February 26, 2009

Traditional Shar Pei/History of Shar Pei

I thought I would put together some history, pictures, etc of Shar Pei. They used to look quite a bit different years ago. Although there are still some breeders who breed the traditional bonemouth Shar Pei. More breed the meatmouth Shar Pei.

Not many people know that Shar pei originated as not very wrinkle, and a bit different looking than todays Shar pei. Some people like the traditional, some like the newer.
Personal preference really.

There are quite a few websites that have a lot of info on the traditional Shar pei, I've pasted the links to some of the here.
The pictures are from these websites as well.

Here are some good videos of Shar Pei ... one from Animal Planet, Breed All About It.

Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB1s5DDPQi8

Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44D0_VYLXlY

Part Three: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kUPS7kGTkU



Here are pictures of Traditional Shar pei



























http://www.examiner.com/x-1514-DC-Dogs-Examiner~y2009m1d5-What-is-a-foo-dog

Actually, Foo Dog (or Fu Dog) refers to dog breeds originating in ancient China, which resemble the Chinese guardian lions and hence are also called 'lion dogs'.
Fu is the Chinese
word for happiness. The Foo Dog was the protector of sacred buildings and a defender of law. The dogs were commonly placed at business institutions, temple gates, home entrances, and estates.
Among the 'Foo" dog breeds is the Chow Chow, which is a breed of dog that
was first developed in Mongolia about 4,000 years ago and was later introduced into China.
The Shih Tzu, Pug, and
Shar Pei (wrinkly dog) are also considered lion dogs.
There is a
Chinese Foo Dog Club of America. Do you have a Foo Dog?



http://www.completedogsguide.com/dog-breeds/Traditional-Shar-Pei/


Eric from hkshar-pei.com explains below how he perceives the differences between the two types of Shar Pei.
When Christopher Columbus "discovered" America (Central America to be exact) in 1492, he named the native people he saw Indians. He was on his westward expedition to find a new route to Asia. Today we call these native people American Indians. Ask Indians from India if they agree with Columbus that those people he saw was Indians?


So in order to clarify what Columbus really means, we call them American Indians.
Then a couple of hundred years later, American thought they have found the Akita dogs. Apparently the Japanese Kennel Club did not think so. So we now have the American Akita and the Japanese Akita in much the same way as the American called their native people American Indians and the Indians in India the usual Indians.


Cocker Spaniel is a little more simple because American and British are historically very much similar and so much more difficult to mis communicate. So they differentiated the breed into American Cocker and English Cocker without much difficulty. American could not have confused British for something else.


For Shar-pei, the Western world is still living in the age of Columbus. The majority of them still insist that they have "discovered" a rare breed in China called Shar-pei and named it Chinese Shar-pei (as the name CSPCA implies) which is similar to Columbus claiming he saw the Indians. As there were no consensus yet at that time on what to call the Northern great continent of America, he could not have referred to the natives as "American Indians" to differentiate them from the Indian Indians.


The Shar-pei photo you have put on your
Western Shar Pei web page is a nice dog with good traditional Shar-pei (we call bone mouth or the original Shar-pei we see in China) but not the color.


Traditional Shar-pei DO NOT have Blue color, hippo face and brush tail. Blue is something of Western origin and possibly from Neapolitan Mastiff. The early Chinese breeders in Hong Kong, Taiwan and in U.S. must have crossed with Shar-pei to produce the more massive face, meat padding (and therefore we call the Western type Shar-pei Meat-mouth), wrinkles on face and thus follow with all these features also the color. This was what happened in the 1970's and 1980's when Shar-pei was HOT in U.S. and many people made a fortune by breeding these wrinkle meat-mouth dogs.


Therefore, the Western meat-mouth is a total market creation and it has nothing to do with the original Shar-pei found locally in China. And yet people continue to us the term Chinese Shar-pei to describe a Western market product


http://www.traditional-shar-pei.co.uk/2.php


Glossary Of Traditional Shar Pei Terms


Bone mouth Shar-Pei:
The traditional type Shar-Pei. "Gwat zhui" in Cantonese. "Gwat" means bone, "zhui" means mouth.


Bone-meat mouth Shar-Pei:
The in between type between bone and meat mouth Shar-Pei. A term commonly used in Hong Kong and China. Called tweener in the west by some people which should stands for something "in-between". "Gwat yok zhui" in Cantonese. "Gwat" means bone, "yok" means meat, and "zhui" means mouth.


Butterfly nose:
A term used to describe the nose of a Shar-Pei. The word butterfly actually refers to the name of a kind of cookie found in the area of Guangdong. In Cantonese is called "Wu dip sou". "Wu dip" means butterfly, and "sou" means biscuit or cookie. This "Chinese" cookie is actually an import from the west. Very much like the vegetable tomato. Tomato is as much "Chinese" as "Western".


Cart pushing leg:
Describes the condition of hindquarters. When in motion, can extend and strong like when pushing a cart forward. "Toi che bei" in Cantonese. "Toi" for push, "che" for cart, and "bei" means thigh. This is not to be mistaken as a straight stifle.


Chamfa ear:
Erect ear or pricked ear. Although this is not a preferred Shar-pei ear, however, it is an accepted practice among breeders in Hong Kong and China to employ a dog with this type of ears in their breeding program if all other traditional bone mouth features are of exceptionally good quality. "Chamfa" stands for a pair of decorative triangular ornament used to decorate the small family shrine in each household. A religious display common in Guangdong province. The Chinese use this auspicious symbol to name this type of ear for Shar-pei represents acceptance and respect for this original and primitive canine trait. In short, Chamfa ear is an accepted in breeding program but definitely not a preferred ear for Shar-pei.


Chu ghon sik:
"Chu" for pig, "ghon" for liver, and "sik" for color in Cantonese, meaning pig liver color.


Clam shell ear:
A type of button ear but thick and small in proportion to head. Looks like a pair of small clam shells resting on top of the skull. "Hinhok yi" in Cantonese. "Hinhok" meaning clam shell and "yi" meaning ear. Care must be taken to differentiate this from a folded ear which is a kind of hereditary deformed and shrunken ear. A true Clam shell ear is very lively and react sharply to the surrounding sound with movement.


Coin tail:
Description of a curled spiral whip tail of Shar-pei. "Kam chin mei" in Cantonese. "Kam chin" means coin and "mei" means tail.


Dam cheung mei:
"Dam" means carry, "cheung" means spear, and "mei" means tail. Refer to spear tail.


Five Point Red Shar-Pei:
A type of Shar-Pei with liver red pigmentation for eyes (surrounding skin), nose, tongue, anus, and foot pad. Priced for good fortune by the Chinese. In China, a red color stands for live and prosperity. "Ng hong" in Cantonese. "Ng" means five, and "hong" means red.
Although not mentioned specifically in any Shar-Pei breed standards, this is a popular color priced by bone mouth fancier in Hong Kong and China. The consensus on this color combination is very strong among Chinese regardless of bone mouth or meat mouth fancier. This is a difficult color preference to reconcile with the breed standard when it concern with the color of the tongue. Because of the recognition of this Five Point Red by the Chinese, therefore, flowered tongue is acceptable. Otherwise, there could not be possibly any room for recognition of Five Point Red. Although not accepted in show and not preferred, a red to pink tongue should be acceptable for breeding if all other traditional bone mouth features are of exceptionally good quality similar in case to the Chamfa ear. But unlike Chamfa ear, it is said that all blue, flowered and pink tongue were equally acceptable in the good old days. In fact, some older Chinese even thought that a blue tongue is "poisonous" in contrast to a healthy "red" tongue.
Because the blue tongue pigmentation trait is quite strong, it is very easy to get the blue tongue again. Of course it would be great if the show standard can relaxed in future to include pink to red tongue also, but for the time being, we will have to live with blue tongue as the show standard but once again this should not discourage us to keep a pink tongue if all other traditional bone mouth features are of exceptionally good quality.



Fungus ear:
A type of button ear but thick, wavy and small in proportion to head. Fungus refer to a type of edible tree fungus found in China. The appearance of this tree fungus is flat and fleshy, almost triangular in shape. "Wan yi" in Cantonese. The edible fungus is also called "Wan yi". Among all the various presentation of ears, this type of ear (Won yi) is the most priced Shar-pei ear.


Gaap la zhui:
"Gaap la" for toad and "zhui" for mouth in Cantonese, meaning toad mouth, description for a kind of mouth of Shar-pei vs. "Nga tung zhui" or roof tile mouth. The muzzle of toad mouth is shorter than that of a roof tile mouth.


Garlic claw:
Description on the toes of foot; construction of the phalanges giving an outward appearance of a garlic bulb.


Gwat yok zhui:
"Gwat" means bone, "yok" means meat, and "zhui" means mouth. Same as tweener or bone-meat mouth.


Gwat zhui:
"Gwat" means bone, "zhui" means mouth. Simply means bone mouth.


Hinhok yi:
"Hinhok" meaning clam shell and "yi" meaning ear. Refer to Clam shell ear.


Kam chin mei:
"Kam chin" means coin and "mei" means tail in Cantonese. See coin tail for details.


Kwa leem mei:
"Gua" means hanging, "lim" means sickle, and "mei" means tail. See Sickle tail. This sickle refers to the Chinese sickle and not the western sickle. The R of Chinese sickle is less curved than a western sickle.


Meat mouth Shar-pei:
The Shar-pei commonly seen in the west with many wrinkles and thick padding around muzzle. Some refer to as the modern type Shar-pei. "Yok zhui" in Cantonese. "Yok" means meat, "zhui" means mouth.


Ng hong:
"Ng" means five, and "hong" means red in Cantonese. Refer to Five Point Red for detail.


Nga tung zhui:
"Nga tung" means clay roof tile, and "zhui" means mouth. But mouth here actually refer to the muzzle part. See Roof tile mouth for detailed description. Muzzle of "Nga tung zhui" is longer than that of "Gaap la zhui" or toad mouth.

Pig liver color:
Used to describe color of Shar-pei. It is a reddish liver color. An important color used to describe the Five Point Red. "Chu ghon sik" in Cantonese. "Chu" for pig, "ghon" for liver, and "sik" for color.

Roof tile mouth:
Describe the shape of muzzle in the form of a Chinese clay roof tile. "Nga tung zhui" in Cantonese. "Nga tung" means clay roof tile, and "zhui" means mouth. This is a very important description of a bone mouth Shar-pei. A "Nga tung" is convex smooth surface. This means that there should be no padding, cushion on the surface. Looking straight from the front, there should be a clean smooth roof tile between 10 and 2 o'clock on the clock surface. This is the most important feature differentiating between a bone mouth and a meat mouth.

Rusty black:
Not a pure black. Color like rusted pig iron. "Tit sau wu" in Cantonese. "Tit" meaning iron, "sau" meaning rust, and "wu" meaning black. So literally meaning black like rusted iron.

Sau ji tau:
Chinese character of "Longevity" on the forehead. "Sau" means longevity, "ji" means character, and "tau" means head.

Shar-Pei:
Sandy skin, coarse skin in Cantonese. Pronounced "sha pi" in Putonghua or Mandarin.

Sickle tail:
Describe the tail carriage of Shar-pei. A whip like tail curved like a sickle pointing toward the head. "Kwa leem mei" in Cantonese. "Kwa" means hanging, "leem" means sickle, and "mei" means tail. This sickle refers to the Chinese sickle and not the western sickle. The R of Chinese sickle is less curved than a western sickle.

Spear tail:
Describe the tail carriage of Shar-pei. A whip tail straight like a spear pointing up into the sky. "Dam cheung mei" in Cantonese. "Dam" means carry, "cheung" means spear, and "mei" means tail.

Tit sau wu:
"Tit" meaning iron, "sau" meaning rust, and "wu" meaning black. So literally meaning black like rusted iron or Rusty black.

Toad mouth:
Describe the shape of mouth. A wide and deep mouth with well developed Maxilla of jaw. Imagine the mouth of a Pit Bull Terrier just beneath the skull and disregarding the muzzle. "Gaap la zhui" in Cantonese. "Gaap la" for toad and "zhui for mouth. The muzzle of toad mouth is shorter than that of a roof tile mouth.

Toi che bei:
"Toi" for push, "che" for cart, and "bei" means thigh in Cantonese. Refers to the condition of the hind quarter in motion which can extend straight like when pushing a cart forward. This is not to be mistaken as a straight stifle.

Traditional Shar-Pei:
The type of Shar-pei originally found in area around Dali (Dailek) in the Guangdong province.

Tweener:
Same as bone-meat mouth, or "Gwat yok zhui" in Cantonese.

Wan yi:
"Wan yi" in Cantonese means a kind of edible tree fungus found in China. This is a term used to describe a traditional Shar-pei's ear. See also Fungus ear. Among all the various presentation of ears, Wan yi is the most priced Shar-pei ear.

Wu dip sou:
A Cantonese term used to describe the nose. "Wu dip" means butterfly, and "sou" means biscuit or cookie. See Butterfly nose.

Wu lo tau:
A term used to describe the shape of Shar-pei head. "Wu lo" means calabash, "tau"...head. Refer to Calabash head.

Yok zhui:
"Yok" means meat, "zhui" means mouth. Simply means meat mouth Shar-pei.





http://www.hkshar-pei.com/



Head like calabash, body like a fork.
Tail like holding a spear and hip like a shrimp.
Hairs like arrows, mostly short and hard, make a broken coat.
Foot of garlic and nose coarse and rough.
Tail thick and rotten like a grass mantle,
A fantastic hunter drilling through the wilderness.
Coat thin and sparse to withstand the heat,
going after the beast fast like flying.
A hunting dog should not excite and cry prematurely.
A bark makes the game run away,
just like firing a cannon before seeing the enemy,
A hunting trip return with sure disappointment.
Two eyes clear and bright and deeply set,
hunting animals in the mountain chasing after clues.
Eyes free from harm in the wilderness,
catching animals in the brushes.
A hunting dog neck bold and large,
catching animals with bite and claws.
Two ears pointed and erect, keeping alert in hearing.
Bulky jaws, hair ridge extended to the root of the ears,
make way through brushes and drill through wilderness.
Going through wilderness like eel drilling into earth,
going into the bushes dividing grasses.
Corner of mouth wide and deep,
killing beast¡¦s heart in one bite.
Marching ahead of the hunters,
life of beast already in heaven.
Middle slit of nose running straight to the top,
Horizontal whiskers slant in cracks.
One dragon, two tiger, three leopard,
Loop of nose like flesh of snail, thin and moving.
Translucent nose is the most rare,
not sneezing in the wilderness,
Tip of nose coarse like sand but soft like lips.
Front chest wide and forequarter straight.
Hindquarter straight in cart pushing motion.
When walking, gait is light like floating on water.
Garlic paws quick in swinging a turn,
tail extended straight in wilderness not hooked and bent.
Keeping a hunting dog need not worry becoming poor,
go hunting in mountain everyday.
If grass and hair inhaled by dog into the lung,
feed often hot boiled blood of swine.

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