Shar Pei is a breed of dog whose distinctive feature is deep wrinkles. The name (沙皮, pinyin: shā pí) itself translates to "Sand Skin," not because of their colors, but because of their texture. As young puppies, they have lots of wrinkles, but as they mature, the wrinkles disappear as they "grow into their skin". They were not recognized by the American Kennel Club until 1991.

Appearance

The Chinese variety of Shar Pei looks like a Doberman Pinscher with small floppy ears, long legs, and a narrow face. Coming in many colors, it has the same characteristic blue-black tongue of the Chow Chow. The wrinkles are seen only on the face and back. Through selective breeding, the American variety of Shar Pei has very short, stubby legs, many wrinkles covering all of its body, and a wide "hippo face". The tail curls up and rests on the back.

Health

A common problem caused by irresponsible inbreeding is excessive wrinkling that causes an eye condition which turns the eyelashes inward, thus irritating the eye and possibly causing infection. Also common in the breed is skin infection, due to the folds and wrinkles.

History

The Shar Pei breed comes from the Guangzhou province of China where it was well-known as a fighting and guard dog. The dogs were bred with wrinkles for their advantages in fighting; if the dog was bitten on a wrinkle, it could still turn around and bite back. At one point they were close to extinction, and were listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as "The rarest dog in the world". Since then, however, the Shar Pei has begun to thrive in many parts of the world as an excellent family dog, due to their loving and devoted nature.