Bull-Pei
Hybrid Breed Description
The Bull-Pei is a cross between the Bulldog and the Chinese Shar-Pei. Because each hybrid inherits a unique combination of traits from both parents, we recommend thoroughly researching both breeds before choosing a Bull-Pei. Pay special attention to temperament, health issues, and care requirements, as your dog may express characteristics from either parent breed.
Bulldog
The English Bulldog presents a distinctive medium-sized frame characterized by a stocky, muscular build that conveys both strength and stability. Standing approximately twelve to sixteen inches at the shoulder, males typically weigh between fifty and fifty-five pounds, while females average around forty to fifty pounds. Their most recognizable feature is a large, spherical head with a broad skull that displays prominent wrinkles across the forehead and face. The muzzle is extremely short and blunt, creating the breed's characteristic flattened appearance, with an undershot lower jaw that produces a distinctive underbite and comical expression. The breed exhibits a wide, powerful chest and broad shoulders that taper to a relatively lighter hindquarters, creating a pear-shaped outline when viewed from above. Their legs are short, sturdy, and well-boned, with a characteristic rolling gait that appears somewhat crablike. The skin is notably loose and pendulous, with heavy wrinkles forming thick folds on the face and a prominent dewlap hanging from the throat. Small, thin ears angle forward like flaps that frame the forehead, while dark eyes are set low and wide, contributing to their alert yet gentle expression. The English Bulldog's coat is short, fine, and smooth, lying flat against the body with a sleek texture. Common color patterns include brindle, solid white, red, fawn, and fallow, often featuring piebald markings or combinations of these colors. The tail is naturally short and can either hang straight or curl into a distinctive corkscrew shape, sitting low on the body. Despite their compact stature, these dogs possess remarkable substance and presence, with their muscular development clearly visible beneath their smooth coat.
Key Characteristics
The English Bulldog exhibits a sweet, gentle disposition that makes them wonderful family companions, particularly with children. Despite their somewhat intimidating appearance, they are remarkably calm, dependable, and predictable in nature. These dogs are intensely people-oriented and actively seek human attention and affection, thriving when included in family activities. Their docile temperament combined with their courage creates an interesting balance—they make excellent watchdogs while remaining gentle and non-aggressive in most situations. These dogs display a notably stubborn and strong-willed personality that stems from their bull-baiting heritage. Training can be challenging as they lack the working drive seen in many breeds and may not respond to commands simply to please their owner. Food motivation often proves the most effective training approach, though patience and positive reinforcement are essential. English Bulldogs are famously lazy and enjoy spending much of their day relaxing on the couch, making them well-suited for apartment living despite their need for moderate exercise. The breed demonstrates fierce loyalty and protective instincts toward their families, though they typically reserve aggression for genuine threats rather than displaying it indiscriminately. While generally friendly with familiar pets and people, they can show aggression toward unfamiliar dogs without proper socialization. Their low-endurance nature means they prefer short bursts of activity followed by extended rest periods. English Bulldogs are notably vocal in their own way, with characteristic snoring, wheezing, and grunting sounds, though they rarely bark without reason.
The English Bulldog faces numerous serious health challenges primarily stemming from their extreme brachycephalic conformation and selective breeding practices. Their shortened face structure leads to Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome, causing chronic breathing difficulties, loud snoring, and dangerous susceptibility to overheating and heat stroke. This compromised respiratory system makes temperature regulation extremely difficult, requiring careful monitoring in both hot and cold weather conditions. The breed has an alarmingly short average lifespan of only eight to ten years, significantly below average for medium-sized dogs. Hip dysplasia occurs with high frequency due to their elevated hip position and abnormal skeletal structure, where the hip joint sits above shoulder height and causes chronic instability. This leads to progressive arthritis and mobility issues over time. Skin fold infections are extremely common as moisture becomes trapped in their numerous wrinkles, creating ideal conditions for bacterial and yeast growth that requires regular cleaning and maintenance. English Bulldogs suffer from exceptionally high rates of various cancers, eye problems including cherry eye and entropion, and dental disease due to their jaw structure. The breed faces such severe genetic health issues from centuries of inbreeding that studies have shown minimal genetic diversity remaining in the population, limiting possibilities for health improvements through selective breeding alone. Most puppies require cesarean delivery due to their large heads, and many health problems require lifelong management or surgical intervention, making this one of the most medically intensive breeds to own.
