Chinese Shar-Pei

Chinese Shar-Peis are compact and medium in size, though they are not mixed with any other breed. They have a broad hippopotamus-like muzzle and a tongue that is blue and black. Their eyes are small and sunken, their ears are tiny and triangular, and their skin has abundant folds. Their coat has a sandpaper texture, complemented by the wrinkles on their coat. They are strong, independent, and suspicious of strangers. This breed is known for its loyalty and intelligence and sometimes has a price as high as $1,800 for a purebred puppy.

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3 Pros and Cons of Owning a Chinese Shar-Pei

Evolution and Origins

The Chinese Shar-Pei is named for its rough coat with shar-pei translating to “sand-skin.” It is thought to have originated in China around 200 BC and was used as a hunting and guard dog. It was once popular as a fighting dog due to its thick skin but after larger breeds were introduced, it suffered a decline and its population further decreased in the late 1940s when the Chinese government imposed high taxes on dog ownership. This breed almost become extinct and during the 1960s and 1970s they were considered one of the rarest dogs in the world.

In 1979, Life magazine responded to a plea from a breeder in Hong Kong named Matgo Law to keep the breed alive by putting one of the dogs on its cover. It was immediately successful and sales of Shar-Pei puppies rapidly increased and the breed was saved from extinction.

Some breeders in the U.S. bred Shar-Peis to be smaller and with more wrinkles, creating what they call the Miniature Shar-Pei at around 16 in, which has been met with resistance from some breeders of traditionally sized Shar-Peis.

Health and Entertainment for your Chinese Shar-Pei

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Size and Weight

The Chinese Shar-Peis are compact and medium in size. They are about 17 to 20 inches tall and usually weigh between 35 to 44 pounds. These dogs have short and very harsh coats and do not usually have loose hair. Their coat comes in various colors like fawn, red, brown, white, black, and cream.

Common Health Issues

The Chinese Shar-Pei, while it is a beautiful and smart animal, can come with health issues if you choose an unreliable or inconsistent source to adopt them from. Hip and elbow dysplasia is rather common in this dog, which is an incredibly painful condition in the misalignment of the joints that can result in low white blood cells. Patellar luxation also impacts the bones, causing misalignment in the femur in the hind legs.

Autoimmune thyroiditis is another common condition, inflaming the thyroid. It often is caused by the antibodies in the dog’s body that ends up attacking the thyroid, and it can be deadly.

Due to the shape of the eyelids, many conditions can arise that affect the eyes. Entropion, for example, is caused when the dog’s lower eyelid turns inward, causing the eyelashes to rub against the eyeball. Retinal dysplasia, however, may happen when the folds in the retina cause lesions that could lead to blindness.

These dogs can also develop glaucoma and cataracts. Overall, the health problems of a Chinese Shar-Pei include:

• Hip dysplasia
• Elbow dysplasia
• Autoimmune thyroiditis
• Patellar luxation
• Entropion
• Retinal dysplasia
• Cataracts
• Glaucoma
• Skinfold infections.

Temperament

Chinese Shar-Peis are rather cat-like when it comes to their temperament; they tend to march to the beat of their own drummer, providing attention when they want to receive it themselves. They can come to cuddle with you, but it depends on their mood. Still, these dogs can get suspicious of strangers.

These dogs are intelligent and strong, and they are affectionate toward their owners. They are also quite devoted. They can also make excellent watchdogs. Shar-Peis are great family dogs and are very protective of the families that they live with.

These dogs are strong-willed and prefer making their own decisions rather than blindly following a command.

How to Take Care of a Chinese Shar-Pei

The Chinese Shar-Pei can be a fickle pet, so it is important to be fully prepared to give them what they need. Here are a few considerations that you should have in mind in their food, grooming, and even their training.

The Best Dog Food for Chinese Shar-Peis

You should feed your Shar-Pei healthy food and a natural diet with lean meats will do your dog good. You can add other whole ingredients to your Shar-Pei’s diet, including fruits and vegetables, but high-quality dog food would be beneficial.

Keeping the right type of diet supports the health of the Chinese Shar-Pei, protecting and improving the quality of its hair and skin.

A-Z Animals believes the best dog food for Chinese Shar-Peis is Victor Super Premium Dog Food – Performance Dry Dog Food.

Since this breed has such a wide range of potential health concerns, we think this beef recipe covers all the bases. There’s glucosamine to keep joint problems at bay, carrots and taurine for eye health, with selenium, fatty acids, and amino acids for the immune system. It also has just the right balance of vitamins and minerals for healthy skin and coat.

Follow this link to buy Victor Super Premium Performance dog food on Chewy or Amazon.

Best Protein Rich

VICTOR Purpose Performance Formula Dry Dog Food

• 81% meat protein with premium-quality beef, chicken and pork meals
• Ideal for sporting pups and those with high physical demands
• Contains glucosamine and chondroitin for long-term joint health
• Fortified with vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, protein and amino acids
• Promotes digestion and immune health

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Maintenance and Grooming

For grooming your Shar-Pei, brush them as often as you want. You can mostly brush it at least once a week. If you want to keep their coat in the best condition, brushing twice a week is more than enough. Their coat has a texture similar to that of sandpaper.

These dogs usually have their teeth in good condition. However, to help them better, you can always brush their teeth twice a week. The deep wrinkles on their skin also need to be cleaned and also dried up after, preventing any infections that they might have under their wrinkles. These dogs are not mixed dogs and do not usually have loose hair.

Training

While Shar-Peis are smart, they are strong-minded and love to make their own decisions. Therefore, they can pick up commands quickly but often like to go their own way.

They do need a firm pet parent to guide them and train them. It is important that their training starts early on in life, helping them to develop good habits in the long run.

Exercise

Shar-Peis are usually always alert but do need low to moderate levels of exercise daily. These dogs can happily stay in an apartment but bringing them along on a walk or two each day keeps their need for low to moderate exercise.

They are good for being companions to the elderly as they can accompany them on slow walks. These dogs do not consider dog parks to be ideal playgrounds and are often wary and suspicious of an unknown company.

Puppies

A Shar-Pei puppy has to be taken care of the same way as you normally take care of an adult. However, some things need to be kept in mind while dealing with Shar-Pei puppies.

For instance, the food portions should be smaller for Shar-Pei puppies. They also need to be trained at an earlier stage in life so that they can develop good habits.

Chinese Shar-Pei and Children

Shar-Peis make great family dogs and can be very playful and very protective with and for the children of the family. However, it is always advised that you keep these dogs only when your children are slightly older. Toddlers should not be left unsupervised with these dogs.

Dogs Similar to the Chinese Shar-Pei

The Chinese Shar-Pei is not the right choice for every person, but that’s okay. Here are a few dogs that are similar to Chinese Shar-Pei, giving you a few alternatives to find the right match.

• Chow Chow: These dogs are incredibly calm and confident and make great watchdogs. Their fur is much fluffier, which means they will need much more grooming.
• Pugs: These dogs are very loyal and friendly and have big personalities, though they are much smaller than the Chinese Shar-Pei.
• Corgi: These dogs are great with children and do not shed a lot. They are also easily trainable.

Famous Chinese Shar-Peis

While there might not be many famous Shar-Peis in the world, there are a few famous Instagram accounts that you can go check out to see these dogs online. Some of them include @sharpeisofinstagram, showcasing individuals of this breed, and @franklinandleo, Shar-Pei brothers living in Australia.

Popular Names for Chinese Shar-Peis

Here are a few popular names for the Chinese Shar-Pei:

• Bella
• Lune
• Max
• Bailey
• Charlie