The Pekingese is a fairly old breed originating about 2000 years ago. However, the way they were guarded by the Chinese made them a fairly unknown breed to the world. In earlier times, it was only the Chinese royalty that could keep the Pekingese and they were a favorite breed. In 1860, during the Second Opium War, when the British and French troops stormed into the Chinese Imperial Palace located in the "Forbidden City," the then emperor of China fled with all the people of his court to Chengde. It was one elderly aunt of the emperor who chose to remain there and later committed suicide when the forces marched into the palace. She was found with five Pekingese dogs who were mourning her death. The soldiers took those dogs along with them on return to Britain and gifted them to the nobles including Queen Victoria.

There are two legends about the creation of the Pekingese. The first one is about a marmoset and lion falling in love with each other. The lion, upon realizing the size difference, went to the Buddha and requested to shrink his size to that of the marmoset. The result of the shrinking was the Pekingese.

Another legend, which is not as common as the former, is that of a butterfly and lion falling in love with each other. The rest of the story is the same as the earlier one and the Pekingese came as the result of shrinking the lion.

The Pekingese is a brave and courageous breed that is always ready to take on challenges and will not back out from even the most challenging situations. They are very loving, affectionate and protective towards their owners and will bark at anything that looks suspicious to alert their owners.

Health is an issue with them as they are prone to several diseases related to eyes and breathing. They can suffer from diseases like Cataracts, Dry Eyes and Progressive Retinal Atrophy. They shouldn't be left in open for a very long time as they can suffer from heat exhaustion very quickly. Due to the structure of their nose that doesn't let them breath quickly, they are unable to adjust in hot temperatures.

When it comes to training, they are not the easiest breed to be trained. They are stubborn and very intelligent and, thus, need a firm but gentle and patient trainer to train them. However, training and socialization of this breed is important because they are dominant by nature and often tend to challenge bigger animals.

Overall, the Pekingese can prove to be a very loyal and affectionate dog for the family if they are trained properly and are kept in an environment that reduces their exposure to the conditions that are not conducive to their health.