The Shar-Pei is a little known dog in the West. And besides, it is one of the rarest breeds in the world. That way, maybe you want to know more about what animals of this breed are like!

By the way, the Shar-Pei is a dog that almost went extinct, but luckily, he is now safe!

So, to know all the details about how they behave, how much they measure, how much an animal of this breed costs, check the text below!

The Shar-Pei is a dog of Asian origin, more specifically in China! He is one of the oldest breeds in the world! It is likely to have appeared during the Han Dynasty, approximately in the year 200 BC.

In addition, the Shar-Pei was once considered the rarest dog in the world. By the way, he was in two editions of the Guinness Book, the book of records, as the rarest breed of dogs. This happened during the Chinese cultural revolution.

Furthermore, the Shar-Pei is a dog that descends from both the Tibetan Mastiff and the Chow-Chow. Thus, it is likely that it was used as a guard dog, a traction dog, in fighting practices, as a fighting dog and a hunting dog!

The Shar-Pei is a medium-sized dog, with a compact and robust physical constitution! In this way, its main physical characteristics are its small ear, its dark eyes, its rounded tail.

But, the main characteristic of a Shar-Pei is its wrinkled skin and thick layer of fat. Therefore, its name means: “sand skin” since the texture is rough and sandy!

This is because the coat of this breed is known as “horse hair”: short, thick and without undercoat. Furthermore, the Shar-Pei can have different coat colors, ranging from black to cream, passing through blue and fawn!

Despite the extremely cute appearance, this is a very domineering and stubborn dog! So, if it's not well trained and trained, you might have a hard time getting it to obey you.

By the way, the Shar-Pei is also an extremely intelligent, calm and peaceful dog. He is very affectionate with everyone who takes care of him and lives with him. Besides being protective and loyal. That is, this breed loves the company of the owner!

In addition, the Shar-Pei also works as a great guard dog, because, despite not barking much, it is always attentive and concerned about the presence of people and strange objects!

As this is one of the rarest breeds in the world, prices can be a bit steep! So, you can find Shar-Pei puppies ranging from R$2,500 to R$7,500 on the internet!

However, it is essential that you research the place where you are going to purchase your Shar-Pei puppy! This is because many breeders do not have adequate facilities or the correct treatment.

So dogs can end up suffering mistreatment! Whenever possible, visit the breeding site, talk to the owners and understand how the space works. That way, you guarantee animal welfare and avoid undue crossings!

Furthermore, you can always choose and consider adopting animals! Despite being a difficult breed to find, you can look for Shar-Peis for adoption. This is a recommended practice to help abandoned animals!

As we said, this is a compact and robust breed. Thus, their size can vary between 45 and 55 centimeters, taking into account both males and females!

In addition, the weight of the Shar-Pei dog can be between 18 and 30 kilograms, also taking into account both males and females of the breed.

For this reason, it is recommended that interaction with children be encouraged from an early age. However, be careful with younger children, as this breed can end up injuring them unintentionally!

Now about the life expectancy of the Shar-Pei dog, he can live between 8 and 12 years! What is not so much compared to other breeds of animals!

This happens, in part, because the Shar-Pei has some diseases typical of the breed, such as Shar-Pei Fever. This is an autoimmune genetic disease. The dog will show inflammation throughout the body, usually in the hock.

In addition, this breed of dog can have hip problems, the infamous hip dysplasia. In addition, some diseases in the eyes are also common, entropy, which the eyelid becomes inverted, which can lead to the pet's blindness!

So, as we explained, the Shar-Pei is a dog that can end up developing or manifesting some diseases. In this way, the most recommended thing is to take the animal frequently to the veterinarian.

The most important thing about caring for a Shar-Pei is that although he is a calm dog, he needs to expend his energy! So, the ideal is to take a daily walk with your future pet, if not, he can get agitated and even aggressive.

In fact, the Shar-Pei needs little to get tired and soon wants to take advantage of the opportunity and regain energy. Also, it's important to clean your pet's eyes daily to avoid eye diseases!

Furthermore, it is very important to train a Shar-Pei dog. This is because, despite being extremely intelligent, he is very stubborn. So the more often you get him into reward training the better.

Thus, the Shar-Pei will learn to receive commands correctly and will become easier to deal with, especially in situations outside the home.

In addition, coexistence with other animals, objects and people is fundamental from an early age, so that the animal becomes calmer and loses a little the characteristic of a guard dog.

Due to the amount of folds and excess fat in a Shar-Pei dog's skin, the ideal thing is that they don't take so many baths. Once every month and a half is enough to keep it clean. 

Also, when drying your pet after a bath or after a rain, for example, it is essential that you dry the body very carefully, preventing the folds from remaining damp.

This is because this situation is conducive for fungi to settle in and begin to harm the dog's coat, which requires frequent brushing. Furthermore, it is important to protect your Shar-Pei from the heat!

Did you see how the Shar-Pei is a great option for anyone who wants a pet in an apartment full of love and care? But, if you want, we can introduce you to other dog breeds for you to learn more about!

Have you heard, for example, of Alabai? This is the Central Asian Shepherd Dog that can weigh up to 100 kilograms! In other words, it is a large dog. Thus, this is the ideal pet if you have a house with a large yard!

Just like the Shar-Pei, the Alabai is also an Asian dog! So, if you want to know more about where this breed came from and its main characteristics, check out more by clicking on the following link!