Chinese Shar Pei

The Chinese Shar Pei is a unique breed of dogs, famous for its docile, sociable and determined disposition. The breed originated in China, but there is much controversy over the circumstances of its inception. In all likelihood, the breed bears some relation to the Chow Chow and maybe the Tibetan Mastiff. Initially, the Chinese Shar Pei was bred as a herding dog.

As to physical appearance, Shar Pei are somewhat reminiscent of modern European and American fighter dogs. They have thick and wrinkled skin and somewhat intimidating facial expression. Besides, they are very protective, self-assured and willful. The Chinese Shar Pei is not a lap dog, and he requires firm yet very consistent training. It takes solid will, true determination and great patience on the owner’s part to bring up an intelligent and obedient Chinese Shar Pei.

The Chinese Shar Pei is a squarely built and muscular dog. He stands 18-20 inches tall at the withers and weighs 40-55 pounds. He has a blunt head with small ears that face forward and intense eyes. The muzzle is padded, and there are wrinkles on the head, withers and neck. The dog’s wrinkly skin is a good protection against physical impact. Puppies have more wrinkles than adults. The Chinese Shar Pei has a deep and broad chest, straight legs and a medium-length tail. Show quality Shar Pei come in solid colors, which include fawn, red, chocolate, cream, beige, sable, black, etc. Pet quality dogs can be parti-colored. These dogs may have three types of coat: horse, brush and bear. The “horse” coat is short and harsh; the “brush” is longer than the “horse”, but it is as bristle as that; the “bear” coat is long and sometimes wavy, and it is not recognized by the American Kennel Club.

When the Communist Party took over in China, the breed started falling into oblivion, and eventually came dangerously close to extinction. Matgo Law, a businessman from Hong Kong, took efforts to save the breed and called up on Americans to join the efforts. The dog’s popularity soared in the 1980s. The reverse side of the coin of it was loss of control over Shar Pei breeding, which led to the appearance of serious physical and behavioral defects in these dogs and generated a common misconception that this dog was bound to be aggressive tpward strangers and other animals. Indeed, the Chinese Shar Pei is not intended for any blood sport or special services and, if socialized properly, he is but the friendliest and most intelligent dog in the world.