The Chow Chow is a sturdy dog with several distinctive features. Their chests are wide and deep, and their abdomens are strong and short in length. They have a broad, flat head and a wide muzzle that becomes narrower towards the nose. Their tongue is blue-black in color and their straight hind legs cause them to walk rather stiffly. Their ears are small and round, and their tail is covered with hair and is carried over their back. The Chow Chow has a thick, furry coat that exists in one of two varieties, smooth or rough. There is a huge ruff of hair behind the breed’s head, resulting in a lion-like appearance. The most common colors for the Chow Chow’s coat are solid red, blue, black, cinnamon, and cream. Other coat colors include tan, gray, and white. Lighter or darker shades may exist within this breed’s coat, but the coat is never parti-colored.

Although the Chow Chow is usually docile and well-mannered, he can also be strong-willed and protective. The breed is independent, bossy, and serious in nature. They are persistent to the point of being obstinate. They are loyal to their family, and they are often a one-person dog. They can be aggressive towards strangers they do not like, and they may act reserved in the company of people. They require an owner that is dominant- one who can administer firm and fair training. With proper training and socialization from an early age, the vast majority of Chow Chows grow up quite well. They are intelligent and are capable of learning, but they have to understand the purpose and reason for a command in order to do it. Consistency plays a key role in determining the temperament of this breed. While much success has been achieved, breeders are still working very hard to breed a Chow Chow with a loving, family-oriented temperament.

A chow chow is a very loyal, sincere dog that is very affectionate toward it's master. It does not accept muzzles and leashes gladly, but is otherwise polite, clean, and patient. The chow chow is a dog that needs plenty of early and consistent socialization. They can be good with people, but usually are a bit standoffish. It's best to be fair with this dog and they respond well to verbal correction. A firm leader that has plenty of patience is best.

The Chow Chow is prone to hip dysplasia. They are often susceptible to entropion, an eye irritation that can be fixed with surgery. The Chow Chow is a comparatively healthy breed with few major health concerns or issues. They typically live for about 15 years.

This breed lives 10 to 15 years on average. Some may even live to 17 years. This breed is susceptible to bloat.

The build and bone structure of the Chow Chow is very similar to that of the oldest known fossilized dog remains that date back several millions of years. The breed has been known throughout China for thousands of years, where they were initially utilized as a hunter, boat guard, and cart puller. One Emperor was said to have kept 2500 pairs of Chow Chow. The fur of the Chow Chow has been used in the past to line coats, and the flesh of this breed was considered a delicacy in China. The Chow Chow was first brought to England by merchants in the late 1800’s. The name was likely derived from the pidgin English word “chow-chow”, a term that refers to a miscellany of things that were brought to England from the far east. Today, the Chow Chow is very popular throughout the United States as a companion dog.

The Chow Chow’s long, thick coat needs regular brushing. They are heavy shedders during season, and extra care should be given to this breed’s coat during this time. The Chow Chow should be shampooed only as necessary.

The Chow Chow is content to live in a small household or apartment if he is sufficiently exercised. They prefer to be as lazy as possible, but it’s important for their health that they receive a sufficient amount of daily activity. They are relatively inactive indoors and will do fine with a small yard. They can live outside or inside, but they are sensitive to hot weather conditions.

