Chinese Shar-Pei..Anyone have any experience with them?

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

I've never owned a Shar Pei, so all my experience is with other people's dogs in training or boarding at facilities. I had one good friend of my family who had one, I never met her but reportedly the only one I have ever had the pleasure of knowing about that wasn't somewhat of a nasty temperamented dog.

They are definately not a "Golden-type" personality. They are aloof, to the extreme (it is in their standard as somone said, aloofness is also in the GSD standard but you don't see that quality often in the breed). Aloofness means the dog won't do much around an invited stranger but show some mild interest. No attention seeking and no laying lovingly at a guests feet. I actually like that trait in my own dogs. That natural aloofness can lead to some issues if the dogs are not socialized correctly. A naturally aloof dog isn't going to accept people unless they are super socialized because they aren't interested in strangers in the first place.

Aggression is an issue in the breed, and I have seen lots and lots of them. I think its more of a problem of people NOT respecting a dog that acts aloof -- most Americans can't stand when a dog doesn't fall all over them upon meeting. We tend to invade space of dogs and push ourselves on them if we don't get the "right" response when meeting a dog. So the Shar-pei is misunderstood a lot of times and that gets us in trouble and they WILL bite when pushed too far. I don't know how many times I have seen this situation: Shar Pei comes in for boarding at a facility. Dog is aloof but not aggressive in his/her kennel. Kennel staff insist on petting the dog. Dog bites kennel staff. See? we just hate it when a dog doesn't look at us like a fast friend upon first meeting lol.

I have handled a lot of them. Its not a dog I have ever had interest in for various reasons, but many people fancy them a lot! I think to own a Shar-Pei is to know a Shar-Pei. Just doesn't strike me as a breed that you'd get to know well unless you know one really really well.

 

[WIChookchick]

We have had two sharpei mixes. The first had the eye entropy, and had to have eye surgery, she was a sharpei/hound mix, we lost her to the tainted dog food recall a few years ago.
She was a super friendly dog, however our ACD was terrified of kids, so one would go to the kids, while the other wanted to run away.

Its that way with our current sharpei mix, she is sharpei and lab. We know her mother was a pure sharpei, and most people think she is a purebred.
She is a one family dog, she is terrified of kids, she was man handled by children too much as a puppy, or worse. She is slow to like people but once she
decides she likes you, she may woofle at you once and when you sit on the couch you are her friend!
She does have a bit of the skin allergy issue, but we keep it at bay mostly with diet and baths. Her biggest issue is she loves to roll in stinky things....
She is one heck of a herding dog, and as a older puppy chased fish around a flooded corn field!
Here are some pics of her.
Lexi

Yes she was a little overweight in this pic, but has lost the weight!

Lexi as a puppy the day I brought her home!!

Our other sharpei mix- Sasha (gone in person but with us in spirit and Lexi!)

 

[Moabite]

Maybe it is just me, but it seems that Shar Pei's, Chow chows, and Akitas are the same dogs with different suits on. If I had to choose between the three, it'd be the Akita, but only if my situation was such that we could both be happy.

I've known Shar peis to suffer diaper rash and eye lid problems too. Chows need too much brushing and the worst I've heard of Akitas is about one that would chew through chain link fencing to devour cats. All the akitas I've met however, have been good dogs, but their masters were dedicated to say the least.

I had a chow-GSD-malamute-mutt that was supurb. Mixed breeds tend to have less issues. Best dog I've ever had was a GSD-Rottie cross. She was an angel.

 

[claud]

I've had Shar Pei for many years. I currently have a 6 yr old blue male, 75 lbs who is very friendly but I have worked with him extensively to get him that way. Our vet said he has the best temperment of any Shar Pei they met(they have not met many). He loves older kids but not so much toddler(or younger) age.

They are very protective and make great watch dogs.
In my experience they make great house pets - one of the EASIEST breeds to housebreak, very clean dogs(my dog will never walk in a mud puddle - he hates it - lol). He gets a bath weekly and doesn't smell any worse than labs I've known although he does get itchy if it goes to long - I think the itchiness comes from the way their hair stands and their skin wrinkles under. You have to watch their ears - need cleaned out regularly. They are medium energy.

It depends what kind of dog you are looking for. If you want lab-friendly type or trainable border collie type forget a Shar Pei. You really need to research the breed because they are not an "easy" breed temperment-wise. They are really independent. You need constant "pack-leader" mentality in your home with every member of the family.

If I was going to choose a breed it wouldn't be a Shar Pei(because of their temperment) - it's my husband's breed choice. He is a great dog but I just would rather not have to work so hard to have a friendly dog.

Check out this website for a fairly accurate review.

http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/chinesesharpei.html


This is Boris. He actually LOVES people but can be a bit intimidating.

 

[claud]

Quote:
Also want to add that my dog drools - a lot - but not all Shar Peis do.
And darn! Do they make CUTE puppies!

 

[x0311x]

The shar pei can be the most unique and rewarding breeds to own. A lot of people write about their flaws saying they are temperamental and bad with others. Those people, regardless of their experience with dogs are most likely biased a little ignorant and had bad experiences because they raised theirs like it was any other dog. The shar pei is one of the oldest breeds dating hundreds of years earlier than most breeds. Because of that they have evolved to better suit their Asian surroundings and lifestyles. These traits have also had much longer to develop and become engrained. A common misconception due to misunderstanding is that they are a stubborn and not very smart. They are actually extremely bright and complex animals in reality and they learn a lot by having a strong willed owner that can challenge them. You need to take into consideration that they're considered a fighting dog in China and because of their intelligence they like to observe longer until they warm up to things. Like a child you sometimes need to ease them into new relationships and let them decide on their time. My shar pei like most is insanely loyal which means they require constant socialization and reassurances. You'll notice even when sparring with other dogs they will stop to make sure your watching and respond highly to encouraging gestures. The more you cheer them on the more energy they'll put into the play, showing off for you and you being impressed gives them pride and happiness. My shar pei of 14 yrs was amazing with children and women but they tend to be guarded around other men because I'm the alpha in her pack. You should have people be calm and introduce themselves properly, they need to feel an established hierarchy. Like the Chinese they are creatures of complexity this is what makes these ancient and noble cuddlebugs so rewarding. If your looking for another pet and don't have the will or experience (with that specific breed) necessary to truly master then please don't buy one and if you bought one on a whim without the right knowledge and write negatively about them your just making it more difficult for a breed that almost went extinct to thrive and establish itself in this new world.

 

[Tlee12]

Rocco is my rescue Sharpei who is blind in one eye and the best thing I ever did was adopt him!Extremely loving gorgeous hair and zero skim problems as I always use cocout oil on him ....

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Rocco is my rescue Sharpei who is blind in one eye and the best thing I ever did was adopt him!Extremely loving gorgeous hair and zero skim problems as I always use cocout oil on him ....

What a handsome boy! And so sharp-looking in that coat.

Some years ago, I adopted a dog from the local shelter - he was a shar pei/pit bull mix. He was a wonderful, even-tempered but very protective, dog. His ears and tail were obviously shar pei, and he had a lot of skin around his neck like shar peis do, but he wasn't very wrinkly overall. The poor guy had a very prickly horse coat and it would leave you pretty irritated after snuggling with him...but it was worth it.