The Chinese Shar-Pei (meaning “sand skin” in the Cantonese language) or Chinese Fighting Dog is an ancient fighting and working dog that originated in the Guangdong province of China. This distinctively looking breed had descended more than 2.000 years ago, probably from now extinct Taimyr wolves and ancient Spitz type dogs that once lived in the Northeast Asia. That’s why Shar-Peis have some identical genes to the Siberian Husky, Greenland Dog and Finnish Spitz. However, they have much more in common with Mastiff dogs, which suggests that at some point their ancestors had reached Southeast Asia and started interbreeding with Molossoides. The first historical evidence of this breed can be found in the statuary works of art from the period of the Han Dynasty (200 BC). During that time, Chinese emperors often kept these dogs as pets, but they were also used for fighting. However, some scientists are still unsure whether these statues represent Shar-Peis or Chow Chows. The second historical evidence of the breed is a written document from the 13th century that refers to a dog with the wrinkled skin. According to it, these dogs were then mainly kept by farmers, who had used them in various ways, such as property guardians, livestock herders and boar hunters. In that period, people were still using Shar-Peis as fighting dogs too, a trend that continued to this very day, especially in Tibet. Continue Reading →