Shar Peis Love Their Families

The Mini Shar Pei is seventeen inches in height and cannot exceed that height in order to be considered a Mini Shar Pei. They will have either the horse or brush coat that cannot be longer then one inch on the back. They have tiny triangular ears and look like miniature hippopotamuses. Mini Shar Peis can only be a solid color with a bluish or black tongue. The colors range from red, fawn, black and brown. The puppies are completely wrinkled with the adults taking the brunt of the wrinkles in the face and neck area while only some wrinkling will be on the body. There are some Mini Shar Peis that are tight skinned, with only wrinkles on the face.

Mini Shar Peis come from a recessive gene in the DNA and not some physical malady as was once thought. There has been a Miniature Shar Pei Club formed to ensure the correct breeding of the Mini Shar Pei dogs. Once only found from rescue groups, Mini Shar Peis are now more accessible for the public to purchase.

The Shar Pei is short and broad and square in proportion of his body length to his height. The most noticeable characteristic is the tight wrinkling around his face. The Shar Pei was originally bred in China as a fighting dog. They still carry to this day a suspicion of strangers and will always bark at a new face. They are naturally independent and reserved and are fiercely loyal to their owners and family.

They make great family pets because of the love they have for their family. Shar Peis need to be socialized early or they will become easily aggressive with strangers. This is a throwback to their ancestors who worked as guard dogs. Even though these dogs are small they are very powerful when it comes to defending their own family from newcomers. But a Mini Shar Pei is very affectionate and friendly towards his family and can become very comical with them.

Originally the Mini Shar Pei defined its work. They were the official guard dogs for the royal Chinese family. Their bodies are suited very well for defense. They have small eyes and small triangular ears which are hard to grab and if someone grabs them they will get a handful of wrinkled skin which gives the dog time to turn around and bite. The nickname for the breed is the Golden Lion. At one time they were considered the rarest breed on earth. They have started to thrive over the last century and have become devoted and loveable family pets. Many wonder if maybe they were first bred as companion dogs rather than fighting dogs.

But the Shar Pei and Mini Shar Pei are becoming one of the most popular breeds of all time. As puppies these dogs are adorable to every eye and when sold in pet stores they do not last very long.

Melissa Coleman is a much in demand speaker on the subject of animal rights. Both of the Shar Pei types have the noticeable characteristic of wrinkles around the face. Shar Pei information can be found on the Internet and in encyclopedias.