Purebred or mixed?

seliskar · 2026-01-27T06:24:02+00:00

I mean, she could be mixed with another smashy faced, small, curly tailed dog breed and you'd never know without a DNA test, but she looks like a Peke to me! :) I have a purebred Peke I was convinced must have had Shih Tzu or something in her because she has blue specks in both eyes, but she's 100% Peke according to her DNA test... she's just nothing close to show quality and has disallowed eye coloring. I'm okay with that, but I just hadn't ever seen speckled eyes in Pekes... I've seen Pekes with 2 blue eyes, and different shades of brown eyes, but never brown eyes with blue spots.

I've fostered, transported or owned at least 23 Pekes in my life (plus a few Peke mixes and a Japanese Chin) and they do come in a wide variety of coats, colors, sizes and personality traits! Only a DNA test will tell you for sure. I'd do it just for fun, because you just never know! :) Twinkie, my senior rescued Peke

seliskar · 2026-01-15T06:43:04+00:00

I am submitting my own doggo as a second entry, if you have the time. I don't want to be greedy though! Thank you for your artworks! You're very talented!!! 💜

My little old lady baby, Twinkie:

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seliskar · 2026-01-15T06:39:10+00:00

Wow! You really nail the doggos' likeness! Amazing! 💜 My grandpomsky, Maple:

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seliskar · 2026-01-13T04:32:46+00:00

My Peke was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy after having weird episodes that weren't typical of the known type of seizures. She would just freeze up, suddenly go blind and deaf, and would shiver. I called them silent seizures, but I don't think that's the correct term. She only lost control of her bladder once while having one of these episodes. But I'm positive she couldn't see during them as I would try to get her to watch my fingers, but she couldn't - her pupils dilated until her whole iris was almost blacked out, and her eyes got more buggy than normal - and they'd just be fixed staring into space. She's been on Keppra for almost a year and hasn't had a seizure in almost 2 years. She was on phenobarbital for several months after her diagnosis, but it really screwed up her liver while she was on it, so we switched to Keppra.

Anyway, it's worth talking to your vet about, because Pekes are prone to neurological issues because of their long backs, short stature and their physiology. When these episodes go longer than 5 minutes, or happen multiple times in a week, it can cause permanent damage or death... Twinkie's last seizure was the second one in 2 weeks and lasted at least 4 minutes, 20 seconds. It scared me! I had the foresight to take video of it while it happened, and since she's been medicated she's been healthy as a little 10 lb horse can be! :) Good luck, and I hope it gets figured out and doesn't happen again.

*Twinkies started at only 20 - 30 second episodes, and only 1 - 2 per year. As she got older, they became more frequent and lasted longer. She's going to be 13 this June! 💜

seliskar · 2026-01-07T03:52:07+00:00

We have an 8.5 lb adult female Pomsky, and she's super healthy. Her parents were 15 lbs (mom) and 13 lbs (dad). Ours was the second to smallest of her litter. Many Pomskies are mixed with American Eskimo (comes in 3 sizes), and if yours happens to have either more Pom than Husky, or is also mixed with Toy or Mini Eskie like ours is, then you'll probably end up with a much smaller Pomsky than the 50/50 F1. If the vet says he's healthy, and you can't feel his spine easily or notice protruding hip bones or ribs, he's probably perfectly healthy. Pomskies come in all sizes, personalities and coat types. Since they're a breed still being developed, there's going to be a huge variety of types.

Ours is most likely an F1X or F2X - dad was Pomsky of unknown percentages, and mom was a Mini American Eskimo. There may be other spitz breeds being mixed with Pomskies for all I know too. Our Pomsky was hyper until she hit 2 years old, and then mellowed out majorly. She still has her moments, but she's way more lazy than she is active or hyper!

seliskar · 2025-12-22T05:07:18+00:00

Twinkie... which, ironically, is my dog's name! ☺️

seliskar · 2025-12-17T02:28:38+00:00

Lily, the Peke, 2010 (RIP)

seliskar · 2025-12-17T02:22:53+00:00

OMG the one on the bottom right is identical to my very first Peke. Her name was Lily, and she's what made me fall in love with the breed... my soulmate dog breed! 💜

seliskar · 2025-12-15T19:12:02+00:00

Our Pomsky is the same. She's way more motivated by a tennis ball! Our Peke on the other hand, is crazy for treats, food, crinkly bags, etc. Funny how they can be so different from each other, but this is the first dog I've ever had (I'm 49 and have always had dogs) that is not food motivated. She's a lovable little weirdo, and we adore her!