	We have a 5 year old beautiful Chow Chow named Xena. We feed her very good holistic dog food and she is relatively healthy. She does have a bad breathing problem. It's as if her nose is totally clogged. She gets winded easily when running because she has to breathe through her mouth. She also snores badly and even when resting she breathes heavily. Can anything be done? She probably has stenotic nares if it's a problem she's had since she was young. I work at a vet clinic and I have a chow puppy with the same problems. She breathes through her mouth a lot and weezes a lot. They told me when I have her spayed they can remove some tissue from her nostrils. It's a fairly common issue among chows and you might want to ask her vet about it! Hope this helped!
	Hello we have a 4 moth old chowchow that will not play with us. He runs away when we try. If anyone has any information on what we could try? My puppy was the same way - kind of like a cat in that he decided when he wanted to play. As soon as I stopped thinking about him, he may slink around to play. However, he was pretty standoffish until about 6 months. He would always want me in his eyesight, but that was about it. Now I can't get him away from me even if I wanted to. He is about 1 year and three months and he just has to be chasing me, walking with me, performing for me whenever we are together. He will come and put his head on my lap if I am sitting down relaxing. I have a younger female chow who loves to get massaged and brushed, but she is totally independent. She is about 7 months now, but prior to that I would have to sneak up on her and give her treats in order for her to stay around and play.
	My 3 month old chow puppy has hazel colored eyes will they change to color to brown? If so, at what age. Also he still has alot of greyish brown with some light red. What color will he be and at what age will he change color. The bredder told me he would be cinnamon? what do you think? The grayish brown you're probably referring to is more than likely your dog's undercoat. I have an adult cinnamon Chow he has the grayish undercoat going on as well. It's not big deal really, just wait for the full adult coat to over grow it and it'll be fine. Your dog is only 3 months old and won't have it's adult coat to grow in until about 6 months. Enjoy that puppy hair while you can because when it changes, it gets quite nappy.
	I have a 2 year old male Chow Chow. I am at work about 8-9 hours a day and I was wondering if it would be a good idea to get a female companion for him to play with during the day? He has done well with female dogs - playing and interacting. I am unsure if Chow Chows do well with other dogs in the house. Any tips would be great. My Chow Chow loves other dogs. However he grew up with another dog. At one point it was just my chow chow for a few months (after losing my other dog) ,and when I would take him walking he would make a crying noise when he saw another dog and wanted to go play. He was 3 years old at the time. So, I got another dog and it worked out well. And He gets alone very well with another dog I got a couple years ago too (total of 3 dogs counting the chow chow). I would only recommend you getting another dog if he is used to dogs and grew up that way. It really doesn't matter on the breed. My brother once had golden retriever and after she was grown they decided to get a second dog as a companion. However, it didn't work out and they had to find another home for the second dog.
	How are these dogs with people with asthma? Will they inflame it? I have asthma and have had my chow for 6 months now. She doesn't appear to have affected my asthma and I haven't had any flare-ups (other than when running with/chasing after her!) that I would consider he responsible for, so I'd say that I'm fine with a chow.
	I have a Chow Chow and she(wikket) has terrible breath I've looked at her teeth and have cleaned them but they look alright. I have also given her greenies. Is there anything I could be missing?
	Thinking about buying a chow chow. How difficult is it to maintain the shedding? Chows need constant grooming and shed a lot. Get your puppy used to being brushed and combed. Be ready because we used to joke that you could make a whole new dog with how much mine would shed in a few days. Keeping your dog groomed well helps too. They do not need to be bathed often if you maintain their coat.
	I got this chow/terrier mix in september of 2010 and he had just turned 2 years old. It took him awhile to warm up to us, but after a few weeks he loved us. I have a 10 year old that just loves him. Recently he bit her really hard because someone knocked on the door and he tries running out so she grabbed his collar. Yesterday he was choking and she just went to check on him and he bit her again. We live in apts. with alot of kids and he has bitten other kids too. I am thinking i should bring him to the shelter before he hurts someone real bad. Is this normal for chows to bite kids?
	I'm going to get a chow chow soon, and I was thinking 'What is the practical information about the dog I should know' so what is it? i have a female chow how has jut turned two. socialize the pup well let people pet the dog u don't want a aggressive dog and if u don't u could have problems on ur hands my chow even was tough hand signs and never hit a chow or corner them. we trained our own it not hard cause they are very smart dogs.
	I recently acquired an adorable Chow Chow puppy from a breeder and he wants to bite. I have been told that he is treating me like he would his litter mates but his little sharp teeth can hurt. I have tried several different things, such as trying to substitute a chew toy, tapping him on the nose, spraying him with water using a small spary bottle. Howling like his litter mate would do. Nothing seems to work. I am at my wits end. I have began keeping him on a leash when he is in the house so that I can have more control. This morning I acatually got him to sit on command. Does anyone have any advice that they can give me.? I have spoken with an obedience trainer and he said that chows are the worst kind of dog to train and that i probably should have opted for another breed but I used to have a chow 20 years ago and he was easy to train and a loyal companiom. I just don't know if I am doing something wrong. But at any rate this baby is part of our family now and we have got to make it work. my chow does the same thing and she is two. what i have found to work is to yap like a puppy and say it in a tough voice

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