Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Chinese Shar-Pei Breed Overview
- History of the Chinese Shar-Pei Breed. Where Chinese Shar-Peis came from
- What the Chinese Shar-Pei Looks Like
- How Much is the Chinese Shar-Pei Puppy?
- Best Chinese Shar-Pei Breeders
- Chinese Shar-Pei Growth
- The Temperament of the Chinese Shar-Pei
- How Long Chinese Shar-Peis Live
- Chinese Shar-Pei Litter Size
- How Fast Chinese Shar-Peis Can Run
- Good Names for Chinese Shar-Peis
- How Intelligent are Chinese Shar-Peis?
- How Popular are Chinese Shar-Peis with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Chinese Shar-Peis and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Chinese Shar-Pei
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Chinese Shar-Peis
- Other Things to Know About Chinese Shar-Peis
Chinese Shar-Pei Breed Overview
The Chinese Shar-Pei is a medium-sized dog.
The adult Chinese Shar-Pei stands 18 to 20 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Chinese Shar-Pei belongs to the Working Dogs group.
Dogs in the Working Dogs group, like the Chinese Shar-Pei, were developed to assist humans in some capacity – including pulling sleds and carts, guarding flocks, guarding homes, and protecting their families.
Breeds in the Working Group are known for their imposing stature, strength, intelligence, and fearless.
Because of their size and strength, working dogs require a structured home life and firm, fair, consistent training by someone who can provide leadership without resorting to anger or physical force.
The fact that the Chinese Shar-Pei belongs to the Working Dogs group is one of the reasons why Chinese Shar-Peis have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Chinese Shar-Pei is generally described as:
- Affectionate
- Devoted
- Independent
- Loving
- Reserved
- Suspicious
History of the Chinese Shar-Pei Breed. Where Chinese Shar-Peis came from
The Chinese Shar-Pei, thought to be a descendant of the Chow-Chow due to their blue-black tongue, has been depicted on pottery dating back to 206 B.
C.
They were used for hunting, guarding the family, herding livestock, and as ratters because they were strong and hardworking.
They were extremely strong and could work all day alongside their masters.
The Chinese believed that this dog`s wrinkles and dark mouth warded off evil spirits.
Once on the verge of extinction, the Chinese Shar-Pei (meaning sandy coat) was recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club in 1992, which aided in the breed`s spread.
The AKC now has over 70,000 dogs registered as foundation stock.
These dogs have ancient characteristics ingrained in their instincts.
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What the Chinese Shar-Pei Looks Like
The Chinese Shar-Pei is distinguished by its large body, large, square head, and wide muzzle.
They have a scissors bite and a blue-black tongue.
In a sea of wrinkles, their eyes are small and sunken.
They have triangular ears that are high-set and rounded at the tips.
This breed`s puppies have more wrinkles than adult dogs.
The coats of Chinese Shar-Peis come in three varieties: horse-coat, brush-coat, and bear-coat.
The bear-coat is a rare breed that is thought to be descended from Chow-Chows.
The American Kennel Club does not recognize the bear-coat as the breed standard, so the rarity is not something show dogs should have.
The horse-coat is also unique, rough to the touch, and extremely comfortable.
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How Much is the Chinese Shar-Pei Puppy?
The average price of a Chinese Shar-Pei puppy is $1590. The price of a Chinese Shar-Pei puppy ranges from $1100 to $2000.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Chinese Shar-Pei. These factors include what health records the Chinese Shar-Pei puppy has, the lineage of the Chinese Shar-Pei puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Chinese Shar-Pei based on the many factors that determine the price of the Chinese Shar-Pei puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Chinese Shar-Pei puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Chinese Shar-Pei breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Chinese Shar-Pei Breeders
We have researched reputable Chinese Shar-Pei breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Chinese Shar-Pei breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Ricketts Hill Kennel
Puppy Price: $1,250
Heather Fullmer
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Stacy Berry
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Blackwitch Farms
Puppy Price: $1800
B`LEE`S
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Chinese Shar-Pei Growth
New Chinese Shar-Pei owners need to know about the growth of their Chinese Shar-Peis. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Chinese Shar-Pei will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Chinese Shar-Pei early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Chinese Shar-Pei puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Chinese Shar-Pei at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Chinese Shar-Pei
The Temperament of the Chinese Shar-Pei
The temperament of the Chinese Shar-Pei based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Chinese Shar-Pei for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Chinese Shar-Pei here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 68.5 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 61.7 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 61.7 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 61.5 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 59.9 percent |
| Prey Drive | 58.3 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 51.5 percent |
| Energy Level | 48.3 percent |
| Excitability | 44.2 percent |
| Stubbornness | 38.1 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 32.3 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 31.6 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 31.4 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 21.4 percent |
How Long Chinese Shar-Peis Live
The lifespan of the Chinese Shar-Pei is typically from 8 to 12 years.
Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Chinese Shar-Pei. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 60 pet Chinese Shar-Peis lived.
From the study, it was found that Chinese Shar-Peis have an average lifespan of 6.29 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Chinese Shar-Peis to live as long as 16.5 years.
Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Chinese Shar-Pei to live long.
Chinese Shar-Peis live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
There are also dog supplements that you can give your Chinese Shar-Pei to improve your Chinese Shar-Pei`s quality of their life.
Click here to learn more about how to make your Chinese Shar-Pei live long.
Chinese Shar-Pei Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 17 different Chinese Shar-Pei birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Chinese Shar-Peis can have is 3 puppies. Also, the Chinese Shar-Pei can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 8 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Chinese Shar-Pei will have depends on factors such as the age of the Chinese Shar-Pei, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Chinese Shar-Pei will have and how the litter size of the Chinese Shar-Pei compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Chinese Shar-Peis Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 14 different Chinese Shar-Peis, the average speed of the Chinese Shar-Pei is 21.8 mph (35.0 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Chinese Shar-Pei ran in a race is 27.68 mph (44.5 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Chinese Shar-Pei is 15.34 mph (24.7 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Chinese Shar-Pei compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Chinese Shar-Peis
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Chinese Shar-Pei ranked by popularity:
- Bo
- Alexander
- Rambo
- Jasper
- Mykyta
- Arnold
- Gizmo
- Henry
- Todd
- Ned
How Intelligent are Chinese Shar-Peis?
| Chinese Shar-Pei | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 51 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Chinese Shar-Pei has an obedience intelligence rank of 51 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Chinese Shar-Peis in the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Chinese Shar-Peis tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Border Collie | 1 |
| Papillon | 8 |
| Rottweiler | 9 |
| Belgian Tervuren | 14 |
| Cocker Spaniel | 20 |
| Weimaraner | 21 |
| Belgian Malinois | 22 |
| Irish Water Spaniel | 24 |
| Cardigan Welsh Corgi | 26 |
| Giant Schnauzer | 28 |
| Welsh Springer Spaniel | 31 |
| Norwegian Elkhound | 36 |
| Affenpinscher | 37 |
| Dachshund | 49 |
| Skye Terrier | 55 |
| Pug | 57 |
| French Bulldog | 58 |
| Dandie Dinmont Terrier | 62 |
| Chow Chow | 76 |
| American Bulldog | 77 |
How Popular are Chinese Shar-Peis with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Chinese Shar-Pei.
The popularity of the Chinese Shar-Pei averaged over the years is Number 61 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Chinese Shar-Peis and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Chinese Shar-Pei is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Chinese Shar-Pei puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Chinese Shar-Pei breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Chinese Shar-Peis for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Chinese Shar-Peis here.
How to Take Care of Chinese Shar-Pei
To take good care of your Chinese Shar-Pei, you need to make sure that you groom your Chinese Shar-Pei regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Chinese Shar-Pei regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Chinese Shar-Pei`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Chinese Shar-Pei daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Chinese Shar-Pei.
Also, you need to feed your Chinese Shar-Pei high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Chinese Shar-Pei from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Chinese Shar-Pei and how much food to feed the Chinese Shar-Pei at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Chinese Shar-Pei has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Chinese Shar-Pei needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Chinese Shar-Peis
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Chinese Shar-Pei.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Chinese Shar-Pei:
- Chow Chow (63 percent match with Chinese Shar-Pei). Learn more about the Chow Chow here.
- Japanese Chin (62 percent match with Chinese Shar-Pei). Learn more about the Japanese Chin here.
- Mal Shi (62 percent match with Chinese Shar-Pei). Learn more about the Mal Shi here.
- Affenhuahua (62 percent match with Chinese Shar-Pei). Learn more about the Affenhuahua here.
Other Things to Know About Chinese Shar-Peis
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Chinese Shar-Pei that you need to know about the Chinese Shar-Pei breed: