How To Train A Shar Pei

While there is a tendency to talk about common traits when defining the character or behavior of a breed, the truth is, each dog owns a unique personality. During their learning and training process, each dog will require different amounts of learning time. Therefore, when training a dog, it is important to remain dedicated and patient with your pup.

An essential first step in knowing how to educate your dog, is knowing your dog. Observe your dog’s behavior, postures and facial expressions. By better understanding your dog’s body language, it will aid you in positively training and educating your animal, at the same time allowing for the growth of a stronger bond between dog and guardian.

In general, Shar Peis are serene and balanced dogs, more independent than most breeds. This does not mean that they don’t need love and attention, but simply highlights that at times, this breed require moments of solitude and tranquility.

These furry pups are incredibly loyal and courageous, especially if they feel the need to protect their guardians from threat. Therefore, they can be somewhat distrustful of strangers and other animals. However, if having received correct socialization, your Shar Pei should have no problems positively interacting with other animals, people and environments.

It also cannot be assumed that all Shar Pei’s carry the same genetic inheritance, specifically when it comes to behavior. Like all animals their: education, lived experiences, training, care and surroundings, will all act as determining factors in a dog’s character^[1].

Therefore, if you want your Shar Pei to be obedient, calm and friendly, you should not neglect its training or socialization. It will also be crucial to offer your Sha Pei adequate preventive medicine and a positive and safe environment, where they can freely develop their: physical, cognitive, social and emotional abilities.

Training, both physical and mental, should always be appropriate according to a dog’s: age, health status and physical capacity. For example, you should never begin educating a puppy with too complex a task, as they need to learn progressively.

Therefore, you should always begin training with basic and simple orders, easy to assimilate. Little by little, you can begin to increase exercise difficulty, always using positive reinforcement to stimulate learning.

The ideal age to start training a Shar Pei puppy will be from 3 months of age, when it has been fully weaned. Remember that it is essential to respect a dog’s weaning period. If a puppy is separated from their mother too early, they may develop learning and socialization difficulties, as well as a weak immune system.

If the puppy was born in your home, you can resort to early stimulation from an early stage to encourage their cognitive, emotional and social abilities. In addition, although you can not begin to train them in this first stage, you must begin to educate them from birth. For example, transmitting simple rules of conduct, such as not getting on the couch. It is also essential that your puppies learn to recognize their name as soon as possible.

It is also very important to teach your puppy to inhibit their bite in a positive and safe way. Considering that Shar Peis are large and robust dogs with strong jaws, this element of training is very necessary. Physical activity, when it comes to puppies, should be moderate. This is so as not to impair a puppy’s physical and mental development. The proposed exercises should be of low impact, but with high content of entertainment. Game is a key element in the education of every dog, since it acts to stimulate curiosity for the development of cognitive, emotional and social abilities.

To help you better understand how to train a Shar Pei puppy, we present you with an optimal guide:

• From 3 to 6 months: training of a Shar Pei puppy should always begin with the basic commands of obedience. These commands include; how to come, sit down, stay still, get up, walk next to you and not pull on the leash. In this first stage, your objective should be to propose simple and unitary orders, which do not entail the execution of multiple tasks. Do not exaggerate the complexity of the exercises, as this could confuse the puppy and generate feelings of frustration. It is also advisable to teach your Shar Pei puppy to defecate outside, as well as not neglect their socialization.

• From 6 to 12 months: once your puppy knows how to execute the basic exercises correctly, you can include new orders into the training. At this time, we recommend teaching your Shar Pei puppy to bring objects to you and how to greet people properly. In addition, you can begin to include other fun tricks, such as: roll, give the foot etc. It is important to remember to always respect your puppy’s learning time, and use positive reinforcement to encourage him/her to learn new tasks.

Having completed the basic level of dog training with your Shar Pei, you will likely notice the level of intelligence that this dog carries. Starting by introducing your Shar Pei to Agility sports is an excellent way to keep him/her both mentally and physically stimulated. In addition, searching games is highly recommended in order to stimulate your dog’s sensory and cognitive capacity.

If you think you do not have enough time or knowledge to deepen your Shar Pei’s education, we recommend consulting a dog training center. These centers offer guidance from a professional in advanced training.

The socialization of the puppy is key in order to achieve an obedient, balanced and self-confident dog. During the socialization period, your Shar Pei must learn to relate positively with people, other animals and with their own environment. This will help in avoiding the appearance of fear or other behavioral problems in the future: such as, stress and anxiety.

Ideally, your Shar Pei will begin socialization training during its early stages(between the third week and thirds month of life), but always after completing its first cycle of vaccination and deworming. During these stages, as their guardian, you must offer your puppy the opportunity to experience positive experiences with other people, animals and environment. It is during this period of life that dogs form notions of coexistence with other individuals, in addition to demonstrating a more flexible character, in favor of learning.

Although it can prove to be more difficult, it is possible to carry out a process of socialization when your dog is an adult. This training might however require more patience and, like with puppies, constant positive reinforcement.

Although not exactly a hyperactive dog, a Shar Pei needs to maintain an active and healthy routine to manage: a healthy weight, burn energy and maintain balanced behavior. A sedentary Shar Pei, who does not practice exercises or go for daily walks, may show symptoms of stress or boredom. In addition, if they do not receive a necessary channel for their energy, they might experience greater difficulty concentrating and learning.

For this reason, the training of your Shar Pei should include both daily physical activity and cognitive training. In addition to outdoor trips, you can consider introducing your Shar Pei to a sport or specific dog exercise.

As already mentioned, Shar peis are intelligent and sensitive dogs that need dedicated and patient tutors. These tutors need to have time and space available to provide their dogs with an optimum quality of life. All dogs should also receive adequate and regular preventive medicine in order to remain healthy, active and happy. Therefore, remember to take your Shar Pei to a veterinarian every 6 months, always respecting its vaccination and periodic deworming schedule.

To complete this comprehensive guide to Shar Pei training, we offer you six basic tips that every Shar Pei owner should know and apply:

1. Training a dog requires perseverance: your Shar Pei will need you to be patient and commit yourself to helping it assimilate these orders. Training is a constant and gradual process, where each exercise must be properly: absorbed, memorized and executed. If you feel you do not have enough time or patience, you can contact a professional trainer to help you train your Shar Pei.
2. Know when and how much to teach your dog: obedience orders must be trained daily, but in short sessions. Ideally, you should spend 10 to 15 minutes on training, a session. If you exceed this duration, you can risk tiring your dog out, which will in turn be counterproductive to its learning.
3. Understand how to teach your dog: the exercises must be practiced one by one to allow for complete understanding and perfect execution, without confusing or overloading the dog. Generally, dogs take 3 to 10 days to fully understand, associate, memorize and execute each order. However, the exact time may vary according to: the dog, the complexity of the exercise and the dedication of each tutor. Do not forget that your commitment is key to stimulate and facilitate the cognitive abilities of your animal.
4. Choosing the ideal place to train your dog: choosing the right place to teach is as important as respecting the frequency and duration of the training. It is important to avoid noisy places or those with excess stimuli (such as smells, sounds, people, dogs and other animals). A quiet place will help your dog concentrate on his training and understand orders more easily.
5. Use positive reinforcement to educate and stimulate your dog: positive reinforcement is the best method to teach and stimulate your Shar Pei's intelligence. Unlike aversive methods, such as punishment, dogs respond much better to this type of education, they learn quicker and show less signs of stress^[2]. Remember that exposing your animal to high stress environments can harm their health and favor the development of behavioral problems. .
6. Review the exercises already learned: each order taught should be constantly reviewed to reaffirm learning and avoid forgetting. Ideally, you should review and reinforce the exercises at least twice a week.

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