The Shar Pei, which traces its roots back to China, has the striking features of deep wrinkles and a bluish black tongue. The older and older a dog gets, the wrinkles curiously get lesser and lesser. This dog was, for a time, one of the most rare dog breeds in the world. But all that changed with the introduction of this eye-catching breed to the US mainland. For all his strong and stubborn personality, a Shar pei is also unfortunately subject to quite a handful of ailments, such as eye conditions, skin problems, fever, kidney or liver disease.

Chinese shar pei were first intended for dog fighting in China. They have a protective personality, which comes packaged together with affection and loyalty. Nevertheless, these dogs are wary of those outside their intimate circle of family members. People with very sociable traits will also need to make the effort win over a shar pei. But at its core, the shar pei can't help being so on guard since it is constantly preoccupied with protecting its family.

The disposition and character of the shar pei dog is also the focus of many breeders. Breeders, of course, are responsible for thoroughly investigating and sizing up the healthiest temperaments. Otherwise, a breeder ends up bringing in a liability into a family, together with a lot of frustration. In fact, potential dog owners with laidback personalities and active social lifestyles may want other dog breeds besides the shar pei.

We currently know of three distinct types of shar pei temperaments, and these are the dominant, the submissive, and the independent. Some shar pei dogs demonstrate an overlapping of personality traits, but this is rare. Dominant shar pei dogs are notable for being confident and very assertive. But dominant puppies may turn out aggressive if not handled and trained properly. This type of dog is ideal for a dog owner with a solid personality with advanced handling skills.

The submissive shar pei seem more obedient than the rest. But their lack of self-confidence and timidity in trying out unfamiliar experiences may result to difficulty in training. Continuous socialization will be needed, otherwise these types of dogs may end up being violent due to nervousness or as a defensive response.

The last of these three is the independent, which must be the most difficult to train. The shar pei dog with other two personalities shows independent tendencies too, but this last type cannot relate with their owner's human authority.

At the root of the shar pei's training difficulty is their conspicuously stubborn attitude. Despite possessing strength of character, loyalty and intelligence, they are also capable of aggression and defensive behavior when near a stranger. Training them indeed entails all the determination and commitment you are capable of mustering!