The Shar Pei was used for hunting wild boar, and protecting the livestock from predators, but mostly he served as guardian of his master's home. Over 2,000 years ago the Shar Pei was prized as the all-purpose, general utility dog kept by peasant farmers in the southern Provinces of China, bordering the South China Sea. The Cantonese still prefer the larger size dog which they call 'High Head Big Horse” Since 1949, the traditional Shar Pei has lost its size, becoming smaller in stature. The mouth when viewed from the top should either be in the shape of a roundish roof tile, commonly known as 'Roof Tile Mouth' or should be shaped with a wide jaw in the shape of a toad's mouth, known appropriately as 'Toad Mouth.' Both types of mouths were developed to give the dog a firm bite. While the marking of 'Longevity' appears in the large cat family such as tigers and lions, it only appears in the mastiff breeds of canines. The wrinkles on the forehead form a marking which closely resembles the Chinese symbol for Longevity. The Chinese describe the Shar Pei head as 'Wo Lo Tau' or 'Calabash'-shaped head. Because Hong Kong is the first and only place of origin from which these dogs were originally shipped to other parts of the world, the Hong Kong Kennel Club has a natural desire to protect and promote this breed. Prior to the mid-1960's there were sufficient numbers of the traditional type of Shar Pei in Hong Kong.

This was, fortunately for the breed, eventually ceased after other fighting breeds were brought into China from the West. These dogs were, however, at one time bred and used mainly by the working class Chinese and gamblers for the fighting ring. It is interesting to note that the Chinese call any dog which is used to protect property or people as 'fighting dogs' unlike the UK or US designation as 'working dogs'. Known in China for the past two thousand years, the Shar Pei is a hunting and watchdog, originating in a region near Guangzhou (Canton) in the village of Dai Lek. Regardless of whether one is referring to one dog or to several, the word is still the same 'Shar Pei' since the Chinese language has no plurals. Wrinkles', the Shar Pei has been likened to a dog wearing very baggy clothes. Pronounced 'shah pay', this dog's name means 'sandy paper' or 'sand skin' and should have a bristle feel to its coat.

Sharpay dog breed