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Chow Chow information
The Chow Chow is a large, stocky dog. The two most distinctive
features of the Chow Chow are its blue-black tongue and its
almost straight hind legs,
which makes it walk rather stilted. The head is large
and broad with a flat skull. The muzzle is broad and deep. There
is a huge ruff behind the head,
which gives it a lion like appearance. The black nose
is large with well open nostrils. The teeth meet in a scissors
bite. The small, erect ears are triangular in shape and round at
the tip. The almond-shaped eyes are deep-set and dark in colour.
The chest is broad and deep.
The tail is set high carried very close to the back. Dewclaws
are sometimes removed. The
profuse, dense, furry coat comes in two varieties, smooth coat
and rough coat. The most common colours are solid red, black,
blue, cinnamon and cream, but it can also come in tan, grey, or
a rare white. The coat sometimes has lighter or darker shades,
but is never parti-coloured.
Temperament
The Chow
Chow is a well-mannered dog. Quite good with children. If they
get to know cats and other household animals when they are
young, they will get along with them when they are adults.
Should be thoroughly socialized preferably when they are young.
They need firm authority and training starting at puppy hood.
Whether you are adopting a puppy or an adult dog, owners need to
set the rules in which the dog must follow and stick to them.
This is a very dominant breed who requires a dominant owner. The
owner of this breed of dog should be a calm person who is
naturally firm, confident, and consistent. With such a handler,
the Chow Chow can develop well. The problems arise when the dog
lives with owners who do not understand how to be, and stay in
the alpha position. If you allow this dog to believe they are
the boss of your house they will become stubborn, protective and
sometimes down right unruly. Unless the dog senses the owners
are very strong-minded, they will work hard at keeping their
alpha position in your human pack. When this happens they do not
consider themselves as being mean, but instinctually telling you
in the way dogs communicate with one another that they get to
decide when and how things are done. They will be self-willed to
the point of obstinacy and may be over-protective. When you
have a Chow Chow who believes he is the ruler of humans, and
strangers push themselves on this dog, he may become aggressive,
telling the humans he would like to have his space. Space means
a lot to a dog. It is respect in the dog world. Chow Chows who
believe they are boss will often be a one-person dog, very loyal
to their master, though he may act reserved, even with them.
Alpha Chow Chows like to dominate other dogs. A Chow Chow who is
not 100% convinced humans are the boss, will be harder to
obedience train. The Chow will feel THEY need to be deciding
what and when, to do things, not the human, as humans must
listen to THEM. These are NOT Chow Chow traits, they are
instinctual behaviours, resulting in meek human authority over
the dog. If you would like to own a dog, make sure you, and the
rest of your family know how to be alpha. All family members,
and other humans around the dog must be higher in the pecking
order, than the dog. Chow Chows can be quite a handful with
passive owners, but take the very same dog and put him with an
owner who has natural authority and he will be polite, patient
and well rounded, making an excellent family companion.
Size
Height: 18-22 inches (46-56
cm.)
Weight: 45-70 pounds (20-32 kg.)
Needs
Chow Chows can
be lazy, but
need to be taken for a daily
walk.
Dogs who do not
get to go on daily walks are more likely to display a wide array
of behaviour problems.
The Chow Chow will do okay in
an apartment if it is sufficiently exercised. It is relatively
inactive indoors and a small yard is sufficient. Sensitive to
heat, can live in or outdoors in cooler weather.
Grooming
Regular brushings of the long
coat is important to maintain the lifted, standing-out look.
This breed is a seasonal heavy shedder and extra care is needed
when the dog is shedding its dense undercoat. Dry shampoo when
necessary.
Chow Origins
The exact origin of the Chow Chow is
unknown, but we do know that it is a very old breed. The oldest
known dog fossils, dated back to several million years ago, are
very similar in structure to the Chow Chow. Pictures on Chinese
pottery which looked like the Chow Chow date back as far back as
206 BC. The Chow Chow may be related to the Chinese Shar-Pei, as
both breeds origins point to China and both have the distinctive
trait of the black and blue mouth. It may also have contributed
to the ancestry of the Keeshond,
Samoyed, Norwegian Elkhound, and the Pomeranian. The Chow Chow
was used by the Chinese as a working dog doing many different
tasks such as a hunter of wolves, sable and pheasant, for
herding, cart and sled puller, boat guard, and protection of the
home. The dogs served the Chinese much more then just as a
working dog. The dog's fur was used in making human coats and
they were and still are also eaten, considered a delicacy. In
the late 1800s Chows were first bought to England by merchants.
The name "Chow Chow" probably originated from the pidgin English
word "chow-chow," a general term for all of the odds and ends
bought back from the far East. Some of the Chow Chow's talents
are watchdog and guarding.
Training your dog
How to Groom your dog
