Shar Pei
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shar Pei | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Alternative names | ||
| Chinese Shar Pei Chinese Fighting Dog |
||
| Country of origin | ||
| China | ||
| Classification and breed standards | ||
| FCI: | Group 2 Section 2 #309 | Stds |
| AKC: | Non-Sporting | Stds |
| ANKC: | Group 7 (Non-Sporting) | Stds |
| CKC: | Group 6 - Non-Sporting Dogs | Stds |
| KC (UK): | Utility | Stds |
| NZKC: | Non-sporting | Stds |
| UKC: | Northern Breeds | Stds |
The Shar Pei is a breed of dog that originated in China and has the distinctive features of deep wrinkles and a blue-black tongue. The name (沙皮, pinyin: shā pí) translates to "sand skin," not because of color but because of texture. As puppies, Shar Pei have lots of wrinkles, but as they mature, the wrinkles disappear as they "grow into their skin". The American Kennel Club did not recognize the breed until 1991.
Contents |
[edit] Appearance
Shar Pei come in many colors but have the same characteristic blue-black tongue of the Chow Chow. Superabundant loose skin and wrinkles cover the head, neck, and body of puppies, but adult Shar Pei should grow into their skin so that these features are limited to the head, neck and withers. Improper breeding (detrimental to the health of the Shar Pei) produces adult dogs with wrinkles all over the body. Small ears, a muzzle shaped like that of a hippopotamus, and a high set tail also give the Shar Pei a unique look.
[edit] Health
A common problem caused by irresponsible breeding is a painful eye condition, entropion, in which the eyelashes curl inward, irritating the eye. Untreated, it can cause blindness. This condition can be fixed by surgery ("tacking" the eyelids up so they will not roll onto the eyeball for puppies or surgically removing extra skin in adolescent and older Shar Pei). Allergy-induced skin infections can be a problem in this breed caused by poorly selected breeding stock. Shar Pei fever is also a serious problem for the breed. The disease causes short fevers lasting up to 24 hours, after which there may be no recurrence or they may recur at more frequent intervals and become more serious. A possibly related disease is called amyloidosis, and is caused by unprocessed amyloid proteins depositing in the organs, most often in the kidneys or liver, leading to renal failure. At this time there is no test for these seemingly prevalent diseases.
Recently, dry foods have been formulated that are specifically made for breeds such as the Chinese Shar Pei that are prone to skin allergies or sores. Shar Pei whose food intake is restricted to these allergy-free dry foods and receive an antihistamine or two daily will enjoy much healthier lives with little or no skin irritation, itching, or sores common to the breed.[citation needed]
[edit] Temperament
The Shar-Pei is known for being an independent, intelligent, and snobbish breed. Nevertheless, the Shar Pei are extremely devoted, loyal and loving to their family. They are often reserved with strangers, which strengthens their guard dog skills. If badly socialized and trained it can become territorial and aggressive, if not, the Shar-Pei will have no temperament problems. The breed is easy to train, but because of their intelligence get bored from repetition. Overall, the Shar-Pei is a dog that is loyal and loving to their family while being independent.
[edit] History
The Shar Pei breed comes from the Guangdong province of China where it was well-known as a fighting and guard dog. It is suspected that due to the laid-back nature of the Shar Pei, the dogs had to be drugged to induce them to fight. Originally, the intense loyalty of the Shar Pei defined its work -- guarding the Chinese royal family. The dogs are ideally suited for defense; the small ears and deep-set eyes are tough to grab and if grabbed on the skin, the wrinkles enable the dog to turn around and bite back. Once Mao took over, he killed everything that had to do with the royal family, including the Shar Pei. 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, which shows that they were originally a utility and companion breed rather than a fighting breed.
DNA analysis has concluded that the Shar Pei is one of the most ancient dog breeds.
[edit] Famous Shar-Pei
- Lao-Tzu, Martin Prince's dog in The Simpsons, appeared in two episodes; "Bart's Dog Gets an F" and "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds".
- Fu Dog from the Disney cartoon American Dragon: Jake Long is a Shar Pei.
- Satchel, from the syndicated comic strip Get Fuzzy, is half yellow lab and half Shar Pei.
- Malcolm and Derek, from the TV version of Creature Comforts.
- A Shar Pei appears in the television show Lost as character Sun Kwon's pet, Bpo Bpo.
- In a British television advert for a 'Garnier' beauty product, a Shar Pei puppy is featured. The 'Garnier' advert is promoting an anti-wrinkle cream.
- Sharpay, a character in High School Musical who is rich and pretty. Her name is a homonym of Shar Pei. "I mean, come on, they named me after a flabby dog!" is a line stated by Sharpay in the stage version of "High School Musical"
- New Kids on the Block member Jonathon Knight had a Shar Pei named Nikko that went on tour with him and appeared in many magazine articles and pictures focused on the group.
[edit] Gallery
 Tao Lee Pei, a two month old Shar-Pei puppy sleeping |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
