The work to bring up your puppy so that they grow into a happy adult starts the moment you collect them from the breeder.

 

A puppy Shar Pei requires little walking.  They need to be able to play in the garden and until the age of 6 months should have two ten minute walks a day.  They should be discouraged from jumping up and down from furniture and from using the stairs at a young age.

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Your breeder should have given you a diet and worming sheet detailing what food will best suit your puppy, how often to feed them and when they should be wormed.

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Shar Pei require very little in the way of grooming.  

 

Your Shar Pei should moult twice a year when they change coat.  A zoom groom (or similar) is an ideal grooming tool to help get the dead coat out.  A good bath as the moult starts will help loosen dead coat too.  A Shar Pei should not have a double coat so between moults should not shed constantly.  However, that does also mean that during a moult they can look a bit moth-eaten with patches of missing coat.

 

Shar Pei have natural oils in their coats so it’s not recommended to bath your dog too often or you will strip these oils out of the coat.  The downside to these oils is that they can leave marks on walls and furniture.  Bathing is best done a few times a year, generally when they are moulting is the best time.  Use a damp cloth at other times to wipe the coat if you have any dirty marks.  Brushing is not strictly necessary other than when the dog is moulting but a weekly run over with a zoom groom or similar is both great bonding time with your dog and gives you the opportunity to just check over your dog and their coat

 

Shar Pei can suffer from teenage spots on the face or under the chin as they grow up.  

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Keep an eye on ears and inspect weekly to ensure they stay clean.

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Claws can grow like weeds on a Shar Pei.  They need to be kept tidy and whilst young clipping every week to get them used to it is recommnded.  Shar Pei can be very funny about having their feet touched but those that are clipped regularly from a very young age usually take nail clipping as adults with good grace.

 

​Male pups go through an adolescent stage when they will try to push the boundaries.  During this stage it is important that you are firm but fair.  For some this can be make or break time in terms of adult behavior.  If you have laid the foundations as a puppy your dog should be easy to manage through this stage.