The Shar Pei dog, originally from China, has the unique features of deep wrinkles and bluish black tongue. When the dog is very young, it consists of more wrinkles than an adult Shar Pei does. There was a time when Time Magazine and the Guinness Book of World Records identified the Shar Pei as one of the most rare dog breeds in the world. Although many people report about the good health of their pet Shar Pei, the fact is that the Shar Pei is significantly vulnerable to certain health ailments such as painful eye conditions, allergy-induced skin complications, fever, kidney or liver disease.

Chinese Shar Pei dogs were originally bred for dog fighting in China. They have a very nice and protective personality, while being truly affectionate and loyal to the family. However, these dogs are somewhat suspicious about outsiders and they often take time to become comfortable visitors. Even people with highly sociable personalities need to make a real effort to have a good relationship with one. However, the Shar Pei has a penchant to protect its family and it does its best to guard family members from any undesirable incidence.

The personality of the Shar Pei needs to be taken under serious consideration. If breeders do not take enough care in this aspect, the buyers may end up with great frustration by having a puppy that wrong for the family. The breeders are solely responsible for analyzing and evaluating the personality of the Shar Pei dogs during the breeding time for it must be done with enough expertise and understanding. Even the owner's personality must be aligned with the personality of Shar Pei. Shar Pei is not a suitable dog for soft and tender people.

Dominant, submissive and independent are three types of distinctive personality types. In a few cases, these personality types may overlap in some dogs, although it is not a common occurrence. A Shar Pei with a dominant personality reveals confident and macho pet, best suitable for individual dog owner with a tough personality and avid learning aptitude for handling dogs. The dominant Shar Pei dogs may harm children and even adults while showing their dominance attitude.

The submissive Shar Pei dog may seem to obey more easily. However, they are in deed hard to train due to their lack of self-confidence and reluctant attitude to try out new things. This type of dog is a better choice for a multi-dog atmosphere. These types of dog can turn out to be violent out of fear or as a protective response, so continuous socialization is vital for them. The independent Shar Pei dog is probably the most difficult breed to handle. Although the Shar Pei with the other two personalities shows independent behavior, this type in particular never values their owner's authorization or any human relation.

Shar Pei dogs are sometimes difficult to train because of their stubborn attitude. Their training requires more determination and commitment. Although they have a strong, deterministic personality laced with devotion and intelligence, they sometimes turn out aggressive, defensive and intensely sensitive with the presence of stranger. As psychology suggests, personality is significantly influenced by genetic predisposition and since they have a natural genetic structure of being aggressive, you must consider buying the best compatible personality matching your lifestyle, personality and expectations.