| Chow Chow |
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Breed Description | |
| Height: The Chow Chow's height is 17-20 inches. | ||
| Weight: The Chow Chow's weight is 45-75 lbs. | ||
| Colors: The Chow Chow can be red (light golden to deep mahogany), black, blue, cinnamon (light fawn to deep cinnamon) and cream. | ||
| General Appearance: The Chow Chow is a powerful, sturdy, squarely built, upstanding dog of Arctic type, medium in size with strong muscular development and heavy bone. The body is compact, short coupled, broad and deep, the tail set high and carried closely to the back, the whole supported by four straight, strong, sound legs. Viewed from the side, the hind legs have little apparent angulation and the hock joint and metatarsals are directly beneath the hip joint. It is this structure which produces the characteristic short, stilted gait unique to the breed. The large head with broad, flat skull and short, broad and deep muzzle is proudly carried and accentuated by a ruff. Elegance and substance must be combined into a well balanced whole, never so massive as to outweigh his ability to be active, alert and agile. Clothed in a smooth or an off standing rough double coat, the Chow is a masterpiece of beauty, dignity and naturalness, unique in his blue-black tongue, scowling expression and stilted gait. | ||
| Temperament: The Chow Chow has keen intelligence, an independent spirit and innate dignity which give him an aura of aloofness. It is a Chow's nature to be reserved and discerning with strangers. Because of its deep set eyes the Chow has limited peripheral vision and is best approached within the scope of that vision. Good with older children, may be aggressive toward other animals. Great watchdog, will guard food, bones, toys and their areas of the house. | ||
| Care: The Chow Chow's coat will require at least weekly grooming to prevent matting. Extra care is needed during shedding. Dry shampoo when necessary. Professional grooming is suggested to give Chows the lion clip look. | ||
| Training: The Chow Chow can be a challenge to train because of their strong-will. Training should begin early as a puppy. They have high intelligence, and good trainability if positive reinforcement is used. | ||
| Activity: The Chow Chow has a tendency to be lazy but will be a healthier dog if given regular exercise. | ||
| Life Span: The Chow Chow lives about 12-15 years. | ||
| Litter Size: The Chow Chow averages about 3-6 puppies per litter. | ||
| Country of Origin: The Chow Chow originated in China. | ||
| Brief History: The Chow Chow originated in Asia thousands of years ago. While the ancestors of this breed are unknown, the breed can be traced back at least 2,000 years to the Han dynasty of China. The Chow Chow originated as a sporting dog, used by Chinese aristocrats to hunt pheasant and partridge. The name "Chow Chow" is derived from pidgin-English slang used by sea captains to describe the contents of cargo crates full of miscellaneous Chinese goods. These oriental dogs became popular during the Victorian era in England and first appeared in the United States in 1890. Today, the Chow Chow is primarily a family companion and guard dog. | ||
| Registries: AKC, ANKC, CKC, FCI (Group 5), KC (GB), UKC |
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