916-412-9525
California Shar-Pei
Breeder AKC Champion Chinese Shar-Pei
TRADITIONAL
200B.C.
Western
Present Day
The name "Shar-Pei" itself literally means "sand-skin", but translated more loosely as "rough, sandy coat" or"sand-paper-like coat" and refers to the two distinctive qualities of the Shar-Pei coat - roughness and shortness - which make the breed unique in the dog world. The Shar Pei has a blue- black tongue, along with the most recognizable feature of the breed, the rolls of loose skin that create wrinkles around their faces, necks, and bodies. The breed was introduced to the United States by a Hong Kong breeder in the early 1970's.
In earlier times, they were praised for their hunting ability in China. Although they were also known as Chinese Fighting Dogs for hundreds of years, they were only used for pit fighting occasionally.
The history of the Chinese Shar-Pei in modern times is incomplete. However, it is known that following the establishment of the People's Republic of China as a communist nation, the dog population of China was essentially eliminated. No dogs were seen in the cities, and few dogs remained in the countryside. During this period a few Chinese Shar-Pei were bred in Hong Kong, BC and in the Republic of China
Statues bearing a strong resemblance to the Shar-Pei have been discovered and dated to this period. More recently, a Chinese manuscript of the 13th century has been translated; it refers to a wrinkled dog with characteristics much like those of the Shar-Pei.
Somewhere along the line, an outcross or two were introduced. Some probabilities are the Chow Chow, the Bull Mastiff, the Boxer, and the Bull Terrier.
They are physically well equipped for combat. But as the Chinese found out, the Shar Pei does not have much heart for fighting, being basically friendly, affectionate, and amicable. The Shar Pei started out as a working farm dog, and was also a herder and companion. Very reliable, the Shar Pei became known as "Service Dogs" because they did their job so well.
The Chinese Shar-Pei, an one of the few ancient and unique breeds, is thought to have originated in the area around the small village of Tai Li in Kwangtung Province, and has existed for centuries in the southern provinces of China, apparently since the Han Dynasty (c. 200 B.C.).

The breed was recognized by the Hong Kong Kennel Club until about 1968. Subsequently the Hong Kong and Kowloon Kennel Association established a dog registry and registered the Shar-Pei. This organization still registers the breed today as do other registries in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, as well as organizations in Europe, Canada and Great Britain.
​The American Dog Breeders Association registered a Chinese Shar-Pei for J.C. Smith on October 8, 1970. The Chinese Shar-Pei Club of America, Inc. (CSPCA), held its first organizational meeting in 1974, and the club has been in continuous existence since that time. The first Annual National Specialty Show was held in 1978 and successive national shows have been held each year. The Club's primary purpose was to promote the breed, maintain the stud book registry and to provide a standard for the breed.
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On May 4, 1988 the Chinese Shar-Pei was accepted in to the American Kennel Club (AKC) Miscellaneous Class. The CSPCA continued to represent the breed and operated the registry until the AKC accepted the breed into the Non-Sporting Group on August 1, 1992. The CSPCA continues to promote the best interests of the breed, maintains the Standard and serves as a Member Club of the AKC.
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