Chow Chow Information
Some claim that the Chow Chow originated from a crossing of the old Mastiff of Tibet and Samoyed. Others claim that the Chow is one of the basic breeds and may have been one of the ancestors of the Samoyed, Norwegian Elkhound, Keeshond and Pomeranian.
For centuries, the Chow was the main sporting dog in China. In the 1700's, ships brought goods from China to the west, and the captains had to keep a log of everything on board- many times there were boxes filled with many little objects and the captains would list these with a slang word,
Chow Chow. It meant the same is
doodads or even
this-and-that's. The dogs were shipped from China along with these crates, and then became known as Chow Chow dogs.
Chows should be between 17-20 inches tall. There are two types of coat- rough and smooth. For the rough coated, the outer coat is abundant, dense, straight and offstanding- coarse in texture, and the undercoat is soft, thick and wooly. For the smooth coated, the references to quantity and distribution are not applicable to the coat. There should be no obvious ruff or feathering on the legs or tail. Their colors should be solid or solid with lighter shadings in the ruff, tail, and featherings. There are five colors of chows- red (light golden to deep mahogany), black, blue, cinnamon (light fawn to deep cinnamon) and cream.
Chows are intelligent, independent, and tend to be aloof. They are reserved with strangers but not vicious. They will defend their family and land with force if needed.
Some Chows are known to have nasty temperaments so it's best that you get your Chow from a reputable breeder who has sound temperaments in their lines and who also socializes the puppies starting at a very young age. Once the puppy is in your hands, it's your job to continue the socialization by exposing the puppy to new sights and sounds, and people. This will help assure that your puppy isn't going to be a fear biter, which is the most common form of aggression.
Chows do require a great deal of grooming and can get matted very easily. With their type of coat, you may not see the matting because the undercoat is matted while the outer coat shows little problem. If this undercoat is allowed to continue matting, it can get to the point that it's literally pulling the skin away from the body creating horrible sores. Make sure to keep your Chow combed well, using a comb that will get clear down to the skin. Some owners have their Chows trimmed or even shaved into a lion cut, others prefer the full coat. Keeping your Chow matt free is most important though, and starting the grooming very early in life is best so that your Chow gets used to the procedure and will be good for it all his life.
The main problems in the breed include
Hip Dysplasia, eye problems, elbow dysplasia, thyroid problems, luxating patella, as well as allergies and bad skin.
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