Shar Pei

FCI standard Nº 309

Origin
China patronage : F.C.I.
Group
Group 2 Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossians and Swiss Mountain-and Cattledogs
Section
Section 2.1 Molossian, Mastiff type
Working
Without working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI
Tuesday 30 June 1981
Publication of the official valid standard
Wednesday 14 April 1999
Last update
Monday 09 August 1999
En français, cette race se dit
Shar Pei
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar
Shar Pei
En español, esta raza se dice
Shar Pei
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd
Shar Pei

Usage

Hunting- and watch-dog.

Brief historical summary

This Chinese breed has existed for hundreds of years in the provinces bordering the South China Sea. The town of Dialak in the province of Kwun Tung is probably the place of origin.

General appearance

Active, compact, short coupled and squarely built dog of medium size. Wrinkles over skull and withers, small ears and « hippopotamus » muzzle impart to the Shar Pei a unique look. Dogs larger and more powerful than bitches.

Important proportions

The height of the Shar Pei from withers to ground is approximately equal to the length of the body, from point of shoulder to point of buttock, especially in males.
The length from nose to stop is approximately equal to the length from stop to occiput.

Behaviour / temperament

Calm, independent, loyal, affectionate to his family.

Head

Cranial region

Head
Rather large in proportion to body. Wrinkles on forehead and cheeks continuing to form dewlap.
Skull
Flat, broad. 
Stop
Moderate.

Facial region

Nose
Large and wide, preferably black, but any colour conforming to general coat colour permissible. Wide opened nostrils.
Muzzle
A distinctive feature of the breed. Broad from root to tip of nose with no suggestion of tapering. Lips and top of muzzle well padded. Bulge at the base of the nose permissible.
Mouth
Tongue, roof of mouth, gums and flews : bluish black is preferred. Pink spotted tongue permissible. Solid pink tongue highly undesirable. In dilute-coloured dogs the tongue is solid lavender.
Jaws and teeth
Jaws strong with a perfect scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Padding of lower lip should not be so excessive as to interfere with the bite.
Eyes
Dark, almond-shaped with a scowling expression. Lighter colour permissible in dilute-coloured dogs. Function of eyeball or lid in no way disturbed by surrounding skin, folds or hair. Any sign of irritation of eyeball, conjunctiva or eyelids highly undesirable. Free from entropion.
Ears
Very small, rather thick, equilaterally triangular in shape, slightly rounded at tip and set high on the skull with tips pointing towards eyes; set well forward over eyes, wide apart and close to skull. Pricked ears highly undesirable.

Neck

Medium length, strong, set well on shoulders. The loose skin under the neck should not be excessive.

Body

Body
Folds of skin on body in mature dogs highly undesirable except on withers and base of tail, which show moderate wrinkling.
Topline
Dips slightly behind withers; then it rises slightly over loin.
Back
Short, strong.
Loin
Short, broad, slightly arched.
Croup
Rather flat.
Chest
Broad and deep, brisket reaching the elbow.
Underline and belly
Rises slightly under the loin.

Tail

Thick and round at the root, tapering to a fine point. The tail is set very high, a characteristic feature of the breed. May be carried high and curved, carried in tight curl or curved over or to either side of the back. Lack of or incomplete tail highly undesirable.

Limbs

Forequarters

Generality
Forelegs straight, moderate length, good bone. The skin on forelegs shows no wrinkle.
Shoulders
Muscular, well laid and sloping.
Pastern
Slightly sloping, strong and flexible.

Hindquarters

Generality
Muscular, strong, moderately angulated, perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other when viewed from the rear. Wrinkles on upper thighs, lower thighs, rear pasterns as well as the thickening of the skin on hocks undesirable.
Hock
Well let down.

Feet

Moderate size, compact, not splayed. Toes well knuckled. Hindfeet free from dewclaws.

Gait and movement

The preferred gait is trot. The gait is free, balanced, active with good forward reach and strong drive from the hindquarters. The feet tend to converge to a center line when the speed increases. Stilted gait undesirable.

Coat

Hair
A distinctive feature of the breed : short, harsh and bristly. The coat is straight and offstanding on the body, but generally flatter on the limbs. No undercoat. The coat may vary in length from 1 cm to 2,5 cm. Never trimmed.
Colour
All solid colours acceptable except white. Tail and rear part of thighs frequently of a lighter colour. Darker shading down the back and on the ears permissible.

Size and weight

Height at withers
44 - 51 cm at withers (17,5 - 20 ins).

Faults

• Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Serious faults

 Deviation from a scissor bite (as a transitory measure, a very slightly overshot mouth is permissible).
 Snipy muzzle.
 Spotted tongue (except pink spotted tongue).
 Large ears.
 Low set tail.
 Coat longer than 2,5 cm.

Abnormalities

 Aggressive or overly shy.
 Flat foreface with badly overshot bite; undershot bite.
 Solid pink tongue.
 Lower lip rolled in, interfering with the bite.
 Round, bulging eye.
 Entropion, ectropion.
 Skin, folds or hair disturbing the normal function of the eye.
 Pricked ears.
 Absence of tail; stumpy tail.
 Heavy folds of skin on body (except withers and base of tail) and limbs.
 Not a solid colour (albino, brindle, patches, spots, black and tan, saddled pattern).

Important

REMARK
Any artificial physical alteration to the Shar Pei (in particular lips and eyelids) eliminates the dog from competition.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

https://www.fci.be/

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