The Shar Pei: Lovable And Playful

by: MelissaColeman
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The Shar Pei is an ancient breed from the ancient land of China and it is famous for its wrinkles, hippopotamus-like looks and a tongue that is a blue-black color. In addition, it has a rough and coarse coat that comes in three different types.

Puppies are known to have a lot of wrinkles, though with age, these wrinkles become ironed out. Also, for a while this breed was considered rare and was only recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1991.

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.

The Shar Pei is well known to have either one of three types of coats that are called brush, bear and horse. Though as strong as this breed is, it is still prone to suffer from health related problems, and this may be due it not having been bred in a responsible manner, because one of the more common ailments it has been known to suffer is the one known as entropion, which irritates the eyes because of eyelashes that curl inwards.

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.

In any case, despite its aggressive nature, and watchdog attributes, the Shar Pei will still be willing to learn and is thus amenable to being trained, though when things are repeated too often, it will easily get bored. All in all, you can expect great loyalty from your Shar Pei and it is also a very loving animal that will protect you, even though it is very independent by nature.

Hailing from the ancient land of China and more particularly from Guangdong province in that country, it is easily a wonderful fighter and even better watchdog, which was its main calling in the early years when it lived in China and served the Royal family as a watchdog. It is also fondly referred to as the "Golden Lion" and has even survived attempts at stopping its breeding altogether.

About the Author

About the author: Melissa Coleman is an avid lover of the Shar Pei and owns a popular website that can teach you how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Shar Pei. Among other topics at this website, you can also learn all about Shar Pei Characteristics plus a whole lot more.  

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