Understanding the Chow Chow: 7 Key Facts
Chow Chows are the famous large all-purpose Chinese working dogs. There are quite a lot of things you may have heard about them but are they good pets? Here are the 7 important things to know about the Chow Chow. We’ll cover their unique look, their fun but potentially challenging personalities, their impressive physique, and more.
7 things to consider before getting a Chow Chow pet
Many Asian dogs are called “Little lions” with Shih Tzu’s breed name literally translating as such. But few breeds look more like a canine lion than the Chow Chow. Unfortunately, this breed’s name’s origin isn’t nearly as dignified – it comes from the English slang cargo or food coming from the Orient where these dogs also came from.
Although, there are some that claim the names come from the ancient word “Chao”, meaning “Dog of great strength”. Or, it could just come from the Chinese word Kou, literally translating as “Dog”.
Regardless of the semantics, the Chow Chow is a remarkable and unique breed. Here are 7 of the fascinating things you ought to know about these dogs from southern China.
1. Chow Chows are a working, herding, and guard dog breed but they have a pretty dominant temperament
These medium-to-large dogs were used for almost everything in their home in southern China. They are great guard dogs, efficient herding dogs, strong working and cart-pulling dogs, and more.
Typically, working and herding dogs are famous for being quite trainable. The Chow Chow’s guarding proficiency shows in this breed’s dominant nature, however. So, even though they are still good working dogs, obedience isn’t really their strong suit.
This means that proper obedience training is both harder and even more crucial for these dogs. If you leave a Chow Chow to remain untrained for too long, the dog will almost certainly start displaying its dominant side and start viewing itself as the alpha of the household. And that really isn’t something you’d want with such a strong breed.
So, ideally, you will have some experience with dogs before you get your first Chow Chow. These dogs need a training hand that’s both firm and loving. Negative reinforcement training doesn’t work here as it’ll only make the Chow Chow more stubborn and resentful.
2. These dogs have pretty compact and muscular bodies, requiring a strong hand holding the leash
The Chow Chow is not the biggest breed out there but these are some very compact and strong dogs. The average Chow Chow weighs as much as a Labrador Retriever at about 50 to 70 pounds (23 to 32 kg). However, the Chow Chow is only about 17 to 20 inches (43 to 51 cm) – some 5 inches or 10 cm shorter than most labs.
Given that labs are already pretty strong and muscular dogs themselves, you can imagine how much strength the smaller but equally heavy Chow Chow has. Don’t be fooled by their fluffy coats too – beneath all that fur there’s mostly muscle and not at all that much fat. Unless, of course, you’ve let your Chow Chow get overweight.
The inherent strength of this breed is another reason why obedience training is so incredibly important. It’s also why letting kids or light-weight people walk such a dog alone may not be the best idea without enough training.
3. This is one of the few breeds with a unique blue tongue
Chow Chows and the Chinese Shar-Pei are the only two breeds that always have blue tongues. Some other breeds that can sometimes – rarely – have this feature include the Pomeranian, the Keeshond, the Samoyed, and the Norwegian Elkhound. That’s why some experts claim that the Chow Chow is a part of the ancestry of these breeds.
Yet, others believe that the Chow Chow itself was made by the crossing of Samoyeds with Tibetan Mastiffs. Nothing is 100% clear either way, however – we’ve only managed to trace the Chow Chow’s history to about ~2,000 years ago in China but it’s possible that the breed’s been around for quite a bit longer.
Regardless of where it comes from, the Chow Chow’s blue tongue is as unique as it is fascinating. It’s due to just a different-color pigment, however, and isn’t anything worrying. The tongues can also appear greyish, purple, or black.
4. The fluffy Chow Chow coat is gorgeous as well as maintenance-intensive
As is quite evident even just by looking at them, Chow Chows are a double-coated breed. Their upper coats are long, soft, and fluffy while their undercoats are quite dense.
So, as you’d expect, Chow Chows shed. A lot. Especially when it comes to their seasonal blowouts. Those are the periods around the spring and autumn when the dog is getting rid of most of its coat and replacing it with new hair for the summer or winter.
This means that daily brushing is a very good idea. Or, at least 3 or 4 brushings a week are an absolute must. Otherwise, not only are you going to have dog hair floating and sticking everywhere in your home, but your Chow Chow’s fur will also get overly matted and entangled.
Additionally, you may want to consider trimming and clipping your dog’s hair from time to time. Chow Chows look positively adorable when their hair gets longer but too much hair on their face and neck can both make it hard for them to see and to groom themselves. Just don’t fully shave your Chow Chow as double-coated breeds shouldn’t be shaven .
Other types of grooming you’d need to do include the standard doggy care maintenance:
- The occasional bath
- Nail clipping
- Dental hygiene
- Eye and ear cleaning
Getting a Chow Chow to a professional groomer is also a good idea, especially before/during the seasonal blowout. A good groomer can help you tremendously with all of the above. Just make sure that you get your Chow Chow used to getting professionally groomed from an early age, otherwise it may cause the groomer some problems.
5. These dogs love their families but are always wary of strangers – socialization is an absolute must!
As guard and working dogs, (well-trained) Chow Chows absolutely love their families. These adorable teddy bears will love sleeping on your feet or on the couch next to you, they love to play with the family’s kids, and they can even get along with other dogs and cats – again, if they are properly trained.
However, Chow Chows are intuitively untrusting of strangers, whether people or dogs. This is perfectly natural for all guard dog breeds and the Chow Chow is no exception. So, if you want an actual guard dog, this is an excellent breed.
If you want a family pet, however, you absolutely need to give your dog great early socialization. This includes getting your Chow Chow used to the presence of other people both outside and at home, it includes safe and enjoyable interactions with other kids, fun playtime with other dogs, and so on.
In essence, your Chow Chow needs to learn from the earliest possible age, that other people and pets are friendly and are always to be trusted. Even with such excellent socialization, a Chow Chow will never be as social as a lab, for example, but at least it won’t be as wary of or outright aggressive to strangers.
6. Chow Chows have moderate exercise needs
Despite being a working breed, Chow Chows don’t need that much exercise. About an hour of outdoor time divided into two separate walks is enough for these dogs which is excellent if you don’t want to spend too much time in the dog park.
Having a yard also isn’t strictly necessary with these dogs as they are neither large nor energetic enough to need to run circles around your house every day.
That being said, it is crucial that you don’t go below the 1-hour minimum of outdoor time – the Chow Chow does need its moderate exercise. Having some indoor playtime with dog toys in the living room is also important. Chow Chows are smart dogs and they need the mental stimulation or they’ll get bored and anxious.
7. This is not the healthiest dog breed but still has a pretty great life expectancy
Chow Chows have an average lifespan of about 15 years which is pretty great for such a breed. They are predisposed to certain health conditions you’ll need to watch out for, however. These include entropion, hip dysplasia, ear infections, skin problems, and stomach cancer . Also keep in mind that, despite being from southern China, Chow Chows don’t really do too well in hot weather.
It’s quite evident that not only are the Chow Chow special dogs but they also need special owners. Looking after these gorgeous lion dogs isn’t quite like looking after a lab or a poodle. They need firm but also loving owners. Experience is key if you want to own such a dog. If this would be your first canine pet we’d recommend going for a more easy-going breed. If not, we at least hope you do your research and preparation ahead of time.
In conclusion, the Chow Chow is an incredibly rewarding dog to have as long as you’re up to the challenge.
