Chow Chow
Other names: Chow

The Chow Chow is a dog with quite an unusual character. Very solitary and independent, he is devoted to his masters without ever (or very rarely) showing signs of affection. Naturally wary of strangers, he makes a good watchdog. Discrete, quiet and neither playful or active, he has a very calm way of life. Armed with a strong temperament, this dog is not for novice owners as he can be difficult to train.
Key facts about the Chow Chow
Origins and history
The Chow dates back a very long time, but his precise origins are unknown. Previously used as a war dog in China, he later became a sled dog, watchdog and in the end, a dog destined for the butchers (people liked the meat produced from the Chow!), and fur makers. England was his adoptive country: he arrived in the 19th century and went through a thorough breeding and selection process before he was introduced into the rest of Europe.
FCI breed nomenclature
FCI Group
Group 5 - Spitz and primitive types
Section
Section 5 : Asian Spitz and related breeds
Physical characteristics of the Chow Chow
Adult size
Female : Between 18 and 20 in
Male : Between 19 and 22 in
Weight
Female : Between 44 and 66 lb
Male : Between 44 and 66 lb
Coat colour
The coat is all one colour, either black, red, blue, fawn, cream or white. The colours may be nuanced, but there won’t be markings. A multi-coloured Chow Chow does not conform to the breed’s official standards.
Type of coat
The hair can be either long or short.
Long-haired Chow Chows have thick, dense, straight and loose hair. The coat is rough and the undercoat is soft and woolly.
The short-haired breed has a thick, smooth and dense coat, which is fluffy and bouncy in texture.
For both varieties, the hair is thicker and denser around the neck, which creates the famous ‘mane’ of this breed.
Eye colour
The eyes should be dark in colour, but other colours are accepted for blue and fawn Chow Chows, so that their eyes are aligned with the colour of their coat.
Description
The Chow Chow is a compact dog with short, broad loins and a very proud stature, similar to a lion. This pet possesses the unique characteristic of a blue-black tongue. His facial features make him look like he’s scowling.
Good to know
Several years go, the owner of a pet shop in Chengdu, China, had the genius idea of creating a Chow Chow panda. Whether you think it’s an amazing or naive idea, people went crazy for the phenomena and the demand for it is ever growing.
The man who came up with this idea was able to execute it in two hours only, through some simple grooming and colouring of the fur.
While it is assured that no chemical product comes into direct contact with the animal, the necessity of such an act can be questioned; especially the wellbeing of this pet during the treatment, which has to be topped up every 6 weeks.
This all being said, the Chow Chow panda is not recognised as an official breed since his aesthetic is anything but the result of natural processes.