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Coat 
 Shar Pei comes in three different coat types; horse, brush
and bear coat. The unusual horse-coat is rough to the touch, extremely prickly
and off-standing and is closer to the original Shar Pei breed in appearance and
coat type than the Brush or Bear Coat.
This coat is fairly
prickly, and can be rough or irritating when petting in the opposite direction
of the fur. The Horse Coat is generally thought to be more active and
predisposed to dominant behaviour than the Brush Coat. The brush-coated variety
have slightly longer hair and a smoother feel to them. The Brush Coat is
generally considered to be more of a 'couch potato' than the Horse
Coat.
Unlike the two coat types above, the Bear Coat does not
meet breed standards and therefore cannot be shown. The coat is much longer than
the Brush and Horse Coat, so much so, in most cases you can't see the famous
wrinkles. A Bear Coat can occur in any litter.
This breed has
little to no shedding (see Moult).
The Chinese Shar-Pei is a
unique and intelligent dog most often recognized for its wrinkles. Initially
developed as a Chinese fighting dog, the breed does well today in obedience,
agility, herding and tracking, with skills that would have been needed on the
farm. Because the name "Shar-Pei" means "sand coat", harshness is a distinctive
feature in its two accepted coat types, either horse (short) or brush (up to an
inch long). Other unique qualities include black mouth pigment, a slightly
"hippo-like" head shape, small ears, deepset eyes and rising
topline.
All Shar-Pei, but especially the horsecoat need
early socialization with children, strangers, and other animals. Like other
fighting breeds they can be stubborn, strong willed and very territorial. Early
training can help control these traits before they become problem behaviors.
Some people may experience a sensitivity to the harshness of the coat of either
length. This is a mild, short lived rash, that can develop on the skin that has
been in contact with the coat, most commonly on the
forearms.
The brushcoat matures early to be a stocky strong
dog, therefore early socialization and training are essential in order to have a
dog that is a good family member as well as a welcome member of society. The
brushcoat is not always as active as the horsecoat and are often more content to
laze around the house. Like their horsecoat brothers they are strong willed,
stubborn and territorial but, these are often exhibited to a lesser degree. Both
coat types, brush and horse, are true Shar-Pei.
There is
another length of coat that a Shar-Pei can have. When both the male and female
carry the recessive gene for this coat type, it can occur. It is any coat that
is longer than 1 inch at the withers. This coat length is commonly called a
"Bear Coat." This coat length resembles the coat on a breed of dog called a
"Chow Chow." The personality of the bear coat is very much like that of a brush
coat.
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