Chow Chow
Learn about the temperament and personality of the Chow Chow. Discover what he's like to live with, his traits and characteristics and how he generally behaves. And look at lots of Chow Chow photos.
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| Watchdog |  |
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Chow Chow Temperament
One of the oldest breeds in the world, the Chow Chow is a fiercely loyal dog who is reserved with his affection. While cuddly little powder puffs as puppies, they often end up developing difficult behaviors at 5-8 months old. They can be food aggressive, aggressively protective of their owners and territory, and they can exhibit irritable aggression. These traits were bred into them, and it is imperative that a Chow owner starts obedience training when the Chow is very young, so that the owner can control these behaviors. The Chow is independent, stubborn, and pushy and his owner will have to earn his respect early. He is highly intelligent, so will learn from obedience training, but still may choose not to be obedient. They are not exactly eager to please. They make great watchdogs as they are naturally territorial. They are protective of their owners and their children and they only bark for a reason. They are reserved with strangers and families will need to make their visitors aware that Chows can be fierce if a stranger approaches "his" property. They do well with children if they are brought up with them, and if the children know how to behave around a Chow. They also have poor peripheral vision, so one must take care approaching them from behind or from the side. This could startle them and cause them to be defensive. Chows only need minimal to moderate amounts of exercise. They like to go for walks. They are not big on rain. They also don't like to play fetch. They need to be kept on a leash or in a fenced-in area as they have no road-sense, and they will chase and potentially kill sheep, squirrels, cats, and anything else they see as prey. They also don't do well with same-sex dogs and can be very aggressive with them. However, they are usually quiet, exceptionally fast at housetraining, not prone to digging, and seem to have no interest in destroying furniture. (They are a little too high-brow for that.) They seem to have an innate dignity that they work to preserve. Some Chows breathe heavily and stress easily during heat, exercise and excitement. They will need access to water and protection from the sun and heat at all times. In short, these black-tongued, lion-like dogs make devoted companions, but don't mistake them for a lapdog. And be sure you are ready for a dog that wants to have his say.
Chow Chow Training
The Chow Chow is the hardest to train of all dog breeds. He learns new commands slower than all other breeds. You will need to be extra patient when Training him.
Chow Chow Shedding
The Chow Chow is a very heavy shedder. He sheds an awful lot of hair! You'll find hair all over your home, stuck to everything! You'll probably even find it in the butter!
Chow Chow Grooming
The Chow Chow only requires an occasional brushing. But because he sheds excessively you may find yourself brushing him daily to remove loose hair. (What you get out with a brush doesn't fall out in your home!)
Adopt a Chow Chow
Chow Chow Photos
Rating: Ease of training
Tells you how easy or difficult a breed is to train.
A higher rating means the breed is easier to train, a lower rating means the breed is harder to train.
An easy to train breed require less time and patience to train.
Rating: Intelligence
Tells you how intelligent a breed is in terms of how quickly it can learn commands from humans. A higher rating means the breed will learn your commands faster (and is therefore generally considered to be more intelligent), while a lower rating means the breed will learn your commands more slowly (and is therefore generally considered to be less intelligent).
Keep in mind that this is only one way to measure a dog's intelligence and a low rating might still mean the breed is highly intelligent in other ways.
Rating: Shedding
Tells you how much hair the breed sheds. The higher the rating the more hair the breed sheds.
Rating: Watchdog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a watchdog and raising the alarm when a stranger approaches. A higher rating means the breed will bark vigorously to warn you of a stranger's presence on your property. A low rating means the breed probably won't bark much if a stranger enters your property.
Rating: Guard dog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a guard dog due to the appearance, size, and strength of the breed. A breed with a high guard dog rating will make an intruder think twice before stepping foot on your property.
Rating: Popularity
Tells you how popular the breed is in terms of ownership. A higher rating means that more people own the breed. The more popular a breed is the easier it is to find and purchase one because there are more breeders breeding it.
Rating: Size
Tells you how large or small the breed is. A lower rating means the breed is smaller and a higher rating means the breed is larger. It gives you a quick idea of how physically large or small the breed is compared with all the other breeds.
Rating: Agility
Tells you how agile the breed is. A higher rating means the breed is fast and nimble on its feet while a lower rating means the breed is heavier and slower on its feet.
Rating: Good with kids
Tells you how good the breed is with children. A higher rating means the breed is good with children. Note: all breeds are generally good with kids when they're raised with them.