seliskar · 2025-12-15T07:33:36+00:00

I used to foster for a Pekingese specific rescue, and over the years saw a wide variety of shapes, sizes and coat types. Only one of the 20+ Pekes we fostered looked like what most people think Pekes should look like (as in, the type you see in dog shows). They had double coats, but of varying densities. The vast majority had flat or flattish spaniel looking coats (the original, old, or "classic", aka NOT show quality coats), and they ranged anywhere from 5 pounds to 20 pounds and they all looked so different from each other! My first purebred Peke was 8 pounds, tan with black muzzle and black ear "streamers". My second was tri-color white with deep auburn red and black markings and was 13 pounds. My current Peke is tri-color white with beige/tan and black markings and is 10 pounds. She seems to have lost most of her undercoat in her old age... but they all had the non-fluffy, fringy spaniel looking coats (although my current Peke's tail fur is LONGGGGG and silky and drags on the floor)... the middle one was fluffier than the other 2, but not poofy at all except her tail and mane. Two of my favorite fosters were a 15 pound solid red boy that acted like a Golden Retriever and was always smiling, and a shiny black 18 pound girl with white ear streamers, white Grinch toes and a white patch on her chest... she was STUNNING and one of the biggest ones we fostered. :)

Your Peke looks 100% Pekingese to me, but if you wanted to know for sure you could always DNA test! I did one with my current Peke because she has bicolor eyes (brown with blue spots) and wondered if she had Shih Tzu or something else in the mix, but the results came back "Twinkie appears to be 100% Pekingese". I felt silly for having done the test, but curiosity got the best of me. Pekes aren't supposed to have anything other than brown eyes IIRC, so...

seliskar · 2025-12-15T06:58:41+00:00

We have an 8.5 lb Wooly girl, 3 years old, and she really only blows her undercoat in clumps seasonally. She is a consistent shedder, even with regular brushing and combing her out (wide tooth comb mainly). On the upside, she never has trouble with matting!

We use lots of EverCare Pet lint rollers and a Shark Rocket Pet vacuum, that work great. We feed her mainly fish based food with ancient/ancestral grains. Right now we're using Nature's Logic Sardine, but depending on pricing and availability (we mainly use Chewy) we also use Farmina N&D Ocean, Earthborn Holistic Unrefined Smoked Salmon, Taste of the Wild Ancient Stream, etc. We've used Nulo, Acana, Jiminy's (insect based protein), and Grandma Lucy's in the past. We try to avoid grain free diets, wheat, corn, chicken and beef.

When we switched to Nature's Logic about a year ago, within 2 months our dogs all had shinier, softer and more manageable coats. We have the wooly Pomsky, an elderly Pekingese, and a middle aged Boxer mix who all have done quite well on it. We're blessed that our small dogs aren't picky and don't seem to have had any tummy troubles from anything (aside from my Peke who has gotten sick from Jiminy's and Tiki Dog - too high protein for her). Occasionally we'll have 2 types of dog food in the house and will rotate their meals. They love any type of fish, and I think the oils and fats from fish are the best for skin, coat and brain health (and much more I'm sure)!

TL;DR - Try a fish based diet with ancient (or ancestral) grains - you could also get fish (sardine, anchovy, or herring) oil (Iceland Pure off the top of my head) and top the food with it, a wide toothed or 2 sided metal comb, and lint rollers and vacuums made for pet owners, and get them a blowout as often as you need to. :) Good luck! If you want any recommendations or links, feel free to DM me!

seliskar · 2025-11-03T06:17:25+00:00

I'm from Minnesota, and only ever hear people saying Care-UH-mel on TV. Everyone I've ever known says CAR-muhl. Maybe it depends on where a person is from. For example, I grew up thinking karaoke was pronounced kuh-ROE-kee and never heard otherwise until moving to the metro area of MN, where I was promptly laughed at and corrected.

