The Shar-Pei is a compact, square, muscular dog with a blocky head that brings a hippopotamus to mind, tiny ears that lie against the head, and a short, curled tail. An adult weighs 40-55 pounds and is 18-20 inches at the withers. He has a deep chest, a top-line that dips slightly behind the withers and rises slightly over the loin. His feet are compact and his pasterns strong and flexible for shock absorption when he moves.

The Shar-Pei gait is strong and balanced, with plenty of rear-end drive and forehand reach.

The Shar-Pei's coarse, bristly coat gives him his name: Shar is a gritty type of sand, and pei is Chinese for dog. The distinctive coat comes in three types -- horse, brush, and bear. The horse coat is very short and harsh; the hair is straight and stands off from the body and can cause an irritating rash in some people. The brush coat is longer than the horse coat, but is just as harsh. The hair should be no longer than one inch at the withers. The dog can increase the nettle effect of this coat by raising his hackles when alert or excited.

The bear coat is too long and can be soft or wavy. Although attractive, this coat is not correct for the breed.

The Shar-Pei's wrinkled skin is a curious trait, most likely fixed in the breed because it protects the dog from injury by human or animal attackers. A mouthful or handful of prickly folds of skin is likely to discourage pit adversary and barbarian alike.

Wrinkles vary from line to line in the breed. Puppies are more wrinkled than adults; when the dog is full-grown, the heavy folds are gathered on the head, neck, and withers. Loose, saggy skin is incorrect for adults.

The Shar-Pei must be solid-colored to show in the breed ring, but piebald (pinto) dogs are sometimes seen. Colors include fawn (from light beige to golden tan); cream, black, red, chocolate, sable (hairs of two colors, one dark, one light), apricot, a dilute shade of red, and silver, a dilute shade known as blue in other breeds. Darker shading is acceptable on light colors.