The descent of both the Shar Pei and the Chow Chow is supposed to be the same, because they both have black-blue tongue. They are also famous for their wrinkles. If you take the history of these dogs, it is said that, these dogs were used as guards in Chinese empires and after that they were used to fight. Because of this fighting character they were popularly called as Chinese Fighting Dogs. Shar Pei means Sand Skin, because their coat is very rough and short. The Shar Pei puppy looks very cute with a lot wrinkles on it, but when they begin to grow, the wrinkles smoothen out and become skin.

Their ears are small and have a very unique triangular shape. They have a feature which looks just like a hippo. Their weight is around 40 to 45 pounds and their height is around 18 to 20 inches. You will find the Shar Pei in different types of coats; they have the horse, brush and the bear coat. The proximate coat to the maiden Shar Pei coat is the horse coat, because it is very thorny and rough. Do not try petting this dog in the opposite direction of the fur, because you will get yourself hurt. But, if the dog has the brush coat, then nothing to worry, because its texture would be very soft and smooth, the length of the hair is also a bit longer. Just regular brushing will do for these kinds of dogs. And they have a wide variety of colors like the chocolate, cream, black, reddish brown and cream.

Again their wrinkle pattern differs, and they are of two kinds. One kind is where the wrinkles appear only on the face of the dog and not on the body. The skin is pretty tight on the body. Whereas the other kind has wrinkles all over the body, even when they become adults it remains. It looks very good, when the wrinkles falls as folds on their body.

The food to be given to this breed is usually 1.5 cups of meat or around 3 cups of dog food, which is available at pet stores. But when you buy them, make sure that the food contains all the necessary minerals and vitamins in them.

Good training has to be provided to this breed of dogs, as they become very furtive when it comes to strangers. Over the years, this breed has proved to be very dedicated and affectionate family dog. Even though they are considered to be very self-governing sometimes they stay aloof. These dogs have to be trained from the time they are puppies, if this is not done at the right time, they can become very restricted and hostile. By nature these dogs are perfect watch dogs. They will keep a watch on the strangers, when their masters are not around and act as excellent protectors of the family.

While training is provided to these dogs, you should make sure they are not spoiled. This breed of dogs, tend to get bored very easily, therefore, the trainer has to try different techniques to teach the dog.