Chow Chow

Chow Chow

Other names	Chow, Chowdren, 鬆獅犬
Country of origin	China
Traits Weight Male 55 to 70 pounds(25 to 32 kilograms)[1] Female 45 to 60 pounds (20 to 27 kilograms)[1] Height 17 to 20 inches (43 to 51 cm)[1] Coat Thick and coarse Color Red (light gold to deep red-brown) Cinnamon (light tan to brown) Black Cream Blue Litter size 3–6 Life span 9–15 years
Classification / standards FCI Group 5 Section 5 #205 standard AKC Non-sporting standard ANKC Group 7 Non-sporting standard CKC Group 6 Non-sporting standard KC (UK) Utility standard NZKC Non-sporting standard UKC Northern Breeds standard
Dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

The Chow Chow or Chow^[2] (from Chinese: 獢) is a dog breed originally from northern China,^[3] where it is known as the "Fluffy Lion-dog" (sōng shī quǎn 松狮犬) in Chinese.^[4]

The breed has also been called the Tang Quan, "Dog of the Tang Empire". It is believed that the Chow Chow is one of the native dogs used as the model for the Chinese guardian lions, the traditional stone guardians found in front of Buddhist temples and palaces.^[5][6]

History

A Chow Chow in 1901

The Chow Chow has been identified as a basal breed that predates the emergence of the modern breeds in the 19th Century.^[7]

The breed probably originated in the high steppe regions of Siberia or Mongolia, and much later used as temple guards in China, Mongolia and Tibet.^[9] A bas-relief from 150 BC (during the Han Dynasty) includes a hunting dog similar in appearance to the Chow. Later Chow Chows were bred as a general-purpose working dog for herding, hunting, pulling, and guarding. From what records survive, some historians believe that the Chow was the dog described as accompanying the Mongolian armies as they invaded southward into China as well as west into Europe and southwest into the Middle East in the 13th century AD. The breed belongs to a subset identified by a particular genetic cluster, which includes breeds from central Africa, the Middle East, Tibet, China, Japan and the Arctic. It has been suggested that the origin of this subset may have originated with pariah dogs in Asia, who migrated with nomadic human groups.^[10]

The breed is thought to have originated in the arid steppes of northern China and Mongolia,^[1] although other theorists conjecture that its origin is in Siberian regions of Asia.^[4]

A Chow Chow in 1915.

The black tongued Chow Chow was also bred for human consumption.^[11] Some scholars claim the Chow Chow was the original ancestor of the Samoyed, Norwegian Elkhound, Pomeranian, and Keeshond.^[12]

Chinese legends mention large war dogs from central Asia that resembled black-tongued lions. One Chinese ruler was said to own 5,000 Chows. The Chinese also used Chows to pull dog sleds, and this was remarked upon by Marco Polo.^[4]

A legend says that the original teddy bears were modeled after Queen Victoria's Chow Chow puppy. It is said that she carried the dog everywhere she went. Her friends disapproved, claiming that it did not befit a queen to be seen everywhere with a dog, so they paid a dressmaker to make a stuffed version of the animal for her.^[2]

Today, the AKC registers approximately 10,000 Chow Chows a year. The Canadian Kennel Club registers approximately 350.^[1]

Appearance

A close-up of the Chow Chow's characteristic blue-black tongue

The Chow Chow is a sturdily built dog, square in profile, with a broad skull and small, triangular, erect ears with rounded tips. The breed is known for a very dense double coat that is either smooth or rough.^[1] The fur is particularly thick in the neck area, giving it a distinctive ruff or mane appearance. The coat may be red, black, blue, cinnamon/fawn, or cream.^[1][13] Not all these color varieties are recognized as valid in all countries. Individuals with patchy or multicolored coats are considered to be outside the breed standard. Chow Chow eyes are typically deep set and almond shaped. The breed is distinguished by its unusual blue-black/purple tongue and very straight hind legs, resulting in a rather stilted gait.^[1] At the time of birth of chow puppies, they have pink color tongue which darkens to blue-black by the time they are 8 to 10 weeks old.^[14] The bluish color extends to the Chow Chow's lips; this is the only dog breed with this distinctive bluish color in its lips and oral cavity (other dogs have black or a piebald pattern skin in their mouths).^[1] One other distinctive feature is the curly tail.^[1] It has thick hair and lies curled on its back. The nose should be black, but blue-coated Chow Chow can have a solid blue or slate-colored nose. According to the American Kennel Club breed standards, any other tone is not acceptable for contests.^[15] FCI countries, however, do allow a self-colored nose in the cream.^[16]

The blue-black/purple tongue gene appears to be dominant, as most mixed breed dogs that come from a Chow Chow retain that tongue colour. However, the blue-black/purple tongue can also be found on the Shar Pei. This is not to say that every mixed breed dog with spots of purple on the tongue is descended from Chow Chow, as purple spots on the tongue can be found on other purebred dogs.^[17]

• The distinctive Chow Chow features
• 

  A Chow Chow showing the very straight hind legs.

