If there's a dog breed that is as noble as a lion, as whimsically amusing as a panda, as adorable as a teddy bear, as graceful and independent as a cat and as loyal and devoted as a true dog breed, then that is no other than the Chow Chow. Believed to be in existence for than 4000 years, the Chow Chow is considered as one of the most ancient of dog breeds which thought to have first appeared in Mongolia. In China, countless of Chinese ancient arts depicted a lion-like dog that is believed to be the ancestors of the Chow Chow.
Recent scientific studies have revealed that indeed, the Chow Chow is one of the oldest breed of dogs and that it is one of the first breeds to have evolved from the wolf that inhabited the northern part of China and Mongolia. There are also some speculations which state that the Chow Chow have come from the Arctic Circle and migrated to Mongolia, China and Siberia. Some scholars theorize that the Chow Chow is the forerunner of other breeds such as the Samoyed, Pomeranian, Keeshond and Norwegian Elkhound.
During its time in ancient China, the Chow was used in hunting and was assigned to pull carts and boat guarding. One interesting fact states that in ancient China, an emperor owned 2500 pairs of Chows which accompanied all of his 10,000 hunters during hunting. Additionally, Chow's meat is also considered as a delicacy by the Chinese and until now, dog meats are still being eaten in their country. The late President Calvin Coolidge also had a Chow named Timmy and their companionship was popular during his time.
People often misinterpret the Chow Chow and a lot of owners misunderstand the breed. As a result, they fail to give the proper care that the Chow needs and this results to the breed as having an ill-temper. The Chow is a unique breed with special needs and so, to avoid Chows from having bad dispositions, research must be done before owning one.
It is in the nature of the Chow Chow to love being quiet and alone by itself and people shouldn't interpret this as rudeness and ill-behavior on its part. It does love to socialize but it is generally a one person type of dog. In order to develop the Chow's social inclination, it must be exposed and trained to be sociable at an early age because failure to do so will make the dog wary and suspicious of strangers as an adult.
A Chow owner must be a good leader and by this it means that the owner should be consistent, firm, confident and patient in handling and training the dog. If the owner fails to impose that he/she is the leader of the pack, the Chow will manifest bad behaviors and these include aggressiveness, irritability and small dog syndrome wherein it tends to act as the leader of humans and not the other way around. The Chow is also interested in new activities and will love to participate in training sessions so long as it is not repetitive as Chows tend to get bored easily.
The Chow is not the best breed when it comes to obedience and conformation competitions because it is hard to train and in fact, ranks only as 76th in Stanley Cohen's Intelligence of Dogs. The Chow is also not a very outgoing dog and it loves to stay inside the house for the most part of the day. Because of this, the Chow is suited to live in an apartment with a very small yard remembering only that it still needs to have a daily exercise in order to keep it healthy and fit.
This dog is covered with a very dense double coat and its neck is surrounded by a huge ruff and this gives the breed a lion- like appearance. Some distinct features of the breed are its blue-black or purplish tongue, straight hind legs which gives it a stiff gait and a thickly-haired and curled tail. The Chow Chow is often seen in shades of red, black, blue, cinnamon, fawn and cream.
Recent scientific studies have revealed that indeed, the Chow Chow is one of the oldest breed of dogs and that it is one of the first breeds to have evolved from the wolf that inhabited the northern part of China and Mongolia. There are also some speculations which state that the Chow Chow have come from the Arctic Circle and migrated to Mongolia, China and Siberia. Some scholars theorize that the Chow Chow is the forerunner of other breeds such as the Samoyed, Pomeranian, Keeshond and Norwegian Elkhound.
During its time in ancient China, the Chow was used in hunting and was assigned to pull carts and boat guarding. One interesting fact states that in ancient China, an emperor owned 2500 pairs of Chows which accompanied all of his 10,000 hunters during hunting. Additionally, Chow's meat is also considered as a delicacy by the Chinese and until now, dog meats are still being eaten in their country. The late President Calvin Coolidge also had a Chow named Timmy and their companionship was popular during his time.
People often misinterpret the Chow Chow and a lot of owners misunderstand the breed. As a result, they fail to give the proper care that the Chow needs and this results to the breed as having an ill-temper. The Chow is a unique breed with special needs and so, to avoid Chows from having bad dispositions, research must be done before owning one.
It is in the nature of the Chow Chow to love being quiet and alone by itself and people shouldn't interpret this as rudeness and ill-behavior on its part. It does love to socialize but it is generally a one person type of dog. In order to develop the Chow's social inclination, it must be exposed and trained to be sociable at an early age because failure to do so will make the dog wary and suspicious of strangers as an adult.
A Chow owner must be a good leader and by this it means that the owner should be consistent, firm, confident and patient in handling and training the dog. If the owner fails to impose that he/she is the leader of the pack, the Chow will manifest bad behaviors and these include aggressiveness, irritability and small dog syndrome wherein it tends to act as the leader of humans and not the other way around. The Chow is also interested in new activities and will love to participate in training sessions so long as it is not repetitive as Chows tend to get bored easily.
The Chow is not the best breed when it comes to obedience and conformation competitions because it is hard to train and in fact, ranks only as 76th in Stanley Cohen's Intelligence of Dogs. The Chow is also not a very outgoing dog and it loves to stay inside the house for the most part of the day. Because of this, the Chow is suited to live in an apartment with a very small yard remembering only that it still needs to have a daily exercise in order to keep it healthy and fit.
This dog is covered with a very dense double coat and its neck is surrounded by a huge ruff and this gives the breed a lion- like appearance. Some distinct features of the breed are its blue-black or purplish tongue, straight hind legs which gives it a stiff gait and a thickly-haired and curled tail. The Chow Chow is often seen in shades of red, black, blue, cinnamon, fawn and cream.
About the Author:
Author Jenny Coleman is a Chow Chow breeder for decades and she invites you to go to her online site and get countless of information on the Chow Chow breed including chow puppies, and chow chow puppies for sale.
