The origin of the breed and its purpose, the standard of the Shar Pei exterior and its character, a description of health, advice on care. Price when buying a Shar Pei puppy. Shar Pei is a completely unique dog in its exterior, with all its non-standard appearance either instantly falling in love with itself, or causing sympathy and misunderstanding how such a wrinkled "miracle of nature" with a pumpkin head can be liked by anyone. But indifferent to his person, the dog does not leave anyone. Shar Pei is an ancient breed, covered with legends and all kinds of rumors. Working, fighting, hunting and temple dog of China, its "living mystery" and undeniable glory. Who is this dog really? And how true is the information about him that exists among dog lovers of spiteful critics? Let's figure it out together.
The history of the origin of the Shar Pei
Modern Chinese scientists, cynologists and historians, finding out the origin of the Shar Pei breed, which has now become so popular, despite all their efforts, have not been able to fully figure out the origins of its appearance. Most of the ancient scrolls, annalistic vaults and bamboo books that can reveal the secret of the origin of the variety were destroyed as early as 213 BC at the behest of the Emperor of the Celestial Empire Qin Shi Huang.
Nevertheless, the few documents that have survived to this day allow us to say with confidence that the history of the Shar Pei stretches back more than 2000 years into the depths of the centuries. And the results of the study of the dog's DNA completely bring it close to the prehistoric wolf, putting this breed on a par with such ancient species as the Tibetan Mastiff, Chow Chow or Chongqing.
As it is clear from the ancient documents found by researchers, the traditional Chinese Shar-Pei (a dog with a very different exterior from the modern Shar-Pei, called the "western" type in China) appeared on the territory of China during the times preceding the imperial Han dynasty (III century BC). The active breeding of these dogs was mainly carried out by the inhabitants of Guangdong province. This is evidenced by the stucco figurines, very similar to Sharpei, found by archaeologists during excavations on the territory of the province in the foothills of the Nanling mountain ranges. So, most likely, the breed leads its geographical origins precisely from this area in southern China.
Gradually, the dog, used by local peasants for grazing and guarding livestock and homes, as well as for hunting, spread throughout southern China. The local nobility paid little attention to these dogs, while the huge Tibetan mastiffs imported from Tibet were much more attractive to the elite.
There is an assumption that Shar Pei were also used in ancient China as fighting dogs, opposing various dogs of the Molossian group, supplied to the Celestial Empire from the Roman Empire. But, it is more likely that all these hypotheses about the fighting past are nothing more than idle fiction. No documentary confirmation of this has yet been found. But in the middle of the 20th century in Hong Kong, they really fought in the ring. And among them was even the famous champion - a fighting Shar Pei dog named "Iron Monkey" ("Iron monkey").
For a long time, Shar-Pei remained exclusively a peasant working and hunting dog, together with the population experiencing ups and downs, epidemics, famine and wars. Literally from the Chinese "shar-pei" - "sandy skin", which is associated with a yellowish-sandy color. The worst blow to the Shar Pei came from the Chinese Communists who seized power in China in 1949 and imposed exorbitant taxes on dog owners. And during the glorious "Cultural Revolution", when the leader of the communists Mao Zedong declared all domestic cats and dogs "a symbol of uselessness," taking a course to exterminate domestic animals, by 1960 there were no such animals left in the country.
The revival of the breed began only in 1965 with dogs that have survived on the territory of the island of Taiwan and in the special administrative region of Macau. In 1966, the Lucky Shar Pei was acquired by the American Herman Smith, and this dog became the first Shar Pei ever introduced into the United States. He was actually the "last Mohican" of an almost extinct breed. In 1968, the Shar Pei was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the rarest breed in the world.
In 1968, the Chinese Shar-Pei breed, despite its small number, was registered in the Hong Kong Kennel Club.
In 1971, a plan was developed by American and Chinese enthusiasts to rescue and revive the Chinese Shar Pei. To this end, during 1971-1975, breeders-rescuers S. M. Chan and Matgo Lowe searched for and bought the last surviving individuals of the species from the owners, which were taken to Hong Kong to the specially created Down-Homes nursery.
The efforts of the enthusiasts were not in vain, and already in December 1973 the first representatives of the revived breed were presented to a wide range of specialists at the famous Golden Gate Kennel Clab Show in the USA. The interest in the "new dog" was incredible, in 1973 alone, Down-Homes kennel received more than 2000 applications from those wishing to purchase such a non-standard dog.
