The Chow Chow is usually gentle and patient. It is very loyal and friendly with its family, but reserved with strangers. It is usually emotionally attached and very protective of a family member.
It is bossy, earnest, stubborn and does not co-exist well with other pets unless they have been together from an early age. It enjoys being around children. It is a dominant breed and needs a dominant owner. It needs firmness and consistency in its behaviour and will become aggressive if not handled with special attention. The Chow Chow is ideal as a watchdog.
The Chow Chow is a medium sized dog, with a height of 46 to 56 cm and a weight of 18 to 25 kg. The Chow Chow has plenty of double coat, which is never bicoloured, and the most common colours are red, black, blue and grey.
Its coat is particularly thick around the neck and resembles that of a lion. The outer coat consists of thick hairs and is supported by a dense inner coat. It has the unique feature of a blue and black tongue.
The minimum height is 45.7 cm.
Abundant and dense, the colours are cream, blue, black, black, white or red.
CHOW CHOW
Character
Description
Size
Hair
What you should know before getting a Chow Chow
The Chow Chow needs daily care and special grooming (brushing) to keep its coat healthy and lush.
It is sensitive to allergies, skin conditions and hip dysplasia. It has a very low tolerance to anaesthesia and cannot live in warm climates.
History
The Chow Chow, a hunting dog in its place of origin, has been popular in China for more than two thousand years. The Huns, Mongolians and Tatars used this breed for warfare, hunting and as a guard dog, sometimes eating its fur (chow = food) and using it for clothing. The breed first appeared in Europe in the second half of the 19th century, when Queen Victoria was given one. Selective breeding began in England in 1887 in an attempt to develop a more social Chow Chow. The breed is now considered a luxury pet.
