Sharpei means “sand-skin” and refers to the special skin of this breed.
The Shar-pei has a strong and hard skin, while the coat is short and bristly. In the puppy phase, the skin shows tight wrinkles on the body that disappear later. Then only the wrinkles on the forehead and the withers remain. In essence they are very gentle and friendly animals. The Shar-pei can therefore rejoice in a growing interest. It is an intelligent breed and very loyal to its owner. The movement of the Shar-pei is free, harmonious and powerful.
General
The Shar-pei is a quadratically built, compact and quiet dog. Excessive skin around the body is very undesirable in adult dogs. The chest is broad and deep, while the back is short, straight and very strong. Horizontal backline. On the withers there is a slight wrinkling of the skin. The legs are strong and well-muscled. The shoulders are placed diagonally and the forelegs are of moderate length. The hindquarters are strong and muscular with moderate angulations. The jumps are low at the hind legs. The neck is strong and muscular with somewhat loose dewlap. The loose skin should not be excessively strong. Colour: All solid colours are permitted, with the exception of white.
Head and skull
The skull is round and large at the base, but flat and broad on the forehead. The wrinkles on the forehead should be clear, but should not interfere with the eyes. Moderately long snout, broad from the eyes and slightly narrowing towards the tip of the nose. Large, broad nose, preferably black in color, but lighter in color is allowed in lighter colored dogs. Preferably blue-black tongue. Powerful jaws. Average size of eyes, almond-shaped and dark coloured. Surrounding skin, or wrinkles should not interfere with the eyes. Small, thick ears in the shape of an equilateral triangle, slightly rounded at the tips. The tips of the ears are directed towards the eyes and folded against the skull. The ears are wide apart and close to the skull.
Tail
Set very high and preferably carried in a circle or semi-circle, pointing to one side. The tail is thick and round at the root and ends in a point. Feet: Moderately large, compact and firm. Well separated toes.
Hair
Short, hard, bushy and as straight as possible. No undercoat. Length should not exceed 2.5 cm. The coat should never be trimmed. The coat of the Shar-Pei is a peculiarity, it has a very special structure and no undercoat. The hair must feel extremely short, bushy and hard to the touch. This coat is called a horsecoat and can cause skin irritation in some people by “puncturing”. The slightly longer and softer coat, the so-called brushcoat, is also permitted. However, the hairs should not be longer than 2.5 cm.
Mouth shapes
There are two types of mouth: bonemouth and thicker meatmouth. Height at withers: Male and Bitch: 44-51 cm from the withers. Weight: 18-29,5 kg
Character and nature of the Shar-Pei
Good watchdog
Faithful – Gentle
Quirky
Intelligent
Very sweet to children
Independent
Very affectionate
The affection for “his family”, the remarkable intelligence and child-friendliness make the Shar-Pei a particularly fine house dog. Thanks to their extremely clean attitude, they can be house-trained very early and easily. Their personality and proud attitude make them, with their innate guarding instinct, a good defender of home and hearth. To strangers, they behave with restraint.
Other pets
Most Shar-Pei’s share their home with other dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, etc. Without any problems. Again, the warning applies that not every dog is the same or has been raised in the right way.
Appearance
The most appealing are the enormous wrinkles of the puppies. When they grow up, however, they grow for a large part “in their coat”, which reduces the number of wrinkles. However, what doesn’t disappear is the excellent character and that will undoubtedly make you forget the extra wrinkles.