In 1974, in the United States, in the state of Oregon, the Chinese Shar-Pei Club (CSPCA) was created, which issued in November 1976 the first pedigree for a dog brought from Hong Kong.
The first already specialized Sharpey exhibition was held in 1978, again in the USA (in the state of Illinois).
In 1979, the American standard for the breed was adopted, approved by the CSPCA as the "Chinese Shar Pei". The adopted standard hardly corresponded to the Chinese (Hong Kong) standard, which breeders Cheng and Low relied on, recreating the exterior of the species. And from that time on, the American version of the Shar Pei began to differ greatly from the Chinese one.
Since 1987, this species has lost the status of a rare breed for the United States (almost 6,000 individuals were registered in the country, and already in 1990 - almost 40,000 Shar-Pei).
In October 1991, the breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Clab. At the moment, Shar Pei under various breed names is recognized in addition to the USA by the national clubs of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Russia and the UK.
In 1999, the breed was entered in the Studbook of the International Cynological Federation (FCI) (the last breeding standard was approved in April 1999).
Purpose and use of the Shar Pei breed
Sharpei have been used since ancient times in China for protection, hunting for big game and even as herding dogs. In Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, the dog became famous for his fighting qualities, performing in the ring in dog fights.
Nowadays these representatives are more often a show dog or a companion dog (especially in Europe, USA or Russia). Often he can also be found as a guard or guard dog, protecting the home or the territory of the estate.
Shar Pei Exterior Standard Description
The animal is a rather large, but compact dog with an active temperament and a completely unique appearance. Its one pear-shaped or melon-shaped head with small ears is worth something, and even complete with a mass of amazing and such cute folds of skin, all this amazing and memorable exterior makes the Shar Pei a truly unique dog that remains in memory for a long time, which is difficult to confuse with any or any other breed.
The dimensions of an adult dog reach 51 centimeters, and the body weight is 35 kg.
It should be noted that at present there are two main types of Shar-Pei, which differ significantly not only in purpose, but also in exterior. Most European canine organizations recognize this apparent difference and take it into account when evaluating it. The Americans, on the other hand, do not make divisions in principle. Well, the Chinese (as well as the breeders of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) divide these dogs in their own way, dividing the traditional type and its western counterpart.
They call the first type of dogs (literally translated from Chinese) - "bone-mouth", and the western version - "meat-mouth". The "bone-mouthed" sharpei are animals of high stature, tucked up, with few folds, with a more square-shaped head and much better adapted to the most common everyday dog work.
The "meat mouths" include dogs of the American type, smaller in stature, with a more rounded muzzle, with an abundance of folds and almost useless in practical work. There is also a third type, recently bred by breeders - mini Shar Pei or, as it is sometimes called, mini-Pei. This third option has a huge number of skin folds throughout the body, which does not diminish even with age (unlike other types). Well, the purpose is already exclusively decorative, without any official duties.
But let's move on to the exterior standard, supplementing it with some Chinese descriptions.
- Head in Shar Pei it is large, massively voluminous and not proportionally large in comparison with the body. "The head … looks like a pear or a melon." The skull is flat and broad.
- Muzzle the dog is wide from the base to the nose (like a hippopotamus), with a "pillow" in the area of the nose. The nose is large and wide, black (usually). There are a lot of folds on the head and muzzle ("… the wrinkled face of an elderly person"). Lips, tongue, palate and gums - blue-black (let's say a pinkish-spotted tongue). The lips are fleshy. The jaw is strong with a scissor bite.
- Eyes almond-shaped, dark in color, having a gloomy, displeased expression.
- Ears thick, small, triangular in shape, set high and funny - "… like a clam shell."
- Neck powerful, "like a bison", medium size, folds of skin under the throat are not too abundant.
- Torso Molossian square type. Skin folds should not be numerous in adults (it is desirable that they be only in the area of the withers and base of the tail). The chest is wide and developed. The back is "… like a shrimp, strong and flexible." The belly is tucked up enough.
- Tail thick at the base and set very high (breed characteristic), not covering the anus at all. May be severely curved, carried over the back, or twisted. "The tail is like a wire, hard, with a steep curl."
- Limbs in a Shar Pei with a strong bone, "… thick, muscular and straight, the front ones are like those of a dragon, widely spaced, emphasizing the width of the chest." "The metacarpus is like a head of garlic - thick, hard, with fingers like cloves of garlic."