Chinese Shar-Pei
The Chinese Shar-Pei presents a distinctive medium-sized build standing eighteen to twenty inches at the shoulder, with males weighing forty-five to sixty pounds and females slightly less at forty-five to fifty-five pounds. The breed's most defining characteristic is the abundant loose skin that forms deep wrinkles covering the head, neck, and withers, creating their instantly recognizable appearance. Their head is relatively large in proportion to the body, featuring a broad, hippopotamus-like muzzle that appears flat and well-padded at the base. Small, deeply sunken almond-shaped eyes contribute to their characteristic scowling expression. The breed exhibits a square body profile with a level topline that dips slightly behind the withers before rising over the short, broad loin. Their build is compact and powerful, with a broad, deep chest, strong muscular legs, and a thick neck that blends smoothly into sloping shoulders. The ears are extremely small, thick, and triangular in shape, sitting high and wide on the skull while lying flat against the head and pointing toward the eyes. A distinctive feature shared with only the Chow Chow is their solid blue-black tongue and mouth pigmentation, though dilute-colored dogs may display solid lavender pigmentation instead. The Shar-Pei's coat represents one of their most unique features, feeling extremely harsh and bristly like sandpaper to the touch, which gives the breed its name meaning sand skin. Two acceptable coat lengths exist: the horse coat, which is extremely short and prickly, and the brush coat, which extends slightly longer but never exceeds one inch at the withers. The coat can appear in numerous solid colors including black, red, fawn, cream, apricot, chocolate, and blue, with darker shading down the back and ears being acceptable. Their tail is thick at the base, tapering to a fine point and curling over or to either side of the back in a characteristic manner.
Key Characteristics
The Chinese Shar-Pei exhibits a calm, dignified temperament characterized by fierce loyalty and devotion to their family members, though they remain notably aloof and suspicious toward strangers. Originally bred as guard dogs, they possess strong protective instincts and serve as excellent watchdogs who remain constantly alert to their surroundings. While deeply affectionate with those they know and trust, they do not display the overtly friendly nature seen in many companion breeds and instead maintain an independent, self-assured demeanor that reflects their ancient guardian heritage. These dogs demonstrate considerable intelligence and can learn quickly, but their strong-willed, stubborn nature means they require confident, consistent leadership from owners experienced in handling assertive breeds. Training must begin early using positive reinforcement methods, as harsh corrections typically backfire with this sensitive yet headstrong breed. Without proper socialization starting in puppyhood, Shar-Peis may develop excessive wariness of strangers or aggression toward unfamiliar dogs and animals. Their territorial nature and protective instincts require careful management to ensure appropriate responses to various situations. Shar-Peis possess notably low exercise requirements compared to many breeds and adapt well to apartment living provided they receive daily walks and mental stimulation. They tend to be quiet dogs who rarely bark without good reason, maintaining a reserved, contemplative presence in the home. Their independent streak means they appreciate having personal space and may not constantly seek physical affection like more overtly demonstrative breeds. Despite their somewhat serious demeanor, properly socialized Shar-Peis form strong bonds with family members and can coexist peacefully with children when raised together, though supervision remains important given their size and strength.
The Chinese Shar-Pei faces numerous serious breed-specific health challenges that significantly impact their wellbeing and longevity, with an average lifespan of eight to twelve years. The breed's signature wrinkled skin creates ongoing management issues, as the deep folds trap moisture and debris, creating ideal environments for bacterial and yeast infections that require regular cleaning and monitoring. Skin conditions including atopic dermatitis, demodex mange, and seborrhea occur with high frequency, often requiring lifelong treatment and veterinary supervision. Shar-Pei Fever, also called Familial Shar-Pei Fever or swollen hock syndrome, represents one of the breed's most serious inherited conditions, caused by a genetic mutation particularly common in dogs with excessive skin folds. This disease causes recurring episodes of extremely high fever and severe swelling of the hock joints, with episodes typically lasting one to two days. More concerning is the condition's tendency to progress to amyloidosis, where abnormal protein deposits accumulate in the kidneys and liver, leading to organ failure often by age six. No cure exists and treatment effectiveness remains limited. Entropion affects the majority of Shar-Peis, where the eyelids roll inward causing the lashes to constantly irritate the cornea, resulting in pain, discharge, and potential ulceration that requires surgical correction. The breed also experiences high rates of hip and elbow dysplasia, various eye diseases including glaucoma and cataracts, hypothyroidism, and ear infections due to their narrow ear canals. Their moderately brachycephalic facial structure contributes to respiratory difficulties and heat intolerance. Dental disease occurs frequently due to their mouth structure, and cobalamin deficiency from a genetic absorption defect requires lifelong vitamin supplementation in affected dogs.
Important to Remember
Each hybrid dog is unique and may inherit any combination of traits from either parent breed. The information above represents the characteristics of the purebred parent breeds. Your Bull-Pei may favor one parent over the other or display a blend of both. We strongly encourage you to read the complete breed profiles for both the Bulldog and Chinese Shar-Pei to fully understand the range of possible temperaments, health concerns, and care requirements.