• 

  The Chow Chow has a very dense double coat. Red coat.

• 

  A Chow Chow showing the purple-black tongue.

• 

  A Chow Chow with dark brown coat.

• 

  A Chow Chow cream coat, the only dog breed with this distinctive bluish color in its lips and oral cavity.

• 

  A Chow Chow puppy.

• 

  The Chow Chow is a sturdily built dog, square in profile.

Temperament

Chow Chows of different coat colors.

Most commonly kept as pets, Chow Chows tend to display discernment of strangers and can become fiercely protective of their owners and property. The American Kennel Club standards, however, consider an all-too aggressive or all-too timid Chow Chow to be unacceptable.^[15] For that reason, some owners have attributed a cat-like personality to the Chow Chow.^[18][19]

Chow Chows are not excessively active, meaning that they can be housed in an apartment. However, a Chow Chow living in an apartment will need daily exercise to prevent restlessness and boredom. Upon realizing that exercise is a daily occurrence, Chow Chow will tend to be more assertive with owners in anticipation of such activities.

This breed of dog has many strong loyal bonds with friends and family, but not infrequently becomes overly protective of one or two main family member(s).^[20]

Owning a Chow Chow can raise the cost of homeowners insurance because some companies consider them high-risk dogs.^[21] In a study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Chow Chow were responsible for 8 out of 238 fatalities related to dog bites from 1979 to 1998.^[22]

• The different Chow Chow colours
• 

  Cream.

• 

  Fawn.

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  Red.

• 

  Blue.

• 

  Black.

Health

The Chow Chow can suffer from entropion,^[23][24] glaucoma,^[25][26] juvenile cataracts,^[27] lymphoma,^[28] hip dysplasia,^[29] diabetes mellitus,^[30] canine pemphigus,^[31] and gastric cancer.^[32] Chow Chows are a high risk breed for autoimmune disease ^[33] and are at a predisposition for skin melanoma.^[34]

Due to the Chow Chow's thick coat, fleas can be a problem.^[35]

Famous owners

A Chow Chow competing in Dog Agility

A Chow Chow with reddish coat.

Elvis Presley had a Chow Chow named Getlow who he took on stage. However, he had a congenital kidney ailment. Elvis leased a Learjet and flew Getlow to Boston to a special clinic for kidney dialysis. Getlow was there for about three months, but didn’t live long after that. He was only about a year old when Elvis was on tour and coming home on his plane when he died.

Sigmund Freud had a Chow Chow named Jo-Fi who attended all of his therapy sessions because he felt that dogs had a special sense that allows them to judge a person's character accurately, and admitted he depended on Jo-Fi for an assessment of a patient's mental state.^[36]

Martha Stewart owns several Chows, which are frequently seen on Stewart's shows,^[37] one of them named Genghis Khan.^[38]

President Calvin Coolidge and his wife owned a black Chow named Timmy.^[39] Chow Chows were also popular in the 1930s and 1980s.

Janet Jackson had a Chow Chow named Buckwheat.^[40]

Italian footballer Mario Balotelli bought his girlfriend two Chow Chow puppies in the UK.^[41]

Walt Disney famously gave his wife Lillian a Chow Chow puppy named Sunnee in a hatbox as a Christmas gift, later inspiring a similar scene in the Disney animated film Lady and the Tramp.^[42]

Feeding

Chow Chow dogs must eat twice a day.^[43] Due to the Chow Chow’s heavy build, it is important that this dog never be overweight which can lead to injuries of the hip.

Grooming

A Chow Chow puppy playing

Chow breed will heavily shed their fur in the seasons of spring and fall, which requires more grooming attention than other seasons. It is important that owners use the correct tool in order to avoid harming the skin and facilitate grooming. Three kinds of brushes that owners can use on their Chow Chow include a medium-coarse brush for the larger areas of the body, a slick brush for smaller areas, and a pin brush to maintain the longer strands of hair.^[44] Chow Chows are known to have either short and smooth coat, or a rougher and longer coat. Both create a thick woolly layer, as it gets closer to the skin. They should be brushed four times a week; however shedding seasons may require daily grooming. Also, a spray conditioner can help avoiding breakage and tearing to the thick coat of hair. Lastly, a monthly bath is required to avoid fleas and keep a clean coat of fur.^[43]

See also

• Eurasier, a dog breed created crossing Chow Chow and the Keeshond
• Foo Dog

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chow Chows.

• Chow Chow at DMOZ