- Wool "Tough and prickly to the touch, like a horse's fur." At the same time, there are three types of wool: "horse" (horsecoat); "Brush" or "brush" (brushcoat) and "bearish" (bearcoat). Wool has no undercoat and reaches a length (depending on the type) - from 1 to 2.5 centimeters.
- Color wool is no longer "sandy". There is a whole palette of options: black, red, blue, "fawn", sable and isabella (all have black pigment that can blacken the entire face or only "masks" of the dog). The dilute group of colors (without black pigment) is also widespread: chocolate, isabella, lilac, sable, red, apricot and pale cream colors.
The presence of darker shades of color along the back and on the ears of the animal is acceptable.
Shar Pei character
Shar Pei is a strong, agile and fearless dog, hiding its obstinate and dominant character, as well as fighting talents behind a cute appearance. He is loyal to his master, but is suspicious of strangers and extremely negative towards other dogs, seeking to prevail in communication with them.
Such a dog gets along well with the owner's children, but he can growl at strangers, which makes him not very pleasant to talk to. Yes, and the eternally frowning and gloomy look of the animal sometimes frightens off the younger generation no less than a formidable roar, forcing them to fear such a "gloomy" dog.
Representatives of this breed are not as affectionate as it might seem (except that the mini-pei is more benevolent). They are quite capricious and stubborn. At the same time, they are proud and do not like the familiar attitude towards themselves. And even more so, they do not forgive insults. Shar Pei is strong, decisive and courageous, and therefore is able to stand up for himself and for his owner (with appropriate training). To eliminate problems in the future, the dog needs early socialization under the guidance of an experienced dog handler.
The dog is quite active and requires a long walk with the ability to play and run without a leash. And although, in general, the Shar Pei is quite balanced and disciplined, it is better to provide such an opportunity in places where there are no other walking dogs, otherwise a conflict between animals will definitely take place.
The mental abilities of the Shar Pei, according to the results of testing by British scientists, are at an average level. To master and accurately execute any new command, the animal needs time and repeated repetition of the training exercise (according to the test results: from 25 to 40 repetitions).
And, nevertheless, the Chinese Shar Pei is a wonderful companion for an experienced owner (unfortunately, the breed is not suitable for everyone). He is able to be a good watchman and guard, a loyal friend and reliable companion, responding with affection and discipline to the care of the owner.
Shar Pei dog health
The first, or rather the aboriginal Shar Pei, were quite robust animals. But the almost complete extermination of the species played a negative role. Subsequent breed revival required closely related inbreeding, which significantly weakened the health of the breed and rewarded the dog with a number of specific inherited predispositions.
Some of the most common problems include:
- predisposition to allergies of various etiologies;
- tendency to neoplastic diseases of internal organs;
- amyloidosis (violation of protein metabolism);
- dysfunction of the thyroid gland;
- ear diseases of varying severity;
- volvulus of the eyelids (entropy), which not only irritates the cornea, but can also lead to blindness;
- "tight lip" disease in puppies (2 to 7 months), often requiring surgery.
The average life span of Shar-Pei is small and reaches 8-10 years.
Sharpei care tips
Caring for a Sharpei is no more difficult than caring for any other similar breed. Therefore, everything here is pretty standard and common knowledge.
The only remark is that it is not necessary to lubricate the Shar Pei folds with an emollient cream, no "sweat marks" threaten him.
The diet of the animal deserves special attention. The dog is prone to allergies and needs a proven diet that does not cause problems.
Price of Shar Pei puppies, purchase features
The first purebred puppies appeared in Russia in the early 90s, and were brought to Leningrad and Moscow from nurseries in Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Initially, the dogs were not of high quality (with the exception of the dogs of the breeder Oleg Yushin, who specialized in outstanding producers). The demand for unusual animals was great. Accordingly, the prices of those years were high. So in 1994 a Shar Pei puppy cost 1200–1500 US dollars, and a year later - 3600–4500 US dollars. The peak of the popularity of such dogs in Russia came in 1996, which also affected the cost.
Nowadays, a good Shar Pei puppy can be easily bought not only in the capital cities, but also in the periphery. And this pleasure will cost you from $ 650 to $ 8000, depending on the class of the dog, its pedigree and show prospects.
Learn more about the Shar Pei content and personality traits in this video:
