POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN JUDGING THE CHINESE SHAR-PEI by ANN COOKSON
M y intention is not to expound on every aspect of the Chinese Shar-Pei Standard. I’m sure you have read it for yourselves, and I know judges know how to examine a dog. What I hope to do here is point out some peculiarities of the Shar-Pei that may affect examination and evaluation. Due to the deep set eyes and facial wrinkles, the Shar-Pei does not have good peripheral vision. Therefore, it
is necessary to approach them from the front, putting your hand under the muzzle to examine the head. The small, dark, deep set eyes that the standard calls for may be more difficult to see, and any attempt to manually open them wider will have the opposite effect. PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO PRY THEM OPEN or they will slam them tightly shut. For some reason we’ve had numer- ous reports of that happening lately, and it is definitely counterproductive
not to mention the lasting effect it may have on a young dog. Instead, hold up a piece of bait, jingle keys or rattle paper, etc. to get their attention. It can be difficult to show the bite. With the characteristic head style the lip is often quite thick. It is best to allow the exhibitor to show it. Keep in mind that the struggle to show the bite can be unpleasant for the dog, particularly a less seasoned exhibit. They may com- pletely lose their stack, so exhibitors
“THE SMALL, DARK, DEEP SET EYES THAT THE STANDARD CALLS FOR MAY BE MORE DIFFICULT TO SEE... “
S how S ight M agazine , F ebruary 2019 • 283
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