Be Wary Of Shar Peis

When someone sees a Shar Pei for the first time, they commonly react, "My goodness – what is wrong with that dog?" Shar Peis have a distinctive look that you either love or hate. The puppies are deeply wrinkled all over their bodies, but lose most of the body wrinkles as they age. They keep almost all of the deep folds and wrinkles around the face. Their eyes are almost invisible, their ears are incredibly tiny and they usually drool most of the time. The breed standard prefers a head that looks too large for the body. These grow into massive dogs with solid muscle, making them look like a canine wrinkly-faced equivalent of Mike Tyson. They need plenty of exercise, especially if they are to live in an apartment. Their skin is usually so loose it looks as if you can fit another dog in it. If you come across a purebred Shar Pei with tight skin, it is still a purebred Shar Pei – just not one that can't be shown. The breed standard for Shar Peis (also called Chinese Shar Peis) described the ideal Shar Pei as standoffish. They should act superior, as if they know they are worth a lot more money than you are. This is not a breed that eagerly greets strangers or easily wags his tail. However, they can be affectionate and playful with their people, usually preferring one family member above the rest. Puppies need to be introduced to other dogs and other people very early in life in order for them not to be aggressive. The Shar Pei is thought to be descended from the Chow Chow, and, like the Chow Cow, has a blue-black colored tongue (the only breeds of dog to have this quirk). They are incredibly wrinkly when born (as puppies are kind of wrinkly anyway) and they tend to loose most of their body wrinkles as they mature. They usually retain a lot of wrinkles around the head. Their skin is usually loose. There is some strange Shar Pei information floating around, especially on the web, so you have to select your dog or puppy very carefully. Shar Peis need a lot of exercise – at least a vigorous half hour walk a day – but need little grooming. There are three kinds of coat lengths, only two of which are recognized by the American Kennel Club. These coats consist of the short "horse coat", the longer "brush coat" and the very rare "bear coat", which has hair longer than one inch. Only solid colored coats are permissible by the American Kennel Club, which means there are a lot of parti-colored and flower colored pureblood Shar Peis in North America looking for homes. They are solid and square dogs that are built a lot like Chow Chows. Their heads are usually large, but some average sized heads are permissible. Their chest is broad like a Rottweiler's with the forelegs spread widely apart. Their tails curl over the back. The Shar Pei usually gets along with kids and other pets except other dogs. Fewer Shar Peis would be abandoned if people knew more Shar Pei information before they brought a puppy home.