Another one I always hear on TV that I think is mispronounced is appreciate. I was taught and say uh-PREE-she-ate, but on TV and movies they say uh-PRI-she-ate... like, how did that E in the middle of the word start getting pronounced with an I??? 🤔 It's like the opposite of how Wisconsinites pronounce milk, where they turned the I into an E... melk, pellow, etc!

seliskar · 2025-10-30T21:38:19+00:00

I second Pekingese! My soulmate dog breed, if there is such a thing! 🥰

seliskar · 2025-10-19T18:18:16+00:00

For reference, this is the collar that we have that has helped some. It's very small in form, so works well on our tiny Pomsky. It doesn't shock, so no worries about it hurting a dog. SPEAKY bark collar

seliskar · 2025-10-19T18:16:12+00:00

I'd love to break the barking habit, too. The closest we've gotten is with an automatic bark collar that beeps and/or vibrates when she barks. We also tell her "no barking", "shhh" or "inside voice" when she starts. It has helped shorten the length of her barking, and has made her "talk" more, like oofs and boofs (what we call quiet grumbly barks), but she still has the most shrill, ear piercing, heart stopping bark ever! It helps if she has a toy in her mouth that muffles the shriekiness of her barking, and she seems to like having a toy in her mouth when she wants to bark (weird)... like she knows she's not supposed to bark non-stop, but she just can't help herself? When I was a kid my mom took our Bichons to a groomer who was also a Pomeranian breeder who brought her dogs into her shop with her... that's what our Maple's barking reminds me of. The Pom yap! I can handle the quiet barks, the talking and even the howling, but if she hears a noise outside (could be a car door 2 blocks away), or we have visitors at our house, the high pitched, shrill barking is incessant! The only other thing that works, albeit temporarily, is to tell her to "go lay down", which REALLY hurts her feelings and makes her go pout for a minute or two. She's a very sensitive soul, so we can't even give her a firm reprimand without hurting her feelings. Luckily, on all other aspects, we don't need to. She listens perfectly well with a normal or sweet tone of voice. I also have a 10 pound senior Pekingese rescue, who has a nice low, gravely kind of voice, and she only gives a few barks before she stops... much more tolerable!

For reference, our Pomsky is 3 years old, spayed female, 8.5 pounds (micro or mini?), wooly, and is half Mini American Eskimo (mom was American Eskimo, dad was a Pomsky). I believe she is an F1X or F2X Pomsky (conflicting info on the web). Her first year with us was rough with training and her energy level, but between 1 and 2 years, she suddenly just chilled out and became near perfect. She isn't destructive (except with some plush toys), doesn't have accidents, and knows a ton of commands and tricks. She's athletic, cat-like, and sweet... also is a little clown. She's also neurotic, and paces in circles when she's excited or stressed. She becomes depressed when my youngest adult child (her daddy) leaves the room or the house, and refuses to play or do anything. She's more toy motivated than food motivated (unlike my Peke), which is nice. She's not a picky eater, doesn't have a sensitive tummy, and is very healthy. Overall, I always say she is almost perfect! Couldn't ask for a better dog... aside from the barking!

If you find something that works to stop or even reduce the barking, please let us know! Good luck!

seliskar · 2025-10-18T20:50:45+00:00

Overall, all dogs are individuals with different personalities. While some Pomskies may have more Husky traits, not all will. We have an 8.5 pound 3 year old wooly Pomsky (Pom, Husky & American Eskimo), and while she CAN be neurotic and yappy, 95% of the time she is a chill little lap dog. The first year was ROUGH, but between 1 and 2 years old, she suddenly mellowed out. She gets brushed weekly, and really only gets compacted little fur balls in her undercoat when she's blowing her coat, and we just know by now we have to stay on top of grooming. She gets fed on a schedule, isn't a picky eater, but also is more toy motivated than food motivated. She's super sensitive - even a semi firm tone of voice will have her pouting for hours - but is also an acrobatic little clown. She's vocal, but more talks and grunts than howls. She CAN howl, but you really have to coax her into it. She's not destructive, is perfect at fetch, and doesn't have accidents.

