Lets find out all about the Shar Pei, that funny wrinkled dog with its blue-black tongue thats famous all over the world! Known also as the sharkskin dog, the Chinese Fighting Dog and the Chinese Shar Pei, this dog was developed in China. Because of its harsh, prickly coat, the name Shar Pei literally translates to sand paper skin.

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.

They have three coat varieties: the horse-coat, the brush-coat, and the rare bear-coat. The horse-coat is prickly to the touch and is rough like sand, but the brush coat has longer hair and is softer to the touch. Their coats come in all solid colors and in sables too.

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.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Technorati Tags: animals, Dog Breeds, dog grooming, Dog Health, Dog Training, family, family pet, home, She Pei articles, She Pei breeding, She Pei grooming, She Pei health, She Pei information, She Pei training