Are Shar-Peis Truly Hypoallergenic? Debunking Myths & Allergy Facts

Shar-Peis are an easily recognizable dog breed thanks to their abundance of wrinkles and adorably squishy faces. They’re calm, confident, loving, easy to housetrain, and are incredibly loyal to their family – so it’s easy to see why they’re a popular pet. But what if you’re prone to sneezing around pups? Are Shar-Peis hypoallergenic?

Why do some people have Shar-Pei allergies?

All dogs shed to some extent. Yes, even the Mexican Hairless Dog. And it’s this shedding that causes some people to have allergies. Dander, which is dead skin attached to dog hair, is the main cause of giving you the sneezes, but you can also be allergic to proteins found in their saliva and urine.

That being said, if you have a mild allergy and can get away with it, a Chinese Crested Dog is going to be a much better bet than a Corgi. So yes, there are some dogs that are way more hypoallergenic than others. But is the Chinese Shar-Pei one of them?

Are Shar-Peis hypoallergenic?

Types of Chinese Shar-Pei

Shar-Peis have three types of coat varieties – horse, brush, and bear and all of them shed a little. A pup with a horse coat has the shortest and coarsest hair and sheds the least out of all three. In fact, Shar-Pei actually translates as ‘sand skin’ which refers to this coat and its sand-like texture. A brush coat is slightly longer than a horse coat and a bear coat is the longest of them all. Bear coats can even be an inch long in some places and pups with these coats look a little more like a Chow Chow. 

Are they hypoallergenic?

Because Shar-Pei dogs shed (albeit fairly minimally), they’re not considered to be hypoallergenic by the American Kennel Club, especially those pups with a bear coat.

If you suffer from a fairly mild dog allergy, a horse coat Shar-Pei may be OK, but they will shed more during the change of seasons. Regular grooming is a good way to keep the worst of it at bay. Your best bet if you’re a sufferer or you’re unsure, is to adopt a pup that’s considered a hypoallergenic dog breed and leave Shar-Peis to those who don’t need to keep reaching for the tissue box.