The shar-pei husky mix – or sharberian husky – is a super rare mix between the Siberian Husky and Chinese Shar-Pei.
In this guide, we’ll explore everything there is to know about this mix, including temperament, exercise requirements, and much more.
Let’s get straight into it.
Contents
Quick Profile
Here’s an overview of (almost) everything there is to know about this breed.
- Other Names: Sharberian Husky, Husky Shar-Pei Mix
- Average Lifespan: 9-12 years
- Average Height: 18 to 23 inches
- Average Weight: 35 to 60 lbs
- Coat appearance: Short to medium in length and double coated, with lots of variation in color
- Eye Color: Usually brown or blue
- Activity Level: 1 to 2 hours of exercise per day is ideal
- Grooming Frequency: Varies depending on coat type – short coat needs weekly grooming, whereas medium coat requires daily grooming
- Typical Temperament: Very affectionate with people they know, can be wary of strangers, and tend to have a guarding instinct. They are very loyal, but also very stubborn and can be hard to train
- Daily Food Consumption: Moderate daily food consumption – 2 to 3 cups of kibble per day on average
- New Owner Friendly: Can be challenging for new owners due to how difficult they can be to train, high exercise requirement, and also due to socialization requirement
- Suitable to live with children? Can be great with children as long as they are properly socialized
- Suitable to live with other dogs? Same as above, need to be socialized properly with other dogs for success
- Suitable to live with cats? Very strong prey drive, which means early socialization is absolutely necessary
Appearance
Sharberian huskies will typically look more like one of the parent breeds than the other.
Take the example right below – these huskies clearly take after the shar-pei with broad heads and short fur, but they also have markings and eyes similar to those found in the husky.
In order to get a better idea of what this mix looks like, it’s important to take a look at both parent breeds to see what type of features they can inherit.
Shar-Pei Appearance
Shar-peis have a distinct appearance.
They are medium-sized, similar to the husky, with their most notable feature being the wrinkled skin that covers their body.
Shar-peis have broad heads with small triangular ears and black tongues with blue hues. Their tail is set high and usually curls over to the back or over to one side.
Shar-peis coat comes in a lot of different colors – including cream, red, fawn, and many more – and is usually short and bristly, although some shar-peis can have longer coats which are known as ‘brush.’
Husky Appearance
The Siberian Husky is a medium to large-sized dog. They are slightly longer than they are tall.
They have graceful lean bodies. They are very strong and athletic because they were used to pull sleds across the Arctic ice.
They have an elongated head and a medium-length snout. They have medium-sized, erect ears.
They sport a long bushy tail that they can curl around their body to keep them warm.
Huskies come in a wide range of colors, which can have a direct impact on the appearance of the sharberian husky. These include red, black and white, agouti, and many more.
Average Size
The share pei husky mix tends to be slightly smaller in height than the average husky, but with a more muscular physique and a slightly higher average weight than a husky.
Their height ranges anywhere from 18 to 23 inches depending on gender and genetics, with a weight in the region of 35 to 60 lbs.
Coat Appearance
There can be a lot of variation in the coat of the shar-pei husky mix, including not only color combinations but also length as well.
Their coat will usually be one of two types:
- Short and dense like the shar-pei (most commonly). This coat type is much easier to maintain as it requires less grooming and sheds much less.
- Medium length and double coated like the husky. This coat type requires daily grooming due to the double coat and sheds much more frequently.
It’s worth mentioning that shar-peis can actually have three different types of coat, although the most common is the ‘horse’ coat that is short and bristled.
Grooming Guide
Grooming a shar-pei husky mix depends greatly on the type of coat that they inherit.
Some shar-pei huskies will have medium-length double coats, whereas others will have a short, singled-layered coat that is more bristly to the touch.
Here are the guidelines for each:
- For the short, single coat, you only need to groom once weekly. Shedding with this type of coat will be minimal, so they only need minimal maintenance in terms of grooming.
- Medium-length, double-coated share pei husky mixes need daily grooming (details of the process can be found here). You will also have to groom more than once per day when they are blowing coat.
Bathing
Bathing again depends on the type of coat that they have.
For the short coat, bathing should be done once every month.
For the longer double coat, you should only bathe them once every two or three months as needed, as excessive bathing will interfere with the oils in the coat and can cause more harm than good.
