Any Chow Chow owners out there?

PirateShampoo

Hi all
Ive been searching for information on Chow Chow's on google etc.
Doing a search on this forum gives no results.

Are there any Chow Chow owners out there??
Or does anyone have experience of them.

Whats their temperment like with strangers/kids/cats....
what are they like to train/how often to groom them/how much excercise is needed/do they need a large garden/will they be ok on their own for a couple of hours, this is the kind of info im after.

Thanks in advance!

Wolfsberg

I saw one being walked in Swords recently. I also used to work in a shop and one of the regular customers had brought one to Ireland from Nepal and the whole thing had cost him something like 5 or 6 grand including transport and quarantine. They were my only 2 experiences with the breed and I'm always on the look out for different breeds of dog!... So I'm guessing they are pretty hard to get.

The guy I knew that had one said that you have to groom them like nothing he had ever experienced before and it cost him serious money to feed and maintain, but he loved it, he even went out to Nepal to buy the dog himself.

You can get books on them in pretty much every petshop... probably because the dogs are so rare so nobody has cause to buy the books!

They seem to be like buying a Ferrari for your first car... very rare, expensive and hard to look after!

lrushe

PirateShampoo wrote: »

Hi all
Ive been searching for information on Chow Chow's on google etc.
Doing a search on this forum gives no results.

Are there any Chow Chow owners out there??
Or does anyone have experience of them.

Whats their temperment like with strangers/kids/cats....
what are they like to train/how often to groom them/how much excercise is needed/do they need a large garden/will they be ok on their own for a couple of hours, this is the kind of info im after.

Thanks in advance!

I've no direct experience of them but my friend had one a few years ago. They are a strong willed breed who can be a little difficult to train and definately not for a novice dog owner. They are wary of strangers especially if not properly socialised. They have medium excerise requirements (1 hr daily) and most dogs can adjust to being on their own for a few hours if it is requred and they are given some toys, kongs etc. to occupy them in your absence IMO.

suziwalsh

Ok my experience from working with the breed.

Chow Chows are one of the oldest dog breeds. They are a very aloof breed. As a rule you are not suppose to pet them or give them affection unless they come to you. They are difficult to train - in the ranking of intelligence (stanley coren) they are rated a very very low 76th place. If a Chow Chow is gets bored they will just walk away so it is very difficult to hold their attention.

As Irushe said not for a first time dog owner and not very "dog like" as you can imagine. You will not get a bouncy welcome with a waggin tail from a Chow. They are much to important for that

They are a very different breed then most and dont really interact with people very much. They do not like strangers. So much so that some insurance companies overseas will not insure them against biting someone....so you might want to check the situation here.

They need loads of socialisation. Not huge amounts of exercise but their coat is very high maintenance. In the ranking of intelligence (stanley coren) they are rated a very very low 76th place. They are a very independent dog.

They suffer greatly from many genetic conditions which are costly to correct (if they can be corrected) so make sure you insure your dog.

Hope that helps!

shanagarry

I've never had one, but my grandaunt did and I practically grew up with them.

She had two - one fit pretty well with what has been described above - he really didn't like people at all and wouldn't let you pet him. That said, he wasn't in anyway cross, just a big chicken really. The other guy was completely different. He was a complete teddy bear, loved attention and cuddles and would definitely be running to the door with his tail/bum wagging. He was more aggressive though - not too bad, but at the same time he was the kind of dog that you would never trust 100%, and he was never off his lead in public. He was quite protective of my grand aunt in particular.

Both dogs were quite clever though, the info Suzi quoted above is the first time I've heard mention of them being a bit thick really

As said previously, their coats need a lot of work, and given their size, that's a lot of coat. And they're expensive enough to feed too. Both of those dogs eventually succumbed to kidney issues afaik, though I don't know if that was just them, or if it's a common breed ailment.

PirateShampoo

Thanks for all your replies, much appreciated.