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Sharpei
Dog Breed Information
The Chinese Shar-Pei, an ancient and unique breed,
is thought to have originated in the area around the small village
of Tai Li in Kwangtung Province, and has existed for centuries in
the southern provinces of China, apparently since the Han Dynasty
(c. 200 B.C.). Statues bearing a strong resemblance to the Shar-Pei
have been discovered and dated to this period.
More recently, a Chinese manuscript of the 13th century has been
translated; it refers to a wrinkled dog with characteristics much
like those of the Shar-Pei. The name "Shar-Pei" itself
literally means "sand-skin", but translated more loosely
as "rough, sandy coat" or "sand-paper-like coat"
and refers to the two distinctive qualities of the Shar-Pei coat
- roughness and shortness - which make the breed unique in the dog
world.
The Shar-Pei shares another distinctive characteristic with only
one other breed, the Chow-Chow, in having a blue-black tongue, which
may indicate an ancestor common to both breeds. However, proof of
such a relationship is difficult.
Regal, alert, intelligent, dignified, lordly, scowling, sober and
snobbish, essentially independent and somewhat standoffish with
strangers, but extreme in his devotion to his family. The Shar-Pei
stands firmly on the ground with a calm, confident stature
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