Shar Pei: Sand Skin

Originally from China, the Shar Pei can easily be distinguished because of its wrinkles and a tongue that is blue-black. This particular breed has a very rough and coarse coat and that is how it got its name, which in the Chinese language means sand skin. When you first get your Shar Pei puppy, you will notice that it has a lot of wrinkles, though once your puppy begins to grow older and matures, many of these wrinkles will have faded away, and its coat will have become smoother. This breed only got to be recognized by the American Kennel Club in the year 1991, before which it even figured on the list of rare breeds.

The Shar Pei can have more than one color and among the ones that are common to this breed you will find colors such as red like a rose, blue, sand, black and even cream, and it also shares the blue-black colored tongue with its relative the Chow Chow. It also stands out because of its loose skin and a head that is very wrinkled, though not all varieties of the Shar Pei have wrinkled appearances because some even have tight skins and few wrinkles.
Normally, the Shar Pei has coats that can either be brush coats, bear coats or even horse coats. It is also a breed that is prone to not staying very healthy, which can be attributed in part to irresponsible breeding. Among other ailments that it suffers from, is the one known as entropion that is something that will irritate a Shar Pei’s eyes. However, you can prevent your pet from developing skin allergies and also sores by feeding it specially manufactured dry dog foods that will act to prevent such conditions.

One thing that all owners of Shar Peis notice is the independent nature and also that they are quite reserved in their behavior, often staying aloof and not easily making friends with people they do not know or recognize. Part of the reason for such characteristics could be that it was originally bred to be a watchdog. Nevertheless, it is very devoted to its master and will show affection and also loyalty to other members of the owner’s family.
For prospective Shar Pei owners, it is important to bear in mind that even though it has many characteristics common to watchdogs, and despite being somewhat aggressive, it is nevertheless a good learner and thus takes well to being trained, though it will show its boredom if something is repeated too often. The bottom line is that your Shar Pei will show you a lot of love and is possessive and a good guard dog, though certainly an independent creature as well.

The Shar Pei is of Chinese origin and comes from Guangdong province and is well recognized for its ability to fight and also being a good watchdog, and it even was the main watchdog for early Chinese royals. It is a good defender and even though the Chinese Communists attempted to wipe this breed from the face of the earth, it has survived to become a popular breed that is often even called the “Golden Lion”.

You don’t really need Shar Pei information to let you know how clean the Shar Pei keeps itself and who often does not even need to be taught to be housebroken. You can easily go through this article and obtain all the necessary Shar Pei information regarding what to expect from this breed.