Nail Trimming
Shar-pei husky mixes are highly active, which means that nail trimming shouldn’t be necessary most of the time if they are exercising on hard surfaces.
It’s still worth checking their nails each week, and if they do need to be trimmed, we recommend using a metal grinder.
Is The Shar-Pei Husky Mix Hypoallergenic
Some shar-pei huskies are better for people with allergies than others, specifically those with shorter coats that shed less.
Those with longer, double-coats will shed quite often, which can cause a lot of problems for those with allergies.
If you want to learn about more husky mixes that don’t shed as much, check out our recent article here.
Temperament
Temperament is one of the most important things to consider when looking at different breeds of dogs, especially mixes.
Here’s an overview of the shar-pei husky mix temperament, including key points like how easy they are to train and how affectionate they tend to be with people.
Affectionate
Shar-pei husky mixes are very affectionate mix due to the parent breeds.
Shar-peis are very affectionate to people they are comfortable around, and huskies are affectionate to pretty much everybody.
Stubborn
Both parent breeds of the sharberian husky are very stubborn.
This has a direct impact on a lot of things, including obedience training and how challenging this breed is for new owners.
Stubborn dogs can be a handful as they are less likely to listen to you, which is why it’s crucial that this mix is socialized and trained from a young age.
Independent
Another important trait of the shar-pei husky mix is independence.
Both parent breeds have an independent streak, which means they like to have their own time every so often. This doesn’t mean they are annoyed or angry with their owners, and is just a common personality trait associated with these types of dogs.
This can sometimes be misinterpreted as a lack of affection, but this is not the case. You can think of this like a cat – when they want to spend time with you, they tend to be highly affectionate, but they also enjoy their own company.
Intelligent
Huskies and shar-peis are both intelligent dog breeds, which should come as no surprise.
These breeds are intelligent in unconventional ways, however, as they don’t tend to learn new tricks quickly due to their stubbornness.
Huskies, for example, have great communication and problem-solving intelligence, and shar-peis are highly alert and constantly scan their environment for threats.
Guarding Instinct
Shar-peis were originally used as guard dogs, and many of the associated traits, such as protective instincts towards strangers or alerting their owners to new people on their territory, can be seen in the breed today.
Huskies are terrible guard dogs due to how friendly they are with everybody, so the shar-pei husky mix can inherit either guarding trait.
Early socialization is important to teach a shar-pei husky that not everybody is a threat.
Separation Anxiety
Unfortunately, both parent breeds are prone to separation anxiety, a condition that leads to destructive tendencies if they are left alone for too long.
Separation anxiety can be dealt with, and it is best to start from an early age to have the best chance of success.
How Much Exercise Do They Need?
In terms of exercise, the shar-pei husky mix needs between 1 and 2 hours per day.
This makes the mix more manageable than a regular husky which needs at least 2 hours of exercise per day but more work than the shar-pei, which needs between 30 minutes and one hour each day.
Health
The shar-pei husky mix is relatively healthy, but it can be prone to a few health issues:
- Skin fold infection – Some shar-pei husky mixes have wrinkled skin like the shar-pei, which is at risk of skin fold pyoderma or dermatitis.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia – Both parent breeds are at risk of hip and elbow dysplasia, where the joint conformation is abnormal.
- Cataracts – Both parent breeds can also develop cataracts, although this is most commonly hereditary and can be tested fir,
As a very rare and new mix, there obviously has not been extensive research into the health issues of this breed, so we can only assume from the parent breeds.
Are They Easy To Train?
Shar-pe husky mixes are not the easiest dogs in the world to train due to how stubborn they can be.
The key to success with this breed is to focus on training from an early age and to be consistent.
How Much Do They Cost?
There aren’t many breeders who breed for the shar-pei husky mix specifically, which is understandable given how rare and relatively ‘new’ this mix is.
Shar-peis and huskies can be on the expensive side, however, so you are likely looking at anywhere from a few hundred dollars to well over a thousand.
In Summary
The shar-pei husky mix is a highly energetic and oftentimes stubborn mix.
They are incredibly affectionate with people that they know and can be wary of strangers. Early socialization is crucial for this mix, especially with other dogs and cats.
If you’re interested in learning about more husky mixes, check out some of our recent articles below:
