The Wrinkly Shar Pei

The Shar Pei is famous throughout the world as a distinctively wrinkled breed of dog with a blue-black tongue. It is also known as the Chinese Shar Pei or Chinese Fighting Dog, as it derives from China, but it is also called the sharkskin dog. Its name translates to sand paper skin, referring to the texture of its short, rough coat.

The Shar Pei are no doubt an ancient breed, because we can trace their ancestors to as far back as 2,000 years ago! The bluish tongue is unique to only one other breed, the chow-chow, and they are thought to be related. Because of the way it looks and its close link to the chow-chow, the Shar Pei has ties with the giant Mastiff breeds!

This animal sports the easily recognizable hippopotamus head, are of medium size, squarish in profile, and keep a comical frown. For a long time, Shar Pei were used as general-purpose farm dogs in the Chinese countryside, with tasks like protecting cattle (stock), hunting, and guarding the home and the family. The Chinese, believing that the scowling expression warded off evil spirits, raised the dog breed to look the way it does now, along with being intelligent and strong.

To help it in fighting, the wrinkly, loose folds of skin and harsh coat were bred into the Shar Pei, rendering it difficult for the opponent to grab and hold on to. Their coats dont need to be cut, as they do not have an undercoat, but regular brushing is recommended. Shar Pei gradually lose their wrinkles with age, which is why puppies have more skin folds than adults.

There are three coat varieties in this breed: the horse-coat, a brush-coat, and the uncommon bear-coat, which is not recognized by the American Kennel Club. The unusual horse-coat is rough, extremely prickly to the touch, while the brush-coat has longer fur and a smoother texture. Coat colors include all solid colors, as well as sables.

The Shar Pei is a very loyal dog, is faithful to his handler and bonds well with his family. They are smart, spunky, playful, dominant, and quite courageous. The Shar Pei are known for having a perpetually frowning expression, but they are calm, devoted, easygoing and independent little fellows.

The Shar Pei needs a firm, gentle, and consistent figure of authority to treat as alpha dog, as they are very clever and will end up dominating a weak trainer. They have a tendency to be stubborn, due to their instincts as fighters, but early training, socialization and exercise will easily remedy this. The Shar Pei have had myriad roles in history, including catching vermin, herding, and tracking, but if you know how to handle them, there is no reason they could not make perfectly desirable house companions for you.

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