long tooth comb to check the work. The curve follows the shoulder and thigh, the long pins reach through mane depth, and the small head places accurately around ears and legs.

How often should a Pekingese be brushed?

Every other day for about ten minutes, rising to daily during the two annual sheds. Frequency matters far more than session length on a coat this deep, because the undercoat sheds continuously into a layer that cannot escape on its own.

Why does my Pekingese look well groomed but still get mats?

Because the brush is only crossing the top of the coat. The mane is several times deeper than the hair on the back, so a stroke that looks thorough can leave the bottom third untouched. Line brushing and a comb check solve it.

Should I shave a Pekingese in summer?

No. The double coat insulates against heat as well as cold, and clipping it can change how it regrows. Keep the coat thinned out by brushing instead, offer shade and water, and ask a groomer about a tidy rather than a shave.

Can I cut a mat out of a Pekingese coat myself?

It is not worth the risk. The skin sits close to the surface on a small dog and a mat pulls it up with it, so scissors can catch skin that you cannot see. Work the edges loose with the brush, or let a groomer clip it out.

Do Pekingese shed a lot?

Yes, more than their size suggests. They shed lightly all year and heavily twice a year, and because the coat is long the shed hair stays in the coat rather than falling out. Regular brushing is what removes it.

What about the hair around a Pekingese face?

Keep it clean and dry with a damp cloth, and comb the fringes gently rather than brushing into the folds. If a fold looks red, smells, or the dog rubs at it, that is a vet question rather than a grooming one.

Final Thoughts

A Pekingese is not a difficult breed to keep in good coat, but it is an unforgiving one about depth. The dog that mats is almost never the dog that was never brushed, it is the dog that was brushed across the top of a coat four inches deep.

A small curved slicker brush, a comb to check the work, thin layers and ten minutes every other day will hold the mane, the trousers and the ear fringes open through the year. If a mat has already set hard against the skin, hand that one to a groomer and go back to prevention afterwards.