Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher vs Pekingese - Breed Comparison

The Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is an ancient dog breed and dates back to 1780. It is believed that this dog breed is extinct, but that the German Pinscher of today is family of this dog breed. The dog used to be good on the farm as an all-purpose working dog.

When you look at the history of dogs, there are so many that have come and gone, never to be seen or heard of again. Other animals become extinct because of environmental factors, but with dogs it’s a bit different and most, like the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher, died out simply because it became unfashionable.

Maybe the jobs that this dog was designed to do no longer existed and he died out because he was no longer needed.

This is an ancient dog breed that originated in China. Known also as Lion Dogs, they are toy dogs that have always been a popular choice for Chinese royals.

DNA analysis tells us that these dogs are one of the oldest dog breeds there are and over the years, the dog has barely changed in looks.

The dogs found their way out of China, and as they started spreading to the USA and the UK, Pekingese clubs started emerging. A pekingese dog was registered by the American Kennel Club in 1906, and the Pekingese Club of America was formed in 1909.

Described as a medium sized dog, the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is an extinct variety of the German Pinscher. Like that dog, the Swiss Shorthaired had a muscular, strong square build.

Possibly he also had his ears and tail docked at that time. It is thought that he stood between 40 – 48cm in height and weighed in the region of 11 to 15kg.

He had the typical looks of the Doberman Pinscher with short smooth hair in black and tan, short erect ears and a tail that was traditionally cropped. He was lean and muscular with brown eyes. They were working dogs in their day and were not considered the best dogs to have for the first time dog owner.

Tempeament

These dogs have always been hardworking, brave and fearless. They make good family pets too and get on well with children. They would have been adaptable too to life in the city or the countryside, so long as he got his exercise.

A well bred Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher was alert and a good guard dog, and one wonders why this dog with its good qualities died out.

The Pekingese is a dog which stands at between 30 – 45 cm and weighs anything from 3 to 7kg.

His double coat can be fawn, cream, apricot, grey, or black or even a mix of some of these colors.

The Pekingese is known for its flat- or squashed face and his large, bulging type of eyes. His body is low to the ground and is somewhat longer than what it is tall. He has long, silky, feathery ears and his tail is plumed and essentially held over his back. The face usually has a black mask.

Temperament:

The Pekingese is a stubborn, independent, intelligent dog, but with his human family he is loving and loyal. People often look at the Pekingese and think that it is a delicate dog that just wants to sit on your lap and be cuddled. But this isn’t the case and the Pekingese is a dignified, robust, bold, confident dog. He is essentially an indoors dog though and will be content for a while to lie close to his human companion. He is calm and quiet indoors but is also game for some activity, being quite a playful dog.

The Pekingese is the kind of dog that will slot easily into city or country living. He gets on well with children but if he could choose, he would prefer to live with calm, consistent adults, as he doesn’t gel too well with raucous, undisciplined children.

He is a wilful dog and will require being trained and socialized to make him obedient and more amicable.

The Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is no longer around but he would no doubt have made a good family pet. He would have wanted to protect his human family.

He was a stubborn, bold dog, and maybe socialization and training didn’t exist then, but he would have benefited from it.

He’s the kind of dog that would have adapted well to life in the city or the countryside, but you could never neglect his exercise needs. In the right environment, this Pinscher would have made a loving, loyal pet.

Sometimes when his hair has grown long and he has a ribbon in it he may be looked upon as shallow, pathetic and nothing but lapdog. In reality his heart is brave, tough, dignified and confident.

All the Pekingese wants is to be a normal and loving pet for the right kind of person who appreciates all his strong characteristics.

He is capable of being quite lively and protective of his human family. Give him love and treat him kindly and firmly and you’ll find out why he is such a popular dog breed.

It is not too sure about the health status of this extinct dog but we can assume that he would have been prone to some of the typical dog illnesses there are.

Hypothyroidismd, bloat, cancer, cataracts, infections and obesity were just some of the diseases this dog would have had to contend with.

Hypothyroidism:

The thyroid glands in the neck produce hormones. These hormones affect the functioning of the body. Hypothyroidism in dogs is usually caused by shrinkage of the thyroid gland or inflammation.The disease occurs more often in Pinscher dogs.

You may notice a dulling or thinning of your dog’s hair, weight gain and reduced activity. Hypothyroid dogs also tend to battle more with ear- and skin infections. Veterinary treatment will become necessary.

Catarats:

It causes a whiteness,cloudiness or opacity on the lens of the eye. It's not painful for a dog but it can cause loss of vision. Surgery can improve vision for the dog.

The Pekingese can live to be between 10 – 15 years of age. One of the main medical problems with this dog is his squashed face which can be a source of breathing problems for him.

The large, bulging eyes can also cause quite a few problems such as glaucoma, cataracts and eye ulcers. With Entropion the eyelid of the eye rolls inward and irritates the eyeball.

Your Pekingese shouldn’t be left outside as with his breathing problems, he isn’t good with regulating body temperature and can overheat in hot weather.

Diet:

In those days of the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher, maybe commercially manufactured dog foods weren’t available. If the dog were still around today, you would feed him dry kibble for medium sized dogs.

Probably the owners of these dogs fed them from the food they ate. It can be a good idea to feed any dog you have with some homemade food.

This can include things such as boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta and spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots. This is the kind of simple food that dogs love.

Being a farm dog in his day, he was probably tossed raw meat occasionally and this would have done him the world of good.

General Care:

Although the short, smooth hair of the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is looked upon as low maintenance, the dog would have needed a good brush twice a week just to keep it shiny and healthy.

After a hard day of work on the farm, the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher would have required a nice warm, dry spot to sleep.

Diet:

Nothing is set in stone when it comes to the diet of your Pekingese or any other dog for that matter. How much a dog eats will depend on his breed, his age, his size and his activity levels.

Every dog is an individual and your Pekingese is too. Good food however dictates a lot on how healthy your pet will be so it will be to his benefit to give him the best quality commercially manufactured food there is.

He loves a bit of variety too so if you chop up some boiled chicken, brown rice and some wholesome vegetables such as carrots, spinach and sweet potato and add this to his kibble occasionally he will be delighted. He doesn’t want anything unusual or spicy because he can’t bear to have an upset stomach.

He must never be without a continuous supply of fresh, cool water.

Exercise:

The Pekingese doesn’t have serious exercise needs, and a little bit of running and exerting himself can have him snorting and grunting. A slowish walk outside will satisfy his exercise needs.

Grooming:

The coat of the Pekingese is long and thick and if you choose to keep it that way it will require brushing at least twice a week. Some people prefer to have the dog’s hair cut professionally as then it is easier to manage.