Chow chow
The chow chow is one of the oldest identifiable dog breeds, depicted in Chinese art two thousand years ago and used across northern China as a hunting, guarding and sled dog.
It shares with the Chinese shar-pei the unusual trait of a blue-black tongue.
It is a heavy, square, thickly coated dog with a distinctive scowling expression created by heavy folds above deep-set eyes, and stilted hind movement caused by very straight rear legs. The temperament is genuinely different from most breeds: chows are dignified, aloof and cat-like in their independence, devoted to their own household and largely indifferent to everyone else.
- Origin
- Northern China
- Size
- 20–32 kg, 43–51 cm at the shoulder
- Lifespan
- 8–12 years
- Coat
- Rough or smooth double coat, both very dense
- Temperament
- Aloof, dignified, independent, strongly territorial
- Exercise
- About an hour daily
Related: Chinese shar-pei
3 chow chow photos, newest first
Living with a chow chow
The rough coat is enormous and needs thorough brushing two or three times a week, daily during the heavy moults. Mats form behind the ears and in the ruff.
They feel heat badly and the deep-set eyes give poor peripheral vision, which is part of why chows dislike being startled or approached from the side. Early socialisation matters a great deal here.
Entropion is common and often needs surgery. Hip and elbow dysplasia occur, and the breed is prone to autoimmune conditions and to heat stroke. Chows are also sensitive to anaesthetics — tell any vet.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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