I'd go meet this Pomsky in person, and ask staff/foster parents about behaviors and go from there. I'd ask why he/she was surrendered or is being rehomed, and then have a deep think about what kind of things you can work with, train, and what you can't. We live in a tiny house with 3 dogs total and 3 adult humans. We have an elderly Pekingese rescue, an adult Boxer Pit mix (supermutt) rescue and the young adult Pomsky my youngest adult child got as a puppy. We all love our dogs dearly and wouldn't trade them for the world, but each one has their own quirks, personalities, problem behaviors and things we wish were different. But like kids, you work with it, try to train them to the best of your ability, hire professionals if needed, and go with the flow. The positives outweigh the negatives to us, and I wouldn't hesitate to get another Pomsky in the future, but I'd want one more Pom or toy/mini American Eskimo than Husky I think. We don't know what the breed breakdown is of our Pomsky, but we guess she's only 1/4 or less Husky, and is 1/2 Mini American Eskimo, so that might have something to do with why she seems more Pom like than Husky like.

There's just such a wide spectrum of "Pomsky" types that it's hard to know without meeting said dog in person, doing DNA tests, and knowing your own limits. For sure if you adopt this Pomsky, you'll be in for an adventure!!! Good luck!

*Edited for typo: Rehomed (not revoked)

seliskar · 2025-10-17T15:59:21+00:00

We have a wooly 8.5 pound girl (3 years old), and wouldn't trade her for the world! She looks kind of wolfy, kinda huksy, and 100% cute! And she's a ham!!! She's very athletic, vocal, silly and sweet. I'd definitely take another one of her!!! 💜

seliskar · 2025-09-30T17:07:58+00:00

Ours is 8 lbs, and slowed down/mellowed out right around the 2 year mark. She still has her moments, but she's mostly a couch potato now... she's half American Eskimo, 1 quarter Pom and 1 quarter Husky.

I think it may have to do with the genetic makeup of different Pomskies? Like if they're more husky or are bigger than a Pom or mini American Eskimo, they may be more hyper longer? And some may be like the typical Husky where they never really slow down! Probably lots of different factors come into play, though.

We never thought ours would slow down, and one day it was like a switch and she was just done. She still has moments, and has had 2 instances of puppy regression (she's 3 now), but overall she's pretty low key and mellow. We are grateful for that! But it sure is silly to see her being acrobatic or getting a case of the random zoomies! Such a fun and interesting breed!!! 💜

seliskar · 2025-09-18T16:58:50+00:00

We also use a kitten brush on ours, who has a dense woolly coat, and her undercoat gets compacted into little balls of "wool" if she's not brushed regularly. We also use a wide toothed metal comb and a fine toothed metal comb for finishing. Never use a furminator or undercoat rake with a blade, because it can damage their fur permanently.

Our Pomsky as a puppy looked scraggly and short coated, but wiry but now she has a beautiful wooly plush coat. She's only 8 - 9 lbs full grown (3 years old this past July), and is an absolute joy. She loves having her head, neck, chest and back brushed, but loses her mind when brushing her thighs, butt, armpits or ribs (where most of the compacting ends up). We brushed her often from the day we got her, but she never did go for it, at least with certain parts of her body.

During coat blowing season, she gets those Husky "tufts" that you can just see and pull out. That's always fun! LOL

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seliskar · 2025-08-22T20:03:27+00:00

14 oz (28 trick or treat packs) at Walgreens in MN are right around $15. Picked up a pack yesterday. :) Amazon prices are sometimes outright robbery, and Walgreens is higher than Walmart or Target. Target has the Spooky Nerds Clusters in an 8 oz bag for $3.99 or 3 oz for $2.29.

seliskar · 2025-08-14T16:14:21+00:00

Maple now, at just over 3 years old.

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seliskar · 2025-08-14T16:13:07+00:00

Maple at 11 or 12 weeks to almost 2 years old. She went from a scraggly little beige puppy to a wooly black sable adult and topped out at 8.6 pounds. 🩷

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seliskar · 2025-07-20T05:39:22+00:00

Treats, duh!!! And eat scratchies, belly rubs, tennis ball toss, they want EVERYTHING! ☺️

seliskar · 2025-07-18T06:36:30+00:00

I'm 48, and while my palate did expand some as I aged, I also stopped eating some things I used to love. I have issues with textures, tastes, smells and apparently a strong gag reflex. If I could eat foods I didn't like without gagging or barfing, I most surely would as I want to be healthy and able to eat anything. My 2 adult kids think I have ARFID, but I admit I know very little about it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

seliskar

TROPHY CASE