SHAR - PEI

The shar – pei, or sand dog in English, is the most emblematic breed in China, to which magical behaviors and several legends have been attributed, one of them assuring that it is the last soul occupant, before it lodges in man’s body. It is believed that this dog’s ancestors have lived since the Han dynasty, from 20 centuries ago, because of the finding of some clay pieces with figurines very similar to the current breed. In the 1980 Guinness Record site considered the most rare and expensive dog in the world.

The head’s length is almost as much as the distance from the stop to the nose.

They were very appreciated in ancient times, since very similar animal statues have been found in emperors’ tombs. It was a very polyvalent animal that fought in dog fights, helped farmers by looking after the livestock or went along with farm workers in field chores keeping an eye on the crops. For a long time it has been just a company dog.

PHYSICAL TRAITS of the SHAR - PEI
Its height varies between 46 and 51 cm with a 16 to 21 kg weight. It has short fur and separated from the skin, black, suede, red or cream colored, with lighter tones at the tail and back limbs. It has a wide and strong chest. It has a large head with a lot of creases around the face, a defined stop, and black nose or conditioned to the color of the coat, the triangular ears, drooped towards the face and small, dark eyes. In a pure breed, the tongue should be dark blue.

It is not as ancient as the Pekingese, but its origin is believed to be in the Tibetan mastiff and the chow chow.

TEMPERAMENT AND ADAPTATION of the SHAR - PEI
It usually is a one master dog, devoting itself to him or her and the family with loyalty and affection, but it is not trusting towards people that don’t live with it. It is intelligent, proud and independent. It is very well behaved although, occasionally, it can demonstrate a strong temperament, without making it aggressive. Although it is considered one of the rarest dogs in the world, it adapts to the home without problems, be it in a garden or in an apartment.

EXERCISE AND CARE required for a SHAR - PEI
Being it a typical company animal, not expected to perform any kind of work, care as well as exercise are the same as those dedicated to a pet with this characteristics, but due to the little knowledge about it in the Occident, it is better to consider the corresponding federation.