We would like to buy a puppy and we felt in love with a chinesse sharpei. But both my spouse and I work full time and can only take care of him morning & afternoon. we can occasionally take him to the office during the day. Is the sharpei a high-maintenance dog? Do they need full day attention? Also, there will be any problem if down the line we have kids? so far I know they get along with kids just fine, but not sure if the same applies if the dog is an adult when the children come
2007-10-23 07:35:32 · 5 answers · asked by abc 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
They are great dogs but prone to skin problems, allergies, staff, infections in skin folds. Skin folds need to be cleaned daily, baby wipes work fine for it, some powder with a medicated powder in the folds. The less wrinkles the less problems. Wrinkles will decrease as they get older with pups being the most wrinkled. Lines tend to run coat problems, find parents with nice full coats and no skin issues and feed a high quality food for your best chances. There are several shar-pei yahoo groups, join a few and ask and learn about them.
They do fine with kids if they are raised around them. Since you dont have kids yet can you find kids (neices, nephews, friends kids etc) to expose them to growing up? Its harder on them to understand if they are not exposed when young. Some dogs are just more tolerant than others so even then it can vary but the best behaved ones are generally around kids daily whos parents do not let the kids be rough with the pup either. A lot has to do with teaching children how to behave around pets.
They are a wonderful protective breed in a compact clownish exterior. They can be expensive to maintain because of allergies and coat problems. Plan to feed a excellent food and it will save you tons of health problems. I also recomend omega acid supplements for all peis. The yahoo groups would help you immensly. They are also a very stubborn breed and do not obedience train beyond basic house manners as easy as some breeds, some do however and even compete in akc obedience trails.
They are usually quick to housebreak especially the females. The ones I have owned were quick to learn what to and not to chew.
They bond with the family and are standoffish or aloof with strangers but should not be outwardly aggressive. They are prone to the allergies listed above both enviromental and food related, genetic coat problems, eye problems with lids turning in or out rubbing eyes, stenotic nares, elongated soft pallete, inverted vulva and they are a brachael species meaning they do NOT tolerate heat or over exercise well.
I have owned 3, none of them had eye problems or the other things I listed, one had so many deep folds as an adult that they had to be powdered the other 2 were fine as long as folds were kept dry. One was allergic to corn and chicken both, the other 2 had no real allergy problems, none had major coat issues because the line they were from had been carefully bred and I spent several years looking for the right breeder. Again none of them do well in heat the same as any other short nosed breed.
If I were going to be gone a lot especially with a small pup I would consider puppy daycare or a friend to babysit or check in on them and let them out. This is with any breed. Sometimes our schedules are just too tight to give a pup the time out of crate as often as they need to potty. You could also consider an older pup or adult or check with a pei rescue. You could possibly foster one to see if the dog is what you want before you commit to it.
The poster above is correct some are sensitive to the coats of some peis, they come in 2 recognized types, horse coat and brush coat. http://www.royalsharpei.com/SPtypes.htm
There is also a longer 'bear' coat but I dont think it is allowed in show at least not the last I checked when I had peis.
2007-10-23 07:52:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes they are... those wrinkles need to be kept dry and clean to avoid infections.
They tend to require surguery on their eye lids for entropion.. a condition where the eyelid turns inward. Almost all Shar Pei's need this surgury.
If you work full time, a puppy may not be the best, unless you plan on taking him to the office every day while you are housebreaking.. a puppy can only be crated up to 3 hours. Their little bladders just cannot hold it all day while you work! An adult dog would be a better choice. You can find adults for adoption at www.petfinder.com Also if you check reputable breeders, sometimes they have an adult who is retiring from the show ring.. or a young adult who didnt quite cut it in the ring.
2007-10-23 07:57:14 · answer #2 · answered by Nekkid Truth! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Personally, I think any dog is bored when left alone all day. I don't think it is fair to get a puppy/dog and leave them that much.
Shar-peis are not what I would call high-maintenance. They do have a LOT of health issues though. Vets love them because they give them alot of business!!!! Not one of the more healthy breeds.
Some people are sensitive to the coat of the dog. I have no problems with any breed of dog except Shar-peis. If the coat touches my bare skin, I get little welts.
Some can be protective, and although good with your family, it might not be great with visiting children.
2007-10-23 07:42:43 · answer #3 · answered by ARE YOUR NEWFS GELLIN'? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Shar peis can be high maintenance. You have to take special care of their coats, especially around their wrinkly faces, they can get skin infections, yeast infections, etc. Also many are
sharp and often very overprotective of their family. They were bred in china to be guard dogs and can be quite aggressive. Training and socialization is vital at a young age.
2007-10-23 08:36:47 · answer #4 · answered by Rexydoberman 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
the vet i work with has always joked that he could keep his practice going just by the shar peis that come in - they're notorious for having chronic skin & eye issues.
as for temp, they're related to chows so have similar temperaments. they're very very loyal to the ones they bond with, be it adult or child, but can be a bit stand-offish to others. with any breed, there is potential conflict with children introduced at a later date, but i woould think that would be a bridge to cross when the time comes. raise it to be a sweet dog, and it's likely to be sweet to children born to you.
2007-10-23 07:43:09 · answer #5 · answered by sleepycatz1972 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