Shar Pei

Description

Appearance
Small, triangular ears, a muzzle shaped like that of a hippopotamus, and a high-set tail also give the Shar Pei a unique look. For show standard, "the tail is thick and round at the base, tapering to a fine point" (AKC standard February 28, 1998). This is one of the most important feature of Shar-pei. So bushy thick tail is incorrect but very commonly seen in most western Shar-pei today.

Colors
Western Shar Pei come in many different colors such as fawn, red (rose), sand, cream, black, lilac and blue. They resemble the Chow Chow due to having the same blue-black tongue. There are over sixteen recognized colors in AKC. The coat must be solid in color and any Shar-Pei with a "flowered coat" (spotted) or black and tan in coloration (i.e. German Shepherd) is a disqualification. Colors include black, cream, fawn, red-fawn, red, sable, apricot, chocolate, isabella, and blue. The nose may be black or brick (pink with black), with or without a black mask. A Shar-Pei can also have what is called a "dilute" coloration. Meaning the nose, nails and anus of the dog is the same color as the coat, (i.e. chocolate coat with chocolate nose, nails and anus). All of these color variations are acceptable and beautiful, but the coat color must be solid and well blended throughout the whole body of the dog.

Coat
Western Shar Pei comes in three different coat types; horse, brush and bear coat. The unusual horse-coat is rough to the touch, extremely prickly and off-standing and is closer to the original traditional Shar Pei breed in appearance and coat type than the Brush or Bear Coat. This coat is fairly prickly, and can be rough or irritating when petting in the opposite direction of the fur. The Horse Coat is generally thought to be more active and predisposed to dominant behaviour than the Brush Coat. The brush-coated variety have slightly longer hair and a smoother feel to them. The Brush Coat is generally considered to be more of a 'couch potato' than the Horse Coat.

Unlike the two coat types above, the Bear Coat does not meet breed standards and therefore cannot be shown. The coat is much longer than the Brush and Horse Coat, so much so, in most cases you can't see the famous wrinkles. A Bear Coat can occur in any litter.

This breed has little to no shedding .

The Chinese Shar-Pei is a unique and intelligent dog most often recognized for its wrinkles. Initially developed as a Chinese fighting dog, the breed does well today in obedience, agility, herding and tracking, with skills that would have been needed on the farm. Because the name "Shar-Pei" means "sand coat", harshness is a distinctive feature in its two accepted coat types, either horse (short) or brush (up to an inch long). Other unique qualities include black mouth pigment, a slightly "hippo-like" head shape, small ears, deepset eyes and rising topline.

All Shar-Pei, but especially the horsecoat need early socialization with children, strangers, and other animals. Like other fighting breeds they can be stubborn, strong willed and very territorial. Early training can help control these traits before they become problem behaviors. Some people may experience a sensitivity to the harshness of the coat of either length. This is a mild, short lived rash, that can develop on the skin that has been in contact with the coat, most commonly on the forearms.

The brushcoat matures early to be a stocky strong dog, therefore early socialization and training are essential in order to have a dog that is a good family member as well as a welcome member of society. The brushcoat is not always as active as the horsecoat and are often more content to laze around the house. Like their horsecoat brothers they are strong willed, stubborn and territorial but, these are often exhibited to a lesser degree. Both coat types, brush and horse, are true Shar-Pei.

There is another length of coat that a Shar-Pei can have. When both the male and female carry the recessive gene for this coat type, it can occur. It is any coat that is longer than 1 inch at the withers. This coat length is commonly called a "Bear Coat." This coat length resembles the coat on a breed of dog called a "Chow Chow." The personality of the bear coat is very much like that of a brush coat.

Wrinkles
Shar Pei usually come in two varieties: one is covered in large folds of wrinkles, even into adulthood (the Western type and mainly Brush Coat). The other variation has skin that appears tighter on its body, with wrinkles just on the face and at the withers (the original type and Horse